UrMomReadsHN

Yep, that's what people were telling me an e-check was. But I haven't looked into it myself, I just haven't because I mail a check without even thinking about it. Its just been engrained in me as a habit.

>I'm also not sure what electronic payments you're referring to (transfers to others?)

I transfer money to and from my bank accounts using ACH transfers. It typically takes a few days for those to clear.

>I said they make you jump through hoops and open a bunch of related products so they'll waive the $10-15/month fee.

That hasn't been my personal experience. I've never had to jump through hoops or have a minimum balance.

I'm just sharing my experience which is apparently different from yours.

Oh wait... I had to pay a one time $5 fee to join one of my local credit unions.

>you aren't able to give him a physical key beforehand because he's also traveling out of state?

I actually had this issue once. I solved it very easily, I put the key in an envelop and mailed it.

I've never had a problem getting an actual, real, free checking account. I actually have several. (4 at the moment... don't ask) And 3 of them have free paper checks as well.

My insurance excludes coverage for neglect.

Neglect is defined as "neglect of an insured to use all reasonable means to save and preserve property at and after the time of loss."

My insurance adjuster also asked me specifically about deadbolts.

> I did have a vague idea that many still use cheques over there

Almost nobody uses checks anymore. I do, but I'm old and cranky. ;)

Actually, the only time I use a check is to pay rent because check or money order is the only way my landlord accepts payment. Apparently there is something called "e-checks" or something but writing out a check once a month isn't a pain point for me.

And it was required to write out a check (or money order) to get my US passport.

I work in an industry that is highly regulated and law and policy must be followed to a T. Our policies are extremely specific.

It isn't "worst-first" thinking, it is "ok, I'm replacing a critical component, does this replacement meet all the the required specifications of the thing I am replacing it with? What are the potential consequences?" Which takes almost no time, its just a question that needs to be answered in my field.

Perhaps my work in such a regulated environment has taught me to think that way.

I have family in the insurance business, and they've talked about having to deny claims for various (kinda silly in a way) reasons. And getting death threats because of it...

Interesting. Has this been compared to EEG for accuracy? I can't imagine it to be very accurate. I'm really curious because as far as I understand anything that isn't EEG is pretty much useless.

How does the sleep phase sensor work? I'm assuming it can't read brainwaves...

Huh?

My insurance covers me in the case of theft. When I applied for my policy the adjuster asked me questions about my physical security. Do I have a deadbolt? Security system? Things like that. These variables (along with others, crime rate of my neighborhood, for example) were plugged in and I was given a policy with a premium tailored to my risk. If I lie about my risk to get a lower premium, then if I make a claim, then I won't be covered.

Consider a 100% purely hypothetical situation where I told my insurance company I have a deadbolt on my door. They issue me a policy based on that information. This policy has language in it that defines what a deadbolt is. I then replace my deadbolt with something that doesn't fit the language of my policy. I make a claim, and an insurance adjuster comes to my house. They notice that I was using a tool to secure my door that didn't fit with my policy language. Now I won't be covered because I didn't follow the policy.

Of course that's entirely hypothetical. Maybe (probably?) not even likely. But since it takes all of 5 minutes to verify if the new lock you are installing is compatible with your insurance policy, it would be braindead to not check.

Just something to consider...

>Deadbolts are false security

False security? In what way? False as in they don't do anything? Or false in that they give you a false sense of security?

Deadbolts prevent the most casual of crime and crime of opportunity. Which I would argue is probably the most prevalent type of crime.

Thanks for the interesting read. :)

Holy crap, yes, I agree, proxcards are the same as physical keys and are no more or less secure or insecure. Everything its benefits and weakness. However, its worth taking 5 minutes to consult your laws to see if what you're doing is legal even if it "should" be. Laws can be (and are all the time) written by people who don't understand the issues at hand. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and all that. You don't want to (potentially) have issues down the line that are very very easily preventable.

I deal with extremely detailed regulations and policy on a regular basis (I work in a very regulated field) and we MUST do things that are very specific all the time. We need to follow the letter of the law (not just the intention). Looking up "hey, can I do this?" is part of my job, so I'm ALWAYS thinking that way. Policy is usually one step back from new technology. You may have laws and regulation that details specific technologies that may be used in different applications.

>No offense but what's the evidentiary basis for these statements? Are you in the insurance business, or in the lock business?

No. It was a hypothetical situation to CONSIDER. Everyone's situation is different. You should consider what insurance ramifications would be and make sure you are reporting accurately to your insurance company, because inaccuracies can potentially have bad consequences. Unknowingly. Unlikely, but worth looking into first. Check the wording on your policy, it may list things that are disallowed. It may have a different category for electronic locks (and you may even get a discount!) Not saying this is insecure or a physical lock is better, but its use may be excluded in your policy for whatever stupid or non stupid reason. Check it. Thats all I'm saying.

You read my post wrong.