Can smartphones replace house keys?

A new app promises to phase out your clattering keychain by allowing you to unlock your home from miles away

With Schlage's "LiNK" system, a smartphone can unlock your home by sending a signal through the internet to a wireless door lock.
(Image credit: 2011 Schlage)

As if our smartphones weren't already doing enough, now they can eliminate the need for cumbersome, jangling house keys. Lockmaker Schlage has released a smartphone app that allows a user to unlock his home (provided it's equipped with special locks) using an iPhone. It's just one of a number of new systems that are threatening to make physical keys a thing of the past. Here, a brief guide:

How does it work?

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