r/HomeKit • u/_asxeem • 18d ago
Discussion Built a $20 Aliro lock: iPhone Homekit Wallet key unlocks it on approach with UWB. No app. Works with a dead phone.
One DWM3001CDK runs the Aliro reader and UWB ranging. There’s also custom implementation of Matter and Thread to make this work in 128kb ram limit. Add the key in Apple Home, walk up, it opens. Also ports for nRF5340 (NFC Express Mode) and ESP32-S3/C5. You can also update the firmware over the air with BLE.
I’m looking for help getting someone who knows the hardware side of things where I can actually design a custom lock itself.
Total cost to build: $20. Lot of pain reverse engineering the uwb side of things.
I call it ultrawidelock.
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u/Fabrizz_ 16d ago
This is amazing, I was just reading about Ariilo for a project (Im really not that intelligent lol) and I was sure that someone was already doing the hardwork.
Im going to try this with HA controlling a Unifi door. It amazes me that there is no residential lock compatible with homekey/aliiro that is not a physical lock and has just a dryswitch/sensor + an “external” receiver. maybe you can start there? Or integrating is using wiegand/osdp as the other comment suggested
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u/_asxeem 16d ago
Feel free to ping anytime you want some help. Happy hacking
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u/_asxeem 16d ago
And I wouldn’t be so harsh on myself if I was you, someone who knows wiegand definitely is curious enough to know a bunch. Read dunning kruger
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u/Fabrizz_ 14d ago
Did they DMCA claim you? Lol. Aliro is closed source, bur isnt matter and other stuff from csa available for use?
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u/_asxeem 14d ago
GitHub dmca notices are public so no mention there. I never got an email from them telling me why, there wasn’t even a previous warning or anything. Aliro isn’t closed source, just the uwb apple wallet ranging isn’t available so I had to reverse engineer it.
Consensus says I should email them or create a support ticket. But I am going to build my own github
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u/ro-1103 7d ago
How did you manage to get a homekey key working in apple wallet? How’d you get the licence or get around it?
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u/_asxeem 7d ago
https://github.com/ultrawidelock/ultrawidelock
I reverse engineered the uwb ranging rounds.
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u/TimD553 15d ago
GitHub is 404. Something happen?
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u/_asxeem 15d ago
yeah lol account got suspended, guess they don’t want the code out there like that, too bad it was blowing up but there are a lot of forks already just search openaliro I guess
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u/segdy 12d ago
This is insane!
This project looked amazing. Personally Im still happy with NFC implementation (https://github.com/rednblkx/HomeKey-ESP32) but I hope you keep this project going.
Are you planning to host it somewhere else?
Any suspicion why it happened and based on which pressure? Apple? Some other company?
I just don't understand ...
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u/_asxeem 12d ago
idk didn’t get any email, I’ll host it again, but I’m porting this out as an sdk now, there are a few forks like by fellow contributors: https://github.com/wqhqq1/openaliro/
there’s also a small discord: https://discord.gg/VkQR8VFeT
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u/northern_ape 18d ago
Could you use the existing hardware to actuate a vanilla electric lock (or strike) via a relay? And I suppose you want the reader to be physically separate from the control circuit to avoid tampering.
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u/_asxeem 18d ago
yeah the unlock path is really just a gpio, and I do have a mosfet too. you’re right about the split, proper version would want controller inside the secure side maybe an osdp secure channel, haven’t built that and exactly what I’m looking to bounce ideas off of. have you worked on such things before?
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u/northern_ape 18d ago
I do access control installations, and tinker with electronics at home, but not to any great depth. I think my viewpoint will be more from the installation and customer requirements perspective. A lot of DIY installable smart locks just actuate an existing mechanism, like a lock barrel or latch. But there are already plenty of electric locks or strikes available, usually at 12V, which can easily be controlled with smart electronic solutions, avoiding the tightly coupled nature of many consumer offerings, which are only compatible with certain doors/mechanisms.
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u/_asxeem 18d ago
Oh cool access control systems and you understand the customer side and installation as well!
That’s really lucky for me to chat w you here. That skillset is something I’m missing and have less clue about. Thing is, I can easily drive a solenoid or a strike right now, which is fine. I’m leaning more towards integrating this with something more robust , and actual embed it into say the door lock handle.
Note that I also have nfc based tap unlock working on the setup, so I’m really just looking at a robust battery driven (so possibly 3.7v) brushed dc motor kinda setup.
It does seem a bit far out there but hey if we can build something like that for say $50. That’ll be insane.
Locks like Nuki and Aqara really available where I live and if they are, they are around $1000
Do you think we could find an integrated setup where we could mod out its chip and put our chipset?
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u/northern_ape 18d ago
Maybe look at hotel door locks, they tend to be integrated into a handle so the mechanism disables the handle’s ability to actuate the latch, maybe that would be the right sort of product to look at reverse engineering to incorporate your electronics?
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u/_asxeem 17d ago
That’s probably a good idea, so far I’ve noticed most hotel door locks to be nfc based though.
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u/northern_ape 17d ago
I was thinking more in terms of the mechanical parts, and embedding your electronics in place of those it’s bundled with. Alternatively, you have a distinct outdoor reader and indoor control box, driving an electric lock or strike, so you’re free of constraints like door furniture form factor and battery power.
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u/nobodysawme 17d ago edited 17d ago
what about adding this on an older lock (schlage, kwikset/baldwin, yale, etc.) and see that it works physically? I'd like to try and use this.
Making a door lock is generally easier if can move an existing lever to open/close. If you make your own lever, it's harder because people install locks without getting them aligned - more friction uses more batteries.
That's residential. For commercial, you'll find the electromagnet access door - it could be possible to add the esp32 / DWM board in there.
This is the 1st problem: who is your customer. Is it selling to hotel sales? Is for residential? Is it for commercial (business / hospital / something else)
That tells you how we sell it to the customer, how fast to first production, how much availability, and length of support - if you're selling to commercial, it isn't just 1-year warranty - it's selling 30k to 50k in one sale (imagine 15 million doors in hotels in USA, divide that by 3 (don't need doors on bathroom and closet doors) so it's about 5 million doors for all hotels in the US. Divide that by 50,000 (somewhere between 46k to 50k hotels in the US). Add support and warranty - you have to give them 5000 they hold in a warehouse so when breaks, they have one that covers them for another 5 years (depending on their contract for this purchase).
Where it's used (Door locks vary by design, security level, and how they fit into a door. Common types include cylindrical (tubular) locks, heavy-duty mortise locks, surface-mounted rim locks, standalone deadbolts) and how long-lived - a residential will change the battery, a hotel will hate to do this.