Securifi Community Forum

Sensors and Home Automation => Home automation => Topic started by: Automate on May 29, 2014, 12:14:08 am

Title: Key Fob security/encryption
Post by: Automate on May 29, 2014, 12:14:08 am
The buttons on the Key Fob available for purchase with the Almond+ appear to be designed for arming and disarming a security system.  Does the Key Fob support encryption?  Is there anything preventing someone from sniffing/capturing a transmission from the Key Fob and cloning the signal to disarm a system built using the Key Fob?
Title: Re: Key Fob security/encryption
Post by: LGNilsson on May 29, 2014, 12:52:15 am
As it's a ZigBee key fob it's using standard ZigBee encryption i.e. 128-bit.
Title: Re: Key Fob security/encryption
Post by: Automate on May 29, 2014, 08:29:13 am
But Zigbee on its own does not enforce full encryption.  This page describes how encryption enabled and non-encrypted Zigbee nodes can interact with each other. http://www.digi.com/support/kbase/kbaseresultdetl?id=2214
Title: Re: Key Fob security/encryption
Post by: LGNilsson on May 29, 2014, 10:06:12 am
I'm having the software team check it, but the reply I got from them seemed to suggest the key fob is using encrypted signalling.
Title: Re: Key Fob security/encryption
Post by: Automate on May 29, 2014, 12:43:29 pm
Thanks for looking into it.  I know with Zwave, some devices such as locks have a higher level of security than other devices such as temperature sensor.  Since Zigbee is not as popular, I'm not finding as much information about it.  I did find this article http://www.sensor-networks.org/index.php?page=0903503549 which goes into a lot of details but still does not tell me how do I know if a given device is using the highest level of security.
Title: Re: Key Fob security/encryption
Post by: LGNilsson on May 29, 2014, 10:58:44 pm
I've sent an email to the manufacturer as well to check with them, as I guess they can give us a definitive answer.
Title: Re: Key Fob security/encryption
Post by: Automate on June 06, 2014, 12:20:26 pm
I've sent an email to the manufacturer as well to check with them, as I guess they can give us a definitive answer.
Any update on this?  I see we need to finalize our selection by Sunday.
Title: Re: Key Fob security/encryption
Post by: LGNilsson on June 06, 2014, 10:38:16 pm
Sorry, yes, the communication is encrypted, just as it would be with a door lock for example.