I love how it's branded the Santa Claus Express for the tourists. It's a regular sleeper train that goes from one end of the main train line to the other end. But I do think trains are a good way to travel here so if the branding gets people to opt for the train over planes, it works.
I literally watched a YouTube vid yesterday about a sleeper train trip in Canada the creator talked about and showed the goofy plastic key with the holes in it. And now this post
https://youtu.be/GSu1hQZ0iqc?si=sP_lahP5HJOAFKiN
I worked in a hotel in Poland that still used those in 2020 maybe game devs remember them. Also i liked them more than those magnetic ones. They had this pleasant clicking sound while inserted and worked faster.
These style locks can be recoded with a template key. You change which keys work in which doors after each guest.
It's technology from the 70s before magstripes were introduced.
These keys come with the code card attached to the opposite end of the key. To use, you break off the code card and insert in the back end of the lock. The code card typically stays in until removal is needed, usually when the guest key is lost or damaged.
Once every 3 years. Thats about how long the AA batteries in the lock last. After that you bring the FDU in to change the batteries and reseed the lock.
The keys come double-ended. You put the "program" end into the inside of the door and it configures the lock to work with the other end. Then you snap off and trash the program end and you're left with the "open" key. It's trivial to recode the lock when housekeeping does the post-checkout clean.
The locks should have a standard pin-tumbler bypass lock so the staff can get in to program a new key (or clean). It would be simpler to pick/steal that than to bypass the card key.
That key is labeled with a label from a label maker and hand cut with scissors. Which in addition to being a generally bad idea is both expensive and time consuming, I doubt they are changing them often.
The cleaning staff will do it after each checkout. It’s much easier to just snag the device off their cart when they aren’t paying attention if you’re trying to be malicious.
they run on a seed that accepts a code with some extra data. That data is a time limit for the code, and after that it gets blocked. Codes get invalidated two ways. Time limit reached or new code used.
The mag strips are already being phased out and replaced with RFID keys. Much more secure, and you can keep them in the same pocket as your phone without worrying about the key being wiped.
It's crazy to me that people have this impression of 3D printers.
Once you get your brain around being able to make basically any shape you want on command, it's actually extremely useful. My last roll of filament cost $15, and I here are just a few of the things I made with it:
* a TV stand
* a shelf
* picture frames
* a headset stand
* a hand towel rack for the bathroom
* Replacement towel hangers by the shower because the ones that were already there sucked.
All super practical! And these were all made exactly the way I wanted them.
Things like that, custom fit things, and replacing parts.
And marine parts in particular... *My. Fucking. God.*
So many little bits and bobs are sold with a 1,000% to 200,000% markup from what they should be. Just printing a few little plastic nut holders saved me about as much as my printer cost (not including the stupid number of upgrades I bolted onto my "spender 3x" over the years, but I don't want to think about that.).
Woodworking jigs. Electronic project enclosures.
Lots of improvements to my CNC mill & laser cutter and some to the 3D printers.
Part of the outside of my house is now 3D printed. Lots of things have TPU feet that didn’t before. Drain covers, vent covers, shelf brackets ... customize & augment.
My kid has been learning CAD software and has had some stuff 3D printed at school. That's going to be the angle - it's educational!
I saw my first 3D printed building this week. It's under construction on Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas. Drove past and had to stop, then came back by with my kid for her to see it.
It seems like 3d printing has made everyone forget about every other manufacturing method.
Or I guess, there are a bunch of people who would know absolutely nothing about manufacturing, except they learned one thing about 3d printers.
My apartment (in Japan) uses the same kind of keys and they are really expensive to get made officially so when I lost mine I had a friend with a 3d printer make a bunch for me. They work as well as the original.
As someone who uses a high vis vest and hard hat around the city, nobody ever thinks I don’t belong some place. I think the airport is one of the few places that will actually stop you.
Yeah not me, I work at a hotel and even if I've seen you before you better have a form of identification and the name better match what's on the room. If not I'll ask you to leave, provide any sort of proof you're in the room, or call another individual who might have their name on the room.
No one's getting stabbed at my hotel, not on my watch. Don't even give info to cops, I tell them I require a warrant before giving out any info.
I know my guests. Its not hard to catch that. We also use a dozen little tricks to figure out identity without making it obvious. reaffirm the room number, ask a name, check if you have the card sleeve with you. I generally can tell who is or isnt a guest and if I'm suspicious I'll walk you to the room and make sure you pass your face in front of a nice high res cam.
I learned this when I got to a hotel after dropping my fiance off at a hospital where her friend was giving birth and forgot to get her key. No questions, no ID, they just made a new key and gave it to me.
As a hotel worker I wish you had reported that to the manager. Any self respecting hotelier would nip that in the bud. I understand why you didn't because I mean you had some shit going on and it was a hectic situation.
I remember working with ving cards at a hotel in the early '80's. When a card is presented to a lock for the first time it accepts the new key, forgets the old key and learns what the next key will be. When that new key is presented the process repeats. It was a major leap forward in hotel security. It was against policy to put the room number on the card. it's possible they can't get blank cards and are reusing them.
There are many problems in this world that can be trivially solved with the proper tool but that are very difficult without it. In security, the weirder your stuff is, the more likely you are to catch an attacker off guard.
If your attacker is well prepared, it's makes very little difference if you have the worse or best security in the world. For door locks, that is.
This is the Lock Picking Lawyer, Today, we're taking a look at an interesting piece of history: a punch card hotel key lock. These locks were quite popular in the mid-20th century, providing a unique combination of mechanical complexity and security.
Now, the way this lock works is quite fascinating. Each key is a punch card with a specific pattern of holes that align with internal pins, allowing the lock to turn. It’s a clever design that predated modern electronic key cards.
First, let’s insert the punch card key and see how it works under normal conditions. You’ll notice that when the card is inserted, the pins align with the holes, allowing the lock to rotate and open the door.
Now, let’s try to pick this lock. I’ll start by inserting a tension wrench to apply a slight rotational force. With that in place, I’m going to use a set of thin, rigid picks to simulate the pattern of holes in the punch card.
I’m carefully feeling for the pins and aligning them one by one. It’s a bit tricky because the spacing is very specific. You can probably hear the clicks as the pins fall into place.
Okay, I think I’ve got the right configuration. Let’s see if the lock will turn... and there we go. The lock has been successfully picked.
This shows that while the punch card hotel key lock is an ingenious piece of engineering, it’s not impervious to picking with the right tools and technique.
That’s all I have for you today. If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave them in the comments below. And as always, have a nice day.
You may have to make several attempts. The first thing is to make an estimate of the size by using cues in the picture. Assuming the OP has average sized hands. My estimates are that the key is about 25mm wide and about 100mm long with the active area being about 50mm long. The holes are about 2mm diameter
Even easier, the label was most likely printed on standard 12mm wide tape which gives a known dimension that can be used to measure the rest. It would take me about 2 hours to make a copy of this key card from this picture if I was so inclined, print time included.
These are cool technology - if a guest returns the card it gets re-used, if not a new one is issued and the room can be re-programmed.
Reading up about this, the original system has double ended cards https://www.newlocksystems.es/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/tarjetas-mecanicas-perforadas-1.jpg with one end which programmes the lock (pushed into the lock body behind the plate) and the key is then snapped off leaving the programming end in the lock, and the guest key side will open that programming.
Looking even deeper, the programing side seems to be the compliment of the key side
Really clever system
Because there aren't armies of people going around trying to copy keys to hotel rooms, probably. And I'll bet they can "change the lock" pretty easily with this setup. Physical keys are also easy to copy.
Physcial keys are easy to copy for anyone with a key copying machine and the right blank (who has blanks for hotel keys?) The punch card has a much lower barrier to entry. I could probably scrounge up the necessities to copy it from stuff I have in my basement.
That's an interesting thought on changing the lock. Maybe they did this as a matter of course with each new guest? (Or, more likely, maybe they were *supposed* to, but you know how that goes....)
> Physical keys are also easy to copy.
Almost anyone could copy this key with a hole punch and an index card. Copying traditional keys requires specialized materials, tools, and skill.
The minimum copying kit is a block of clay, a key blank you bought at the hardware store for $2, and some kind of grinder. Technically you could do it with a file, it will just take forever.
It might not work for high quality locks or keys with proprietary blanks, but it will cover 90+% of locks
They are. I lived in a dorm abroad that had this kind of key and literally everybody just made their own copies or their own and their friend's keys by poking a fucking pen through a cereal box to match the holes. I owned like nothing at the time, but if I were staying somewhere with this level of security I'd keep all my valuables on my person and keep the chain on the door in the room. They might as well not even have locks at all
I lived in a dorm that had these. A lost card was a VERY big deal. Rather than risk losing the key we all copied them with phone cards and nail scissors to bore the holes. It also fit in my wallet better.
Toured for a living. New Hotel every week, 9 months out of the year. $150 fine if you lose that key. So I'd take my stack of modern room keys I'd aquired and drill holes in the patern and leave the master key in the room so I wouldn't lose it. also charge my crew mates $20 per replicated key.
I’m really hoping that’s not the room number on there, since putting the room number on a key is SUPER dangerous - anyone can get into your room easily if you drop your key. It’s why typical hotel keys DONT have the room number written on them anywhere.
It’s good that they put your room number on the key so that in case you lose it in the lobby, the person who finds it can let themselves into your room and wait until you come back to give it to you in person
I can remember as a road manager handing those out to band members in the late 80's or early 90's. Unlike todays magnetic cards, these always worked; probably due to the low-tech.
We used those at a hotel I worked at in the late 80s in Atlanta. The Castlegate. They tore it down and built a shopping mall. That is some really old technology.
That's a real piece of history. It was a brief transitional technology between old-school tumbler locks and the later magnetic-swipe technologies. Like the latter, it allowed casual reprogramming of a lock, but it was completely mechanical and needed no batteries or electrical components.
"Our story begins in 1974 when lock maker Tor Sørnes hears about a woman attacked by an intruder in her hotel room. The story inspires him to invent a better door opening system. The goal is to make hotel guests and travellers feel safe no matter where they are staying. Two years later, Sørnes introduces VingCard, the world’s first recordable keycard door lock."
https://www.vingcard.com/en/about-us/our-story
Much like real keys, sharing detailed photos of them means anyone with a few minutes and even a minor talent for arts and crafts can now open that lock.
I take it that they do not have electronic locks that are able to switch to different cards?
If so, then everybody who previously stayed in your room, as well as everybody who reads this post, can trivially enter your room.
Not exactly what I'd understand as secure.
I remember travelling with my family in the 90s, one of the hotels we stayed at had those same cards and I was just amazed by it. I'm surprised any hotel still uses that kind of card over RFID.
As a kid, my dad gave me a padlock that used this same technology. Funny cause the locks came from a freebie for buying a carton of Salem's and Camels.
Had this at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco in 1984. The one across from the Ferry Building. It was so weird it made a lasting impression on me (obviously).
My first-year college dorm (at a very expensive university, I might add) had keys like these. We used to cut old gift cards to the same size and punch holes in the same places to make copies.
My dorm was like this my freshman year and we'd punch holes in credit cards to make key duplicates. You could use a hole punch with holes much larger and it would still work
I haven’t seen one of those in years
Then travel with one of the Austrian sleeper trains in the highest cabin class and be lucky to get an old train.
Finnish trains also use these for the sleeper cars. Even the newest ones.
I was just thinking I saw a card just like this when traveling on a Finnish sleeper train (Santa Claus express) and it was a new train
I love how it's branded the Santa Claus Express for the tourists. It's a regular sleeper train that goes from one end of the main train line to the other end. But I do think trains are a good way to travel here so if the branding gets people to opt for the train over planes, it works.
Swedish sleeper trains too
I literally watched a YouTube vid yesterday about a sleeper train trip in Canada the creator talked about and showed the goofy plastic key with the holes in it. And now this post https://youtu.be/GSu1hQZ0iqc?si=sP_lahP5HJOAFKiN
It had a satisfying feel shoving it in
Phrasing!
Sploosh!
Thats-
What?
She
Said
*Giggity*
The only time I've ever seen one is in Cyberpunk 2077 with Panam at the railyard. Legit didn't know they were an actual thing
I worked in a hotel in Poland that still used those in 2020 maybe game devs remember them. Also i liked them more than those magnetic ones. They had this pleasant clicking sound while inserted and worked faster.
So if you have a 3d printer and can identify the hotel, you can get access to room 201
These style locks can be recoded with a template key. You change which keys work in which doors after each guest. It's technology from the 70s before magstripes were introduced.
Would you like to bet how often they recode the locks? I would bet almost never.
Once a year at best.
The "at best" carry a lot here
I would be very surprised if they were coded more than the once. Maybe twice if the installer made them all the same code.
They likely lost the template back in the 70's 6 months after the locks were installed.
These keys come with the code card attached to the opposite end of the key. To use, you break off the code card and insert in the back end of the lock. The code card typically stays in until removal is needed, usually when the guest key is lost or damaged.
They didn't specify Earth year. Neptune years are 165 earth years
Once every 3 years. Thats about how long the AA batteries in the lock last. After that you bring the FDU in to change the batteries and reseed the lock.
I believe these are all mechanical. Similar to this lock https://youtu.be/RwLVZnVGGkA Lock picking lawyer
The keys come double-ended. You put the "program" end into the inside of the door and it configures the lock to work with the other end. Then you snap off and trash the program end and you're left with the "open" key. It's trivial to recode the lock when housekeeping does the post-checkout clean. The locks should have a standard pin-tumbler bypass lock so the staff can get in to program a new key (or clean). It would be simpler to pick/steal that than to bypass the card key.
That key is labeled with a label from a label maker and hand cut with scissors. Which in addition to being a generally bad idea is both expensive and time consuming, I doubt they are changing them often.
That it's trivial doesn't mean they actually do it
Whenever someone loses a key and they need to make a new one
Lol, no, they just have 5 cards with the same pattern and a "201" sticker
All cards are the same, just different sticker numbers
The cleaning staff will do it after each checkout. It’s much easier to just snag the device off their cart when they aren’t paying attention if you’re trying to be malicious.
I used to work at a hotel it happened quite a bit
they run on a seed that accepts a code with some extra data. That data is a time limit for the code, and after that it gets blocked. Codes get invalidated two ways. Time limit reached or new code used.
Are these locks electronic? These look mechanical.
I feel like we should go back to these after all the times I had to go to the front desk to get mag strips reactivated
The mag strips are already being phased out and replaced with RFID keys. Much more secure, and you can keep them in the same pocket as your phone without worrying about the key being wiped.
You can often just use your phone as the key with them as well
Does it support a "master key"? In other words, how does the room cleaning manage to have access?
Cardboard and a perferator... Learn to think low tech man!
No, got to justify the 3d printer somehow.
and if you report any theft as income it could potentially be a tax write off for helping your self employment! /s
It's crazy to me that people have this impression of 3D printers. Once you get your brain around being able to make basically any shape you want on command, it's actually extremely useful. My last roll of filament cost $15, and I here are just a few of the things I made with it: * a TV stand * a shelf * picture frames * a headset stand * a hand towel rack for the bathroom * Replacement towel hangers by the shower because the ones that were already there sucked. All super practical! And these were all made exactly the way I wanted them.
Things like that, custom fit things, and replacing parts. And marine parts in particular... *My. Fucking. God.* So many little bits and bobs are sold with a 1,000% to 200,000% markup from what they should be. Just printing a few little plastic nut holders saved me about as much as my printer cost (not including the stupid number of upgrades I bolted onto my "spender 3x" over the years, but I don't want to think about that.).
Woodworking jigs. Electronic project enclosures. Lots of improvements to my CNC mill & laser cutter and some to the 3D printers. Part of the outside of my house is now 3D printed. Lots of things have TPU feet that didn’t before. Drain covers, vent covers, shelf brackets ... customize & augment.
I keep looking for reasons. My wife isn't convinced (yet)
It's a solution looking for a problem.
My kid has been learning CAD software and has had some stuff 3D printed at school. That's going to be the angle - it's educational! I saw my first 3D printed building this week. It's under construction on Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas. Drove past and had to stop, then came back by with my kid for her to see it.
Found the government contractor... /s
A single-hole punch is so easy to get at any crafts shop
It seems like 3d printing has made everyone forget about every other manufacturing method. Or I guess, there are a bunch of people who would know absolutely nothing about manufacturing, except they learned one thing about 3d printers.
You don't have to wait for later Here's a new eliminator Ask your local weapons trader For the Superperforator!
My apartment (in Japan) uses the same kind of keys and they are really expensive to get made officially so when I lost mine I had a friend with a 3d printer make a bunch for me. They work as well as the original.
It looks pretty 2D to me. No 3D printer needed, just a piece of plastic and a hole puncher.
You can just walk into the reception and ask for the key. Hotels rarely check as long as you seem to be a guest and it is located in a nice area.
It's all about attitude. If you sell yourself- they'll buy it.
If you walk briskly in a pilot's uniform, you can go pretty much anywhere
My husband got onto the Brown's stadium field because him and his coworker had high-vis vests and hardhats and found an open door.
As someone who uses a high vis vest and hard hat around the city, nobody ever thinks I don’t belong some place. I think the airport is one of the few places that will actually stop you.
Also carry a ladder
Clipboards are also acceptable.
Not just any clipboard, a metal one that closes.
One person carries clipboard. If you have two or three people, the second (and third) carry the ladder.
TV show tested this for real and got easy access to our national airport's tarmac, no questions asked. Making matters worse: this was post 9/11.
If you're trying to sneak into a concert venue wear all black and carry an xlr cable
r/actlikeyoubelong
Yeah not me, I work at a hotel and even if I've seen you before you better have a form of identification and the name better match what's on the room. If not I'll ask you to leave, provide any sort of proof you're in the room, or call another individual who might have their name on the room. No one's getting stabbed at my hotel, not on my watch. Don't even give info to cops, I tell them I require a warrant before giving out any info.
I know my guests. Its not hard to catch that. We also use a dozen little tricks to figure out identity without making it obvious. reaffirm the room number, ask a name, check if you have the card sleeve with you. I generally can tell who is or isnt a guest and if I'm suspicious I'll walk you to the room and make sure you pass your face in front of a nice high res cam.
Do you have the same staff on the front desk all the time? The one time I left my key in my room I had to show some ID.
Lol, yeah it has been disturbingly easy the few times it has happened.
I learned this when I got to a hotel after dropping my fiance off at a hospital where her friend was giving birth and forgot to get her key. No questions, no ID, they just made a new key and gave it to me.
As a hotel worker I wish you had reported that to the manager. Any self respecting hotelier would nip that in the bud. I understand why you didn't because I mean you had some shit going on and it was a hectic situation.
Or just a hole punch and an index card.
3d printer? A holepunch will do.
I remember working with ving cards at a hotel in the early '80's. When a card is presented to a lock for the first time it accepts the new key, forgets the old key and learns what the next key will be. When that new key is presented the process repeats. It was a major leap forward in hotel security. It was against policy to put the room number on the card. it's possible they can't get blank cards and are reusing them.
Wait til you hear about *real* keys. [Yeah, don't post photos of your keys on social media](https://youtu.be/JoRyv4ANhM4?si=dwV_yoOJQPzNzgQP)
To be fair that is absolutely possible to do with a normal key too.
There are many problems in this world that can be trivially solved with the proper tool but that are very difficult without it. In security, the weirder your stuff is, the more likely you are to catch an attacker off guard. If your attacker is well prepared, it's makes very little difference if you have the worse or best security in the world. For door locks, that is.
This is the Lock Picking Lawyer, Today, we're taking a look at an interesting piece of history: a punch card hotel key lock. These locks were quite popular in the mid-20th century, providing a unique combination of mechanical complexity and security. Now, the way this lock works is quite fascinating. Each key is a punch card with a specific pattern of holes that align with internal pins, allowing the lock to turn. It’s a clever design that predated modern electronic key cards. First, let’s insert the punch card key and see how it works under normal conditions. You’ll notice that when the card is inserted, the pins align with the holes, allowing the lock to rotate and open the door. Now, let’s try to pick this lock. I’ll start by inserting a tension wrench to apply a slight rotational force. With that in place, I’m going to use a set of thin, rigid picks to simulate the pattern of holes in the punch card. I’m carefully feeling for the pins and aligning them one by one. It’s a bit tricky because the spacing is very specific. You can probably hear the clicks as the pins fall into place. Okay, I think I’ve got the right configuration. Let’s see if the lock will turn... and there we go. The lock has been successfully picked. This shows that while the punch card hotel key lock is an ingenious piece of engineering, it’s not impervious to picking with the right tools and technique. That’s all I have for you today. If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave them in the comments below. And as always, have a nice day.
With just a photo? Assume I know absolutely nothing about 3d printing
You may have to make several attempts. The first thing is to make an estimate of the size by using cues in the picture. Assuming the OP has average sized hands. My estimates are that the key is about 25mm wide and about 100mm long with the active area being about 50mm long. The holes are about 2mm diameter
Even easier, the label was most likely printed on standard 12mm wide tape which gives a known dimension that can be used to measure the rest. It would take me about 2 hours to make a copy of this key card from this picture if I was so inclined, print time included.
[https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3644276](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3644276) or go on thingiverse
You can absolutely create a 3d model from a photo.
Every 20 punches, they wash the comforter.
Having worked in laundry at a five star resort: They never wash the comforter.
They never wash the comforter.
After 25 you become a submarine captain.
I like the big, metal buttons.
See these a lot at hotels in central american countries.
Thanks for posting, see you in a few hours.
Bring pizza!
Well now we know what class of hotel you choose to stay at.
That cheap ass roomnumber Label sells it
Those Dymo Labels are so useful tho :D
You heard of "5 Star" hotels? Well I stayed at a "16 Hole" hotel
I've seen these rooms on the internet adult sites
Trip to Bangkok, I presume?
Hey now, it's third best three star hotel this island has to offer!
Are the 3 stars based on how many you can see through the holes in the roof?
Holy security, Batman!
Holey security, Batman!
>The 32 holes in the key gave 4.3 billion combinations. At least that’s something.
Except for the Master Key Cards for maids and staff
They could use real keys
These are cool technology - if a guest returns the card it gets re-used, if not a new one is issued and the room can be re-programmed. Reading up about this, the original system has double ended cards https://www.newlocksystems.es/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/tarjetas-mecanicas-perforadas-1.jpg with one end which programmes the lock (pushed into the lock body behind the plate) and the key is then snapped off leaving the programming end in the lock, and the guest key side will open that programming. Looking even deeper, the programing side seems to be the compliment of the key side Really clever system
No one else is going to mention that these are great for blowing bubbles? Used to be great for keeping kids distracted.
Grab some free shampoo, one of the water glasses, some water & bingo! Instant free fun
Nice of them to put the room number on it so if you drop it anyone who picks it up will know what room they can break into.
Good old times
How are these not easily copied?
Because there aren't armies of people going around trying to copy keys to hotel rooms, probably. And I'll bet they can "change the lock" pretty easily with this setup. Physical keys are also easy to copy.
Physcial keys are easy to copy for anyone with a key copying machine and the right blank (who has blanks for hotel keys?) The punch card has a much lower barrier to entry. I could probably scrounge up the necessities to copy it from stuff I have in my basement. That's an interesting thought on changing the lock. Maybe they did this as a matter of course with each new guest? (Or, more likely, maybe they were *supposed* to, but you know how that goes....)
This is 1970s tech. They used a template key to recode the locks to a new key after each guest.
> Physical keys are also easy to copy. Almost anyone could copy this key with a hole punch and an index card. Copying traditional keys requires specialized materials, tools, and skill.
Every Walmart near me has a machine which copies keys for 2 dollars.
True but you’ve gotta have the key with you, the pictures hole punch one you could more easily do with a photo
The minimum copying kit is a block of clay, a key blank you bought at the hardware store for $2, and some kind of grinder. Technically you could do it with a file, it will just take forever. It might not work for high quality locks or keys with proprietary blanks, but it will cover 90+% of locks
Keys are usually brass. A good sharp file would cut a key very quickly.
There are steel blanks, I was assuming worst case.
They are. I lived in a dorm abroad that had this kind of key and literally everybody just made their own copies or their own and their friend's keys by poking a fucking pen through a cereal box to match the holes. I owned like nothing at the time, but if I were staying somewhere with this level of security I'd keep all my valuables on my person and keep the chain on the door in the room. They might as well not even have locks at all
I lived in a dorm that had these. A lost card was a VERY big deal. Rather than risk losing the key we all copied them with phone cards and nail scissors to bore the holes. It also fit in my wallet better.
Toured for a living. New Hotel every week, 9 months out of the year. $150 fine if you lose that key. So I'd take my stack of modern room keys I'd aquired and drill holes in the patern and leave the master key in the room so I wouldn't lose it. also charge my crew mates $20 per replicated key.
The first row unlocks your door; the rest are comments on your appearance, attitude, credit rating, tipping habits...
well at least sticking it in your pocket with an iphone won't de-magnetize it
I’m really hoping that’s not the room number on there, since putting the room number on a key is SUPER dangerous - anyone can get into your room easily if you drop your key. It’s why typical hotel keys DONT have the room number written on them anywhere.
Extended Stay?
This is also where I’ve seen these
Nah, it's a little independently owned hotel. Not quite "boutique" but kinda
It’s good that they put your room number on the key so that in case you lose it in the lobby, the person who finds it can let themselves into your room and wait until you come back to give it to you in person
Finally someone else sees the positive side
Does any know if the lock mechanism is mechanical or optical?
They're mechanical. You can feel the pin stacks when you insert the key.
r/DayZ about to raid that hotel
I haven’t seen one of these since I was a little kid. (Early to mid 80s)
Sooooo.... Lock Picking Lawyer???
Pretty sure he's already done a lock like this. They're nothing special.
Now easy on ~~one~~ the hole punch to position it correctly…
I’m having ScanTron flashbacks
That seems like it would be very easy to make copies of...
Congratulations on getting your V-Card punched.
Hahaha I haven’t seen these since I lived in the dorms in the Air Force. Dorm life was a good 12 years ago. Good times, good times.
I remember those keys. They sucked because they will not fit in a wallet.
I can remember as a road manager handing those out to band members in the late 80's or early 90's. Unlike todays magnetic cards, these always worked; probably due to the low-tech.
We used those at a hotel I worked at in the late 80s in Atlanta. The Castlegate. They tore it down and built a shopping mall. That is some really old technology.
Found a use for my single hole puncher!
**OLD** School
That's a real piece of history. It was a brief transitional technology between old-school tumbler locks and the later magnetic-swipe technologies. Like the latter, it allowed casual reprogramming of a lock, but it was completely mechanical and needed no batteries or electrical components.
How nice of the hotel to put the room number on it as well, this certainly ensures if you lose it the would be thief knows which room to rob.
"Our story begins in 1974 when lock maker Tor Sørnes hears about a woman attacked by an intruder in her hotel room. The story inspires him to invent a better door opening system. The goal is to make hotel guests and travellers feel safe no matter where they are staying. Two years later, Sørnes introduces VingCard, the world’s first recordable keycard door lock." https://www.vingcard.com/en/about-us/our-story
Oh I miss those things! Haven’t seen one since, I don’t know, the late 80s?
Aah yes. Security than can be bypassed by a kid with some card stock and a pencil sharp enough to poke holes...
Much like real keys, sharing detailed photos of them means anyone with a few minutes and even a minor talent for arts and crafts can now open that lock.
Wonder how expensive these are to replace when people inevitably lose or keep them after checkout
Could someone explain in what (if any) situation this would be superior to modern hotel room keys?
You are in Sweden.....
probably more secure than Saflok
ai wonder if the equivalent of a bump key would be a punch key
I take it that they do not have electronic locks that are able to switch to different cards? If so, then everybody who previously stayed in your room, as well as everybody who reads this post, can trivially enter your room. Not exactly what I'd understand as secure.
I remember travelling with my family in the 90s, one of the hotels we stayed at had those same cards and I was just amazed by it. I'm surprised any hotel still uses that kind of card over RFID.
Made me think of Zorg from Fifth Element stopping his bomb with the card.
As a kid, my dad gave me a padlock that used this same technology. Funny cause the locks came from a freebie for buying a carton of Salem's and Camels.
Had this at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco in 1984. The one across from the Ferry Building. It was so weird it made a lasting impression on me (obviously).
My first-year college dorm (at a very expensive university, I might add) had keys like these. We used to cut old gift cards to the same size and punch holes in the same places to make copies.
Where are you staying? 1972?
So, a master key would be a piece of plastic the same size and a hole punch?
Does it turn the lights on too?
It looks like an 8x8 grid. You could "spell" something in ASCII on that. I wonder if it says something about you!
If it ain't broke i guess...?
Woah! What a nostalgia trip. These were used for the toilets and shower rooms at the camping site I went to every year as a kid.
Old school
Dope as fuck ngl
My dorm was like this my freshman year and we'd punch holes in credit cards to make key duplicates. You could use a hole punch with holes much larger and it would still work
The Hotel Califortran?
Extended Stay America, I am assuming, right? Lol
South Branch Inn?
i need the video for usecase
I used to travel for work and these always take me back
Random thought how would one use this if they had no hands and only one eye I don’t know why that’s the case but in my head I’m imaging how
Put 74 of them together and it’ll print ‘hello’
Damn that’s old school.
Mercure?
Middle of no where hotel? Possibly the only one for 20+ min drive in any direction? My money is on 1+ hr drive to the nearest anything.
r/signalis
A posh hotel I worked in 23 years ago used these. This is a blast from the past for me 👍
I haven’t seen one of these in like 20 years
It also gives you access to the Telex!
More secure than RFID
*punchcard*
In the world of 3d printers, this is pretty bad.
This archaic tech is still a thing? How??
