Jeff Katz

VP Engineering

Doors in the Future

What is KIWI.KI?

• Hardware Startup based in Berlin

• Completely hands-free entrance to the Front Door of Multifamily Buildings

• Doors are always connected to our infrastructure

• Access can be granted or revoked instantly from anywhere with an internet connection

Why the Front Door?

• Typical apartment building has at least 12 families…

• … and mail delivery

• … and package delivery

• … and trash removal

• … and contractors

• … and is already electrified!

System Design Goals

• Scalable, centrally managed, physical-access-as-a-service platform

• No reliance on outside connectivity

• Privacy, Security tied with User Experience

A note about Privacy

• Investors and Sales hate this aspect, but have to live with it.

• We are not another big-data startup

• Our system is designed to know as little as possible: – Our doors don’t know whom is using them

– Our doors don’t report real-time usage statistics

– Our Ki don’t transmit unless first awoken

– Our Ki don’t transmit unique/identifiable info

A note about Security

• Security comes in layers, the more layers the better security

• Security is based on

open standards—and

open scrutiny

• Security is proactive

• Security is like Pandora’s box

A bit about Hardware

• We design and manufacture all of our own hardware (in Berlin!)

• The hardware is an extension of our software platform

• The hardware enables us to provide our services to our customer

• The hardware is a means, not an end!

• We helped to found hardware.co

KIWI Infrastructure: Overview

Door Sensor

GW

Web

Socket

Crypto

Comms API

AMQP <->DB

DB

Secrets

App

EMail

SMS 868MHz N:n

2.4GHz 1:1

IP N:n

AMQP

KIWI Infrastructure: Sensors

• May be powered, may not be powered • Sensors

– digital and analog inputs – digital and analog outputs – some amount of configuration – crypto secrets

• Communicate through Gateway Nodes • Doors are just another ‘sensor’ type

– Valid Ki, Invalid Ki, etc. are ‘Inputs’ – Cache credentials, decision is taken locally

KIWI Infrastructure: Backend

• KISS: Less is more

– Many small dæmons doing one thing well

• Coordinated over AMQP

• Distributed between several datacenters in Germany

• Keep as little state as possible

KIWI Infrastructure: API

• All interaction with the system from end users comes through the API

– Residential customers managing access or opening doors remotely

– Electricians installing KIWI sensors

– Manufacturing rigs asking for secrets for new devices

KIWI Infrastructure: Apps

• Residential Application for managing household account – Invite people to your door

– Open door remotely

– Activate new Ki

– Change Billing

• Electrician Application

• Operations Application

• Hausverwaltungen Application

Opening a door via API

1. Client has existing session id with permission to the door

2. Client sends API request to open door

3. API sends AMQP message

4. Crypto Services creates encrypted message

5. Socket Server sends message to Gateway

6. Gateway sends message to Sensor, which opens (~200mS from step 1)

Realizing the system

• More than 350 houses equipped with KIWI

• More than 225 gateways installed across Berlin

• More than 1000 Ki with Customers

• Deutsche Post and ALBA in large-scale trial

Some interesting statistics…

• Number of log messages indexed per day

>6M

• Number of door openings in a month

>90K

• 37 Repositories in Gitlab

• SLOC (missing: javascript and sql)

– 30k lines of ANSI C (firmware for doors, Ki)

– 10k lines of Python (infrastructure)

The Future!

• Entrance doors just the beginning

– Private doors

– Commercial doors

– Package delivery

• Managed access to doors -> managed access to sensors -> managed access to information

• Sensor network available to third parties?

Who is KIWI.KI?

• Three founders covering Operations, Finance, Sales, Marketing, HR and Legal.

• Headcount: 25 (Seven developers)

• Based in Berlin

• From all over the world (Spain, New Zealand, Japan, Poland, United States)

We’re hiring!

Summary

• KIWI.KI is manifesting the internet of things, today

• We’re building our own…

– Hardware

– Infrastructure

– API

– Applications

Questions?

jeff.katz@kiwi.ki

linkedin.com/in/kraln