App for locks

[Taslim]

What if we repaired all the broken bits first then started 'improving' details?   Oh. Too simple, sorry.

[aracer]

1 hour ago, 1st ade said:

Now imagine the poor non-smartphone user. They boarded the train as it left the starting point and sat in a seat marked "Free". While they are sat there - the sign changes to "Reserved from ..." A passenger approaches "you're in my seat". "no I'm not... Ah"

In the case of the lock, I guess the equivalent is that when you're there at the controls with your boat in the lock going up, someone with the app way downstream makes the lock empty so it's ready for them - for good measure the app will then open the top paddles once the bottom gates are open to flush out the interloper without a smartphone ?

 

In reality you'd just set the interlock so that once someone has taken local control of the lock (do you need a key?) then app use is disabled. The obvious thing to do is to allow local control to override use of the app even if someone is currently using it, though that's a little more tricky.

1 hour ago, 1st ade said:

 

(IMHO) a solution looking for a problem - Moor up, go hit the buttons on the console. If you MUST offer local remote working (a tautology in my view) make it BlueTooth or something which is provably with a few tens of metres of the structure. And make sure the BlueTooth Network is isolated from the Internet...

 

Not BT - it's not designed for use in that way and I don't think most smartphones would connect via BT in a way which would allow this to work. However the solution to that is simple as I already suggested above - there would be a local WiFi hotspot and you'd have to be connected to that to use the app (it's tried and tested tech - fairly standard to only allow connection over a local network - no need to even isolate it from the internet you can also provide internet access as standard networking stuff still separates the local network)

[1st ade]

4 hours ago, aracer said:

Not BT - it's not designed for use in that way and I don't think most smartphones would connect via BT in a way which would allow this to work. However the solution to that is simple as I already suggested above - there would be a local WiFi hotspot and you'd have to be connected to that to use the app (it's tried and tested tech - fairly standard to only allow connection over a local network - no need to even isolate it from the internet you can also provide internet access as standard networking stuff still separates the local network)

At a technical level I'll agree - as per many hotel's which allow "extra services" provided you are on their wifi.

 

4 hours ago, aracer said:

In reality you'd just set the interlock so that once someone has taken local control of the lock (do you need a key?) then app use is disabled. The obvious thing to do is to allow local control to override use of the app even if someone is currently using it, though that's a little more tricky.

Timing could be interesting - that's the thing with the train app "why should I need to reserve a seat while I'm sat in it?"

 

Tie boat up below open bottom gates

Get off boat

Gates close and lock starts to fill

[Mike Todd]

22 hours ago, Machpoint005 said:

 

You miss the point. Locks work perfectly well in the 21st century, as they always have, but a horse on the towpath is impractical in most places, and cannot recharge a battery bank. 

 

An app to work a lock is unnecessary. It is a solution looking for a problem. Two saws: (1) If it ain't broke don't fix it, and (2) Keep It Simple, Stupid.    

Horses will never again be allowed on the towpaths - think what they would do for the all important cyclists!

[magpie patrick]

18 hours ago, Mike Todd said:

Horses will never again be allowed on the towpaths - think what they would do for the all important cyclists!

No, no and thrice no

 

They'll never be alowed because of the battery powered app operated tractors pulling boats along...