Everykey is a master key for your phone, Gmail, and door lock

By David Curry December 30, 2015

Alongside running for president in 2016 (and contributing articles to Digital Trends), John McAfee is now also launching a new crowdfunding project for Everykey on Indiegogo.

Originally announced in October 2014 on Kickstarter, Everykey lets you access your phone, tablet, Gmail account, car, and more just by having the device nearby. It uses low-energy Bluetooth to connect with an access-controlled device or service.

This new project is for a keyring accessory, smaller than the wristband launched on Kickstarter last year. It starts at $128 for one device, which is a notch up from the $50 the company charged for the wristband.

Everykey uses “military grade” encryption on the device to protect users’ data from hackers — that’s AES 128-bit encryption. Bluetooth signals are encrypted and pseudo-random, preventing hacker rebroadcasts of the same Bluetooth signal.

Users are able to sign into Google, Facebook, and Twitter accounts automatically when Everykey is nearby. It uses saved password functionality available on Chrome, Mozilla, and Safari, with Microsoft Edge support scheduled in the future.

The device is a rather unremarkable thing to look at, a small black slab with the words EK in white on the front. The battery will last 30 days and it is water resistant. It has a range of three meters, and the range can be customized to avoid unlocking a device in another room.

If the device is lost, users will be able to call Everykey or go online to freeze it. The company will send out another key at a discount, with all of the passwords stored on the new device.

For people with dozens of passwords and locks on a range of devices, Everykey might be the solution that offers convenience while preserving top-notch security. The folks at Everykey have launched an open SDK, allowing car manufacturers and smart home devices to connect to Everykey.

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