QuestionsThree
Web and SaaS
apartment gate access
SHOW HN2012
242points
102comments
#57of 1,677 in 2012
Top 4%of 2012 by points
How HN took it
CuriousMostly questions and neutral comments
14 positive, 41 neutral or asking, 1 mixed, 20 critical, out of 76 comments about the project. Thread score -0.02.
Idea: 12 for, 6 againstPricing: 0 for, 8 againstDocs: 1 for, 5 againstExecution: 1 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Solves a real personal pain point
From 2 comments
Using technology to solve a personal pain point. Not a huge problem, but a problem nonetheless, and now your life is a little bit better. I like it. It's stuff like this that…
guynamedloren on HNThis is great! I have the exact same problem with my apartment building needing not just a local number but one with the same area code as the building (so an area code in a…
tmchow on HN
Good idea that others have also built
From 2 comments
I've seen (and built) similar things on top of Twilio before. Even set it up to have multiple passcodes for different friends, then it will text me "John just let himself in."…
zacharycohn on HNHahah nice. I built that same thing about a year ago with the Twilio API. It took about an hour. I still use it 2 apartments later. Awesome.
bjeanes on HN
PIN and timed access ideas are useful
From 2 comments
This is great! I have the exact same problem with my apartment building needing not just a local number but one with the same area code as the building (so an area code in a…
tmchow on HNThis is a wonderful idea. I've thought of doing the same with Twilio. You could also make it a little more secure with Twilio by only opening the gate (dialing "9") for specific…
gallaghersean on HN
Objections
Price is too high for what it does
From 3 comments
I love the fact that you solved a specific pain point and can potentially help others, but I'm not sure this is something that would be worth $10/month for most people. This is…
bstar77 on HNCool idea, but you can get a local phone number from Magic Jack or its ilk for $10/year, I have a hard time seeing how you charge much more than that.
ams6110 on HNLots of people are saying that your pricing is too high, but I presume that people who live in apartments with fancy gates for protection can probably stand to throw away…
javert on HN
Free alternatives like Google Voice already work
From 2 comments
I had a similar issue at an apartment building. I just setup a new Google phone number (with a local area code) and had the number forward to my cell phone, and then to my wife's…
thebranman on HNWhy wouldn't you just (1) get a local google voice number, (2) forward it to your cell, (3) ask who it is (yay security!), (4) press 9 (or not). I'm honestly not getting the…
eagsalazar2 on HN
Security risk: anyone with the number can open the gate
From 1 comment
Why wouldn't you just (1) get a local google voice number, (2) forward it to your cell, (3) ask who it is (yay security!), (4) press 9 (or not). I'm honestly not getting the…
eagsalazar2 on HN
Requests
Sell to apartment management instead of consumers
From 2 comments
You shouldn't be marketing this towards consumers. If you and your friend had this problem with the apartment gate then I'm sure more people at your apartment have to deal with…
dglassan on HNMarket this to the management of every apartment complex with a gate. Have them spread your app to their individual resident base. Your marketing copy has to change a little…
hansy on HN
Get a better domain name
From 2 comments
I think you need a better domain name. QuestionsThree is a fun name, but it conveys no information. How about something like this: ``` * openmydooor.com * buzzmein.com *…
imglorp on HNbuzzme.in
allbombs on HN
State what the product is and its pricing on the site
From 2 comments
Very cool thing. I would include a summary on the use case on the questionsthree website or a short paragraph describing what exactly it is. The only reason I had some idea of…
lambtron on HNHow much is the price after 30 day trial is over? You may want to put up that price somewhere on the site.
sushantsharma on HN
Questions
Why do gate systems require a local phone number
From 3 comments
Very cool. Still I wonder, why don't these gates accept non-local area codes, seems like a design flaw.
hugi on HNThis is great advice but it also brings up a point; why do these systems require a local number in order to operate? It seems that a firmware upgrade could possibly decimate the…
weaksauce on HNThat's strange, of all the places in the world I wouldn't suspect that US have a higher price for calling non-local cells/phones (and even has such thing as a long-distance…
krzyk on HN
Alternatives named
Google Voice local number forwarded to phone
From 2 comments
I had a similar issue at an apartment building. I just setup a new Google phone number (with a local area code) and had the number forward to my cell phone, and then to my wife's…
thebranman on HNThis is great! I have the exact same problem with my apartment building needing not just a local number but one with the same area code as the building (so an area code in a…
tmchow on HN
Twilio DIY gate system
From 2 comments
I've seen (and built) similar things on top of Twilio before. Even set it up to have multiple passcodes for different friends, then it will text me "John just let himself in."…
zacharycohn on HNI did the same thing using twilio here (http://www.ryanfaerman.com/notebook/2012/07/10/gate-insecurity.html). The plus-side is it only costs me 3 cents per gate call.
rachet on HN
Lockitron
From 1 comment
Check out how Lockitron is marketing their product - yours can deliver similar value, except to residents of apartment complexes. https://lockitron.com/preorder I would first…
ssebro on HN
MagicJack local number
From 1 comment
Cool idea, but you can get a local phone number from Magic Jack or its ilk for $10/year, I have a hard time seeing how you charge much more than that.
ams6110 on HN