diff --git a/plugins/altos/fu-device-altos.c b/plugins/altos/fu-device-altos.c
index 7588fee33..7718f2922 100644
--- a/plugins/altos/fu-device-altos.c
+++ b/plugins/altos/fu-device-altos.c
@@ -445,6 +445,7 @@ fu_device_altos_write_firmware (FuDeviceAltos *device,
 	const gsize data_len;
 	guint flash_len;
 	g_autoptr(FuAltosFirmware) altos_firmware = NULL;
+	g_autoptr(FuDeviceLocker) locker  = NULL;
 	g_autoptr(GString) buf = g_string_new (NULL);
 
 	/* check kind */
@@ -505,7 +506,11 @@ fu_device_altos_write_firmware (FuDeviceAltos *device,
 	}
 
 	/* open tty for download */
-	if (!fu_device_altos_tty_open (device, error))
+	locker = fu_device_locker_new_full (device,
+					    (FuDeviceLockerFunc) fu_device_altos_tty_open,
+					    (FuDeviceLockerFunc) fu_device_altos_tty_close,
+					    error);
+	if (locker == NULL)
 		return FALSE;
 	for (guint i = 0; i < flash_len; i+= 0x100) {
 		g_autoptr(GString) str = NULL;
@@ -574,10 +579,6 @@ fu_device_altos_write_firmware (FuDeviceAltos *device,
 			     progress_data);
 	}
 
-	/* done */
-	if (!fu_device_altos_tty_close (device, error))
-		return FALSE;
-
 	/* success */
 	return TRUE;
 }
@@ -590,6 +591,7 @@ fu_device_altos_read_firmware (FuDeviceAltos *device,
 {
 	FuDeviceAltosPrivate *priv = GET_PRIVATE (device);
 	guint flash_len;
+	g_autoptr(FuDeviceLocker) locker  = NULL;
 	g_autoptr(GString) buf = g_string_new (NULL);
 
 	/* check kind */
@@ -621,7 +623,11 @@ fu_device_altos_read_firmware (FuDeviceAltos *device,
 	}
 
 	/* open tty for download */
-	if (!fu_device_altos_tty_open (device, error))
+	locker = fu_device_locker_new_full (device,
+					    (FuDeviceLockerFunc) fu_device_altos_tty_open,
+					    (FuDeviceLockerFunc) fu_device_altos_tty_close,
+					    error);
+	if (locker == NULL)
 		return NULL;
 	for (guint i = priv->addr_base; i < priv->addr_bound; i+= 0x100) {
 		g_autoptr(GString) str = NULL;
@@ -640,10 +646,6 @@ fu_device_altos_read_firmware (FuDeviceAltos *device,
 		g_string_append_len (buf, str->str, str->len);
 	}
 
-	/* done */
-	if (!fu_device_altos_tty_close (device, error))
-		return NULL;
-
 	/* success */
 	return g_bytes_new (buf->str, buf->len);
 }
@@ -652,23 +654,26 @@ static gboolean
 fu_device_altos_probe_bootloader (FuDeviceAltos *device, GError **error)
 {
 	FuDeviceAltosPrivate *priv = GET_PRIVATE (device);
+	g_autoptr(FuDeviceLocker) locker  = NULL;
 	g_auto(GStrv) lines = NULL;
 	g_autoptr(GString) str = NULL;
 
 	/* get tty for upload */
 	if (!fu_device_altos_find_tty (device, error))
 		return FALSE;
-	if (!fu_device_altos_tty_open (device, error))
+	locker = fu_device_locker_new_full (device,
+					    (FuDeviceLockerFunc) fu_device_altos_tty_open,
+					    (FuDeviceLockerFunc) fu_device_altos_tty_close,
+					    error);
+	if (locker == NULL)
 		return FALSE;
 
 	/* get the version information */
 	if (!fu_device_altos_tty_write (device, "v\n", -1, error))
 		return FALSE;
 	str = fu_device_altos_tty_read (device, 100, -1, error);
-	if (str == NULL) {
-		fu_device_altos_tty_close (device, NULL);
+	if (str == NULL)
 		return FALSE;
-	}
 
 	/* parse each line */
 	lines = g_strsplit_set (str->str, "\n\r", -1);
@@ -710,10 +715,6 @@ fu_device_altos_probe_bootloader (FuDeviceAltos *device, GError **error)
 		g_debug ("unknown data: '%s'", lines[i]);
 	}
 
-	/* done */
-	if (!fu_device_altos_tty_close (device, error))
-		return FALSE;
-
 	return TRUE;
 }
 
@@ -731,9 +732,11 @@ fu_device_altos_probe (FuDeviceAltos *device, GError **error)
 		const gchar *version_prefix = "ChaosKey-hw-1.0-sw-";
 		guint8 version_idx;
 		g_autofree gchar *version = NULL;
+		g_autoptr(FuDeviceLocker) locker = NULL;
 
 		/* open */
-		if (!g_usb_device_open (priv->usb_device, error))
+		locker = fu_device_locker_new (priv->usb_device, error);
+		if (locker == NULL)
 			return FALSE;
 
 		/* get string */
@@ -741,22 +744,17 @@ fu_device_altos_probe (FuDeviceAltos *device, GError **error)
 		version = g_usb_device_get_string_descriptor (priv->usb_device,
 							      version_idx,
 							      error);
-		if (version == NULL) {
-			g_usb_device_close (priv->usb_device, NULL);
+		if (version == NULL)
 			return FALSE;
-		}
 		if (!g_str_has_prefix (version, version_prefix)) {
 			g_set_error (error,
 				     FWUPD_ERROR,
 				     FWUPD_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED,
 				     "not a ChaosKey v1.0 device: %s",
 				     version);
-			g_usb_device_close (priv->usb_device, NULL);
 			return FALSE;
 		}
 		fu_device_set_version (FU_DEVICE (device), version + 19);
-		if (!g_usb_device_close (priv->usb_device, error))
-			return FALSE;
 	}
 
 	/* success */