LockFreeA bike lock that uses your phone as the key
A smart bike lock is a lock you open with your phone instead of a key. It talks to an app on your phone over Bluetooth, so the lock knows when you are close.
How does a smart bike lock work?
When your phone comes close, the lock checks that it is really your phone and opens. With many smart locks you still have to tap a button in the app. Others, like LockFree, open by themselves when you walk up and lock again when you walk away.
What should a good smart bike lock have?
- Automatic locking, so you can never forget to lock your bike.
- A loud alarm if someone touches or moves the bike.
- A message on your phone when something happens.
- GPS tracking, so you can find your bike if it is taken.
- A backup way to open it, such as a fingerprint reader, if your phone is dead.
- A battery that lasts weeks, not days.
Smart lock or normal lock?
A normal lock can only slow a thief down. A smart lock also tells you when someone tries, makes noise to scare them away and helps you find the bike afterwards. And you never have to look for a key again.
Frame lock, U-lock or chain?
Smart locks come in different shapes. A frame lock (also called a ring lock) sits on the bike and goes through the back wheel, so it is always with you. LockFree is a smart frame lock.