A while ago it seemed like smart bike locks were the future. They were everywhere. All over the internet anyway (well, in Kickstarter campaigns usually).
But you didn't see many being used on actual bikes in the street! And either I've stopped taking as much notice or there's less hype around futuristic bike locks these days.
Which means it's probably a good time to have a level headed look at what they've got to offer and whether they really are the future or a daft idea and a complete waste of money!
I've got admit I've always been a little be dubious of whether we need smart bike locks. There are so many things that work best when they're kept simple.
It always seemed to me that the more technology we add to a bike lock, the more chance there is of something going wrong. But maybe I'm just a Luddite.
Anyway let's have a look at some of the different smart locks, what problems they're trying to solve and how well they do that!
What is a Smart Bike Lock?
A smart lock is basically one that can communicate with your smart phone. Through an app. So a normal bike lock with an alarm is not a smart lock. To be "smart" it must connect to your phone.
There are plenty to choose from. There are u-locks like the Lattis Ellipse (formerly known as the Skylock), which is one of the earliest smart locks I remember. And there are frame locks like the Linka and the Sentinel and the iLokIt.
Those locks are still available. But there are loads of smart locks that disappeared as fast as they appeared. Like the Noke and the Grasp Lock. And the Bitlock and the Dog and Bone Locksmart.
And this seems to be a common theme with smart locks. They turn up promising a brave new world of connectedness and convenience. And then, before you know what's going on, they're "no longer available".
Maybe there's a good reason for this transience? Maybe they're not really that good? Well, let's take a closer look at what they actually offer...
Keyless Operation
This seems to be the main selling point of a smart lock. It's certainly the one feature that all smart locks have.
But I don't see why it's so attractive. Most people will already be carrying their house keys when they're cycling around anyway. What's the problem with one extra key?
Unless their house lock is a smart lock too I suppose!
And if keylessness is so attractive, what's wrong with the current, low tech option (combination locks)?
But OK, let's assume keyless operation is what you want. How do you open a keyless lock? Well, there's usually 2 options: via the app or via a fingerprint.
Unlocking with the App
Your smart phone will have an app that connects to your bike lock when you're close by and will either lock or unlock your bike automatically via Bluetooth.
So you'll need your smart phone even if you won't need a key?!
Yes, you get the (dubious) convenience of not having to carry a key. And no, you won't have to worry about losing your key. But you will have to worry about carrying and losing your phone!
I just don't get it.
If you had a bike lock with an old style combination code, you wouldn't need a key or a phone. Although admittedly combination locks aren't as secure as regular keyed locks.
Unlocking with a Fingerprint
Locks like the Grasp Lock and the Ulac can be unlocked with your fingerprint. Pretty cool. And you can load multiple fingerprints onto each lock (for sharing access with friends). Also pretty cool.
But how well does it work in the rain? It won't work with gloves. How easily will the fingerprint reader be damaged beyond use?
And of course this sort of feature needs power, which brings massive complications (as we'll see later).
Sharing is Caring
The clever phone app and the multiple fingerprint feature enable you to share access to your bike with other people who also have the app or loaded fingerprints.
This is admittedly a nice feature. But if you had a combination lock you could just as easily share the code with a friend.
Theft Alerts
Some smart locks will alert you via the app if a thief is trying to steal your bike. This is obviously a great idea. But in practice it's beset with problems.
For starters on nearly all smart locks the connection between the lock and the phone will be over Bluetooth. Which has a very limited range.
Usually this is up to 33 feet (10 m). Although a few of the locks feature Bluetooth 4.0 which has a longer range of up to 150 feet (50 m).
So with regular Bluetooth your connection will be very limited. In fact you will usually need to be within sight of your bike.
Essentially you'll only receive theft alerts if you're already very close to your bike. So not in the cinema, the spots center, the shopping center or mall. Probably not even when you're asleep at home with your bike outside.
The other issue is the same problem as regular alarmed bike locks suffer from: how to get the sensitivity right.
What I mean is how can the lock differentiate between innocent jockling in a busy bike rack and a genuine attempt to steal your bike?
If the lock is too sensitive you'll get loads of false alarms. If it's not sensitive enough you won't receive an alert until it's too late (if at all).
Location Services and GPS
As someone who has completely forgotten where they left their bike on several occasions, a location service is actually quite attractive.
But again, in most cases this feature will be quite limited. When you lock your bike the app will record where it is and you'll be able to see where you left it from wherever you are.
But it doesn't show its current "live" location unless you're within Bluetooth range. So for example if the bike is stolen and moved and you're out of Bluetooth range your app will still show the bike at the location you left it.
Unless of course you've got GPS. If you've got GPS then you'll be able to see the current location of your bike from wherever you (and your bike) are.
But GPS requires a SIM card and uses up a lot of battery charge and costs a subscription fee. And as far as I can tell the only smart lock offering GPS is iLockit.
More importantly why would you even want GPS in the lock? There's a good chance a thief will discard a defeated lock as soon as they can (if they don't leave it at the scene of the crime).
In which case, a separate GPS bike tracker might be a better option!
Other features
Some smart locks have alarms. But these will suffer from the same sensitivity issues as the theft alerts. And if you want an alarmed lock it doesn't have to be "smart". There are plenty of normal locks with alarms.
And I've seen some smart locks that will monitor how fast you're cycling and warn you if you're going to fast. Or even automatically send SMS message to your phone contacts if you have an accident.
But are these power dependent features really worth the compromises that supporting these features necessitates?
Because what strikes me is how many of the "features" that these smart locks celebrate aren't fundamentally desirable in themselves. They're simply necessary to facilitate the main selling point of the lock: the connection to the phone app.
No one really wants a bile lock with solar charging. Or usb charging. Or back up access. Or removable batteries. Or jump start options. Or secondary keypads.
These are all "features" that are necessary to deal with the power requirements of a lock that talks to your phone (and to ensure the lock still functions if (when) that communication fails).
And why do we want a lock that talks to our phone? So we don't need to carry a key. Yeah, OK.
Security Ratings
The other weird thing is that none of these smart locks (apart from the Linka) ever seem to be tested and rated by independent security organisations like Sold Secure or ART.
So we're never really sure how good they are at their primary job: preventing a thief from stealing our bikes!
Is this because they're not very secure? Or because the price to security ratio will inevitably seem disappointing?
I mean, I really like the evolutionary way that the Grasp Lock works as it make it so much easier to lock your bike up. But does it compromise the security of the lock? We just don't know.
The Future?
So I totally accept that this article might be overly negative! That the smart locks we've seen so far are simply the first wave.
And of course you can't have the second (and genuinely useful) wave of smart locks without the first wave testing the water, discovering issues that need to be addressed.
The Sentinel for example will be a frame lock with a permanent internet connection, 4 months of battery life, RFID unlock, sharing, track and trace, a host of other features and a security rating from ART.
I can see the attraction. Plus of course these type of locks really come into their own when their used to secure a fleet of bikes (in bike share schemes).
So yeah, they probably are the future. And of course most of the companies making these locks are one man outfits, working with small budgets, trying to disrupt the market. And this should be encouraged and supported!
I just don't think their ready for personal use yet.
I read a few of the reviews of the smart locks that were available on Amazon. And I was struck by two things:
Firstly, several reviewers said that because they worked in tech themselves, they wanted a lock that used tech. Tech for the sake of it. Not to solve specific problem? That doesn't make sense to me.
Secondly many reviewers said the connectivity (which is the fundamental essence of a smart lock) was unreliable. So the supposed convenience became highly inconvenient.
Once we have smart locks are able to solve genuine problems in a reliable way I'll be all in. But until then, I'm going to stick to my stupid lock with a key.
But I would love to be proved wrong on this. I never even used one! If you use a smart lock on a daily basis and you love it, tell us why in the comments...
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I have E mountain bike with 4.5 fat tires. Will any an alarm lock fit ?
Hi Stephen,
The Oxford Alarm-D Max Duo might fit. But the only way to be sure is to buy and test.
Cheers
Carl
I have gone though 3 $80 Benjilocks, a fingerprint reading lock. They all failed within weeks. They is a spring-loaded piece in the lock that quickly loses its springyness and so it no longer catches the end of the ubar.
All the flaws you highlighted still stand, but I think you’re ignoring some huge benefits of keyless access. It’s not just about not having to carry a key. I live in Ireland and for most of the winter it’s dark when I leave work. It’s also raining and cold for most of that time. That means trying to find the right key in the dark and put it in the keyhole right way up. Then when it’s back in a pocket, trying to zip it up so you don’t lose the key. All while wearing thick gloves. Alternatively, there’s the combination lock, but that’s honestly worse because you can’t see the numbers on the lock and again you’re trying to do it with thick gloves on.
I agree that when they’re not certified with sold secure or similar, they’re not worth considering for anything more than a coffee stop. But a reliable, secure smart lock would genuinely make cycling a much more pleasant experience for me for a good chunk of the year
Great points Joe! I think reliability is the key here. I was reading some of the reviews of Abus’ smart lock on Amazon last week and was disappointed to discover that some people were finding that it started to fail when exposed to water (rain)!
I was so disappointed with the Abus one when I read those reviews too. When I saw a smart lock from a reputable manufacturer like Abus I thought my winter cycling woes were over, but no such luck
I also saw the Squire Inigma range recently. They seem to be secure (Sold Secure Gold for the D-lock) and reliable (based on the small number of reviews I could find) but unfortunately they don’t seem to support proximity unlocking. You have to press a button on the lock, then use the app to unlock it. Which is less convenient than using a key. Perhaps I’ve understood it incorrectly, but that’s what their marketing videos seem to suggest
The upside of these two flawed locks is that they’re coming from reputable lock brands. Maybe over the next couple of years, we’ll see some more major lock manufacturers get on board and make some genuinely good products
Yes, I’ve actually got a Squire Inigma here to review. In needs some in depth use before I can form an opinion on it though and I just haven’t had the time yet.
I think, like GPS trackers, they’re only going to get better as the technology improves.
But at the moment I generally see them as niche products for the early adopters!
FYI, I got in touch with Squire about the proximity feature and apparently, you can enable it. It’s called active mode. For some reason, they’ve buried it in a brochure instead of advertising that it has this feature
https://www.squirelocks.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/squire_inigma_bl1_brochure.pdf
Is there any way to get an email update when you’ve completed the specific review for the Squire?
Yep, sure!
I have two Sentinel locks. By nature they add a kind off tamagochi feel to your bike as you have to monitor and reload the battery on a regular base.
One of the locks lost its connection with my phone and that couldn’t be fixed. On several occasions both locks could not be unlocked with RFID tag or phone. So I decided to reinstall the conventional locks. Now I cannot trace my bike with my phone but I can at least use it.
I joined the kickstart er of Sentinel smart bike lock. After almost 2 years of delay, most of covid, I could start using the lock in 2021. It functions well and quality is good. But the builder is probably victim of bad quality batteries that are sealed in the lock to make sure the lock is completely water tight. Conclusion. After less than 1,5year I can throw away the lock, because the battery will drean within 8hours in stead of several months as it was from the beginning.
Yep, this is the sort of situation I’m talking about, where technology causes more problems than it solves. Thanks for the feedback, Floris!
I have the Ilockit GPS added on my juicy ebike. Main problem I have now is that they are no longer taking UK orders for extra parts so I had to get it via a work colleague’s relative in Italy.Presumably since Brexit. Worse has come now the locator service has expired as I also can not renew it to a UK address. Not sure of it’s status now. I stopped the phone proximity lock/unlock feature as it could unlock while locked up outside a pub while I sat close inside. I now have the separate key fob to lock/unlock when required.
Ahh that’s disappointing and annoying Andy!
Thanks for sharing this research.
One possible advantage l was thinking a smart lock could have is that it might be potentially more difficult for a ‘lock picker’ thief to access the locking mechanism.
That’s just an idea that occurred to me yesterday though, so feel free to criticize.
I think a lot of them can be opened by a key, just in case the smart system fails Barry. And anyway, lock picking thieves are so rare that I think the risk of a failing smart system far outweighs the risk of a lock being picked in the street.
I see. Thanks.
I got NokÄ“ from the Kickstarter. Used for a wile. But I dropped it, and after feel weeks it started to talk with my phone sooner died. Wrote a complaining to NokÄ“ send them a short video and in a feel days a new lock arrived to me. And it’s keep mint in box in my house. I’m afraid that will die with my bike locked.
I believe that most smart locks will have hardware problems sure to impacts as we carry them around.
While everything that you said makes complete sense, smart locks have been a boon for bike-sharing services like MYBYK in India. You can pick up a bike from any of their stations at your convenience as everything is app-based, sans human interaction.
Yep, I totally agree. I thought I mentioned in the article that they make most sense for bike sharing services.
Your objections are valid. But not all intelligence involves ‘GPS’, phones or apps.
A “smart” U-lock with a few thin wires inside its frame, which would trigger a phone alert via Starlink or a cellphone company (subscription) if they get cut or if the lock is opened/lockpicked when the phone is not at 20 feet or so from the lock was my first idea of a good smart lock. The downside is, it would need to send a signal BEFORE a grinder disc reach the internal circuit board, the antenna or battery part or the lock which would completely defeat its purpose.
Yeah I think there are just too many things that can go wrong there Michael!
I am about to dump my Linka smart lock and found this article while searching for better alternatives.
The reason I bought it was for the daily commute to work I could just park my bike, tap my smart watch and lock the bike and leave (which saves the extra step of either having your phone attached to bike or taking out of my pocket).
However, the smart watch app was not great as multiple taps or long presses required until it recognized the command to lock/unlock.
Also, the lock itself also needs an extra step of pressing a button on it to wake it so it isn’t truly smart.
Phone app seems to work ok but have had moments when the lock itself fails to lock or open or loses connectivity which causes more hassle than it’s worth.
Currently is refusing to lock and have fully charged it so after about a year am looking to dump it.
Basically, I just want a lock I don’t need to carry around. Perhaps a simple combination lock which is permanently attached to the frame would suffice…any recommendations?
FYI I’m in Tokyo so not too concerned how secure the lock is due to the two main locations I lock it being safe enough.
Hi Sat,
Maybe a frame lock with a chain would work well for you:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/M-Wave-Unisex-Adult-Chain-Frame/dp/B07ZZMPH7K/
It’s not a combination lock, but it is permanently attached to your frame.
Thanks!
Carl