How to Find Your Lost Keys Using Android: Gatekeeper Review
When was the last time you lost your car keys? Do you often get locked out of your house and have to call a locksmith or call up someone for the spare?
This may happen more often for some than others, but eventually we all lose something that’s essential in our lives. Your dog may run off, your bike might get stolen or you might even lose your wallet if you’re not careful. Luckily, the Gatekeeper Chain helps you find your missing items.
I particularly like it for finding my keys, since I always seem to leave them behind. Gatekeeper also has the unique functionality to lock your computer whenever you get up and walk away from it, keeping people out of your sensitive information.
You can find the Gatekeeper Chain for purchase right here. It works with an Android app that tells you whenever you walk too far away from the Gatekeeper chain. You can also download the Gatekeeper software to put on your PC or Mac. (The software is only used for locking your computer.)
Our Gatekeeper GKChain Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Get the app below:
The Good
The Gatekeeper is mainly marketed as a way to protect your sensitive information on your computer. This is wonderful news for people who don’t want snoopy coworkers messing with personal information as you run to the bathroom.
In this respect, the Gatekeeper works well. The technology is still making its way to bigger and better things, but Gatekeeper offers a look into the future of digital security. Overall, the Gatekeeper fob is small and the company gives you several color options to fit your personality.
It also comes with two batteries, a little key chain loop and a USB piece to plug into your computer. The fob is sturdy enough for the application, and the key chain loop is great for latching onto your key chain, bag or even your dog’s collar.
When you walk away from the fob your phone and the fob start beeping, so you can walk back and find whatever it is you forgot. This works just fine, and makes it a little easier for remembering your keys when walking out of the house. The app is also very simple to navigate, and it only took a few seconds for my phone to locate the Gatekeeper through Bluetooth.
When you walk away from your computer is locks things down like a pro, making it virtually impossible for anyone to scan through your files (at least without spending a decent amount of time). Even if someone pulls the USB from your computer the system stands its ground to fight for your data’s security.
The Bad
When I tried to open the Gatekeeper and change the battery I accidentally cracked off one of the fasteners that hold the fob together upon closing. I could attribute this to my magnificent strength, but I think the plastic is just a little weak.
I’m not a big fan of using batteries in this world of rechargeable devices that we live in. I also noticed that the reliability of the fob depends on whether or the Bluetooth signal holds strong. Although it worked most of the time, on occasion the app seemed to be battling with the signal strength.
I understand this technology is going to improve, but just keep in mind that the Gatekeeper may vary on when it decides to start beeping when you walk away from your keys.
There’s also a feature that allows you to try and locate your keys (or other items) after you’ve walked away from them. So, let’s say you were in a loud bar and you didn’t hear your phone beeping when you walked away. The Gatekeeper app gives you a meter telling you how far away you are from the fob.
This is fine, but it kind of makes you play a “hot and cold” game with the meter telling you when you get closer. I’d rather have a map with the exact location of my keys.
Bottom Line
The Gatekeeper offers a unique opportunity for people to link up the Gatekeeper fob and hopefully notice when they leave something behind. In short, you can lock your computer or use your Android phone to notify you when you walk away from your keys or other items.
The Overall Setup of the Gatekeeper System – 5 out of 5 stars
The setup is the most amazing part of the Gatekeeper system, because all you have to do is put a battery in your fob, latch it to your keys and install the application on your computer.
Once the application is installed it helps you find the fob that’s connected to your keys and even lets you save and name the particular device. That’s pretty much it. You can then add as many Gatekeeper fobs as you want.
The Gatekeeper Alerts – 4.5 out of 5 stars
Once you get the Gatekeeper on your keys you can then set it up to alert you whenever you walk away. Basically it gives you a beeping sound when you get too far away from your keys. Your phone beeps and the key fob beeps.
In order to activate this alert you just have to pair the fob with your phone and there is a little Alert tab at the top. Just click on this to mark it as “On.” That’s just about it. Now when you get up and walk away from the device it will beep on your phone and alert you whenever you are about to leave something behind.
The Components That Come in the Package – 4 out of 5 stars
In my images I don’t show the two batteries, but the package comes with two of them just in case the first one runs out of juice. I simply took the pictures after I inserted one of the batteries into the Gatekeeper. Like I stated before I don’t like the idea of running this thing off of batteries, but hopefully they come up with a way to recharge the device in the future.
The USB is small and portable, which is wonderful, but I wish they’d give you a little carrying case or something because I always feel like I’m going to lose it if I take it out of my computer. The Gatekeeper fob is stylish and durable enough to complete the tasks it’s required to do.
If you chucked it at the ground it would probably break, but that’s a little ridiculous. I think the materials would hold up to everyday use.
Locating Items With the Gatekeeper– 3 out of 5 stars
The second purpose behind the app is to latch the Gatekeeper fob to help you go searching for the item (with fob attached) in case you completely lost it. .
This is the only area where the Gatekeeper disappointed a bit, but I have high hopes that improvements are coming since the company has tons of support, as you can see with their highly successful Kickstarter campaign.
Basically, I attached the fob to my set of keys and tried to walk away from the keys with my phone in hand. On occasion it would start alerting me with a beeping sound, but it was highly inconsistent. I also found that the meter for locating something you lost wasn’t all that helpful.
That said, it’s one of the newer features from Gatekeeper, so I can’t imagine they waste much time improving the system and making it awesome for finding anything you lose in the future.
Support and Price – 5 out of 5 stars
The Gatekeeper company provides direct email support and some handy download links and instructions on the downloads page. I’ve found that they are rather responsive to all of my requests, and the price aligns well with the rest of the market, so you can grab a few of these Gatekeeper fobs for your entire family and not worry about breaking the bank.
The standard price is $49.99 for one GK Chain and lock, and you can grab some savings for $94.99 if you buy two and the same time.
Conclusion
If you always find yourself losing your keys or some other items that are important to you, the Gatekeeper fob and app are a nice way to alert you before you walk away. I hope this review helped you find your lost keys using Android, because it’s really a handy little device.
Share your thoughts in the comments section if you have any questions about the Gatekeeper. Check out some of the best security apps to keep your Android phone secure.