Gatekeeper Wireless Bluetooth Computer Lock Review
Auto proximity lock is fast, though unlocking can be slow, key locator meter/connection unreliable. Amazon Affiliate Product Link: http://amzn.to/2bcB3vl
The Gatekeeper consists of a transmitter key fob and USB dongle receiver and includes a keychain lanyard, a CR2032 coin cell battery, a double sided clip carabiner, and a brief instruction manual. The transmitter is the small domino looking piece. It measures 1.75”L x 1”W x 1/4”H. I like that the battery is replaceable since mine was actually showing low battery out of the box. However, a new battery should last you 3-6 months according to the specs. All you have to do is plug in the USB dongle to your computer and download the software on Gatekeeper’s website.
In the software you’ll first have to pair your key by holding it close to the USB dongle. It’ll start beeping once it’s paired. Then you can set your locking options like distance/proximity which controls how far you can be away from the dongle with the fob before your computer locks. When I set it to 'Near,' the computer locked when the fob was 4-5 feet away. At the farthest setting it locked when it was about 8-10 feet away. Then there are a couple of options for you to log back in. You can have the fob log you back in when you’re within the range you set, or require that you touch the fob to the USB dongle to unlock. Alternatively you can use a pin code as long as you have the fob nearby or choose just to login with your password as you do normally without any fob interaction.
For me, I found that touch to login was the most responsive. I wasn’t a huge fan of the proximity lock as sometimes the dongle took almost 10 seconds to detect that I was in close enough range or required me to nearly touch the fob to the dongle anyway. If the fob runs out of battery while the computer is locked, you can still login using your regular account and password so you won't get locked out.
The other feature that the gatekeeper advertises is the key location feature which isn’t described anywhere in the manual. You'll need to download the Gatekeeper app by CoolCAD Electronics to your mobile device. The app prompts you to add a key (the transmitter), but you cannot do this while the key is paired with the USB dongle. You must unplug the dongle or disable it via the software before pairing your fob to the app. Once added, you can name the fob and pressing locate on the screen will cause the fob to ring. Your phone will display a signal strength meter indicating how close you are tot he fob. However, it doesn’t tell you which direction to head in so it’s basically like a game of hotter/colder. At least the transmitter rings to help you out. When you’re very close, your phone will also start to beep. However, occasionally the locator was unreliable and at times even when the fob was right next to the phone, the signal bar was low or the phone said the fob was out of range. Also, you do need to be within Bluetooth range of the fob to use the location feature, so if you’re more than 30 feet away, you’re out of luck anyway. There is also an alert setting you can activate that will pre-emptively notify you that you’re straying too far from your keys/fob, though you have to manually turn that alarm on and off. If you aren't in the habit of always carrying your phone and keys together, it'll go off pretty often since you don't have the option of setting up 'safe zones' or geofences.
Overall, the strongest feature on the Gatekeeper is its ability to lock your computer when you walk away from it, protecting sensitive information and helping you comply with information security policies at your workplace, automatically. Its secondary features as a key locator and reminder could use some work and are only useful in a handful of situations. I'd also like to see the inclusion of a second battery or even just one that wasn't drained out of the box.
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