Hello. I’m an Apex Ring user living in Korea.
I recently received my Apex Ring, albeit late, and I’m looking for a drawer lock that’s compatible with it.
I use an IKEA Alex drawer.
Does anyone have any good ideas?
The Apex products are awesome, they use smart chips. For some reason “Smart locks” don’t seem to like them.
I have had no luck finding a compatiable lock to work with my ApexFlex.
I know they exist, I just personally havent found one.
A MifareClassic Card, fob or implant would be your best bet of having compatibility with a lock.
Heres a good place to start for a drawer lock
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Thank you so much for your reply. What I’m confused about is whether SOLSTOL products are compatible with apex rings?
I haven’t tested it, but I do not think so.
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It states, “A single Type-A key tag compliant with ISO/IEC 14443 can be paired with multiple SOLSTOL locks.”
It states that the vivokey apex ring supports the ISO14443A standard.
So, if the manual is correct, wouldn’t it be possible to register it?
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In theory it would work, but I cant confirm that for you, all I know is, Iove my Apex, and I have tested it on a number of locks, but I have just had no luck personally.
Unless somebody else has tested that specific lock, we wont know until it has been.
Maybe you could be the tester?
I would suggest, if you buy it, get it from somewhere you can easily return.
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I just finished testing it.
In conclusion, it works… but there’s a huge problem.
It worked fine before I installed it, but after I installed it, I can’t use it without removing the ring (i.e., it won’t recognize it).
All other keycards work fine.
(For reference, the SOLSTOL can be installed up to 30mm, while the Alex drawer is about 15mm.)
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So it works if you touch the ring directly on the lock, but it doesnt work if you wear the ring?
It sounds like a coupling issue: if this is the case you might be able to solve it by applying one of those NFC booster stickers on your lock
An RSP might help with that
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^^ those stickers are nifty! I recommend
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This seems like a great idea, but there’s one problem: shipping to Korea is prohibitive. The stickers cost $10, but shipping costs $7. Would similar stickers from places like AliExpress have the same effect? And if so, could you provide a link?
The ones sold by DT are actually an original design AFAIK, so not sure you can find the same thing elsewhere.
That being said, looking for passive NFC signal boosters on asian marketplaces might do the job for you: definitely worth trying
How are you presenting the ring to the lock? Apex Ring has an antenna that goes around the entire circumference of the ring so the best performance is “knocking” on the lock so the ring is flat and parallel with the lock, not tapping the ring so it comes at the lock perpendicularly.. though knocking on some locks might be extremely difficult to position.
An rsp might be your best bet.
I’m not sure what the shipping costs are, but from the Midwest gadgets store, you can get 4 for $10 also.
It may sound expensive, BUT It really is worth it.
It will very like be the solution to your problem.
I would also suggest you add $5 more and get yourself a field detector.
I know I have just increased you cost, but I am also increasing your chance of success.
Use one sticker for your lock,
use another on your phone,
have the other 2 ready for your next “problem”
heres some more info
It’s your money to choose how you spend it, i will say in closing, you shouldn’t look at it as prohibitive, but rather as an investment in success.
I look forward to your update.
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If you’re able to get normal letters from the US I offer an international shipping option where I’ll send it in a normal envelope with an international stamp.
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Why do I live in the third world where that seems cheap…
