If you rent with us, there’s a good chance your unit has a Noke Smart Entry lock on it. Instead of a padlock and a key you have to remember, carry, and eventually lose in a moving box, the lock talks to an app on your phone over Bluetooth. You walk up, open the app, tap unlock, and the latch releases. No key cutting, no combination to forget, no spare hidden under a flowerpot.
What Actually Changes
A padlock does one thing well. It keeps the door shut until the right key shows up. A Noke lock does that too, but it also lets you hand out access without ever touching the hardware, and that’s the real difference. With a cut key, giving someone access means making a copy, handing it over, and hoping you get it back. With Noke, access is something you send from your phone and take back the same way.
The lock is battery powered and mounted right on the door, so there’s nothing to wire in and nothing the office has to flip a switch on. It works the same whether you’re grabbing one box or backing a trailer up to empty the whole unit.
Setting Up The App
When you rent a unit with Noke, you’ll get a text within a few minutes with a six digit code and a link to download the app. Enter the code, your phone number, and a username, then work through the prompts. Say yes to Bluetooth access, since that’s how the lock and your phone actually talk. On Android, turn on Location Services too, since Android ties Bluetooth scanning to that permission and the app won’t find the lock without it.
Once that’s done, you won’t do it again. Opening the unit after that is just standing near the door, opening the app, and tapping the icon.
If The Lock Won’t Open
Almost every lock issue traces back to the phone, not the lock itself. Check Bluetooth first, it defaults back off sometimes after a phone restarts. If that’s fine and it still won’t connect, check Location Services again on Android, since people turn it on at setup and disable it later without realizing it breaks things.
Weak cell signal can also stall the app before it loads, especially in interior hallways or climate controlled sections. Open the app while you’ve still got a strong signal, before you walk in from the parking lot.
If none of that works, that’s a hardware issue, so call the office instead of troubleshooting it from the parking lot.
Sharing Access With Family Or Movers
Most people asking about sharing access just need a sibling to grab something while they’re out of town, or a moving crew in for a day. There’s a Share Unit option in the app that sends an electronic key straight to someone else’s phone. They download the app, unlock the same lock you can, and when you’re done, you revoke it from the same screen and their copy just stops working. No driving back to swap a padlock.
Is It Worth It
If you’re in and out of your unit often, or you share it with other people, Noke genuinely saves you trips. If you’re the kind of renter who shows up once at move in and once at move out, it won’t change much for you day to day, and that’s fine too. Either way, grabbing the right size unit matters more than the lock, so check our size guide if you haven’t already, or contact us with questions before you rent.
Ready to get started? Browse availability at A Family Storage, and your access code will text over the moment you rent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to pay extra for Noke Smart Entry?
No, it’s included if your unit has the lock installed.
What if my phone battery dies at the unit?
The lock has a physical backup our staff can use to get you in, so just call the office.
Can I use Noke if I’m not into apps?
Setup is one time. After that it’s just opening an app and tapping one icon.