Bosch smart system lock

[Giff]

Has anyone activated the new lock system on a their Bosch Flow app.
Any drawbacks? Like it locks when riding or doesn’t unlock when you want it to?

 

[Richywalker64]

I have seen it but not tried it yet
I'm too worried my phone will break and I'll never be able to ride my bike again

 

[Funkeydunk]

Bosch have a fail safe to get you going again if your phone plays up. Via your lbs of course.

 

[Giff]

Yes but if you are miles away from the lbs......does anyone know if you activate it can you de-activate it again from the app without the lbs. Or is it a permanent activation and you can only turn it on or off ?

 

[tomisitt]

Top tip: make sure you turn off the lock before your phone battery dies, or you’ll be riding home without any motor assist, and with the alarm sounding

 

[Bummers]

Personally I don't think it's worth it. There is a greater than zero chance it can mess up and leave you stranded miles from anywhere.
It's not going to stop a thief, just mildly inconvenience them and they'll strip and sell your bike for parts rather than as a whole.

 

[Richywalker64]

Personally I don't think it's worth it. There is a greater than zero chance it can mess up and leave you stranded miles from anywhere.
It's not going to stop a thief, just mildly inconvenience them and they'll strip and sell your bike for parts rather than as a whole.

I agree it's not going to stop it being stolen in the first place as they wouldn't realise it was locked till they got it home and they're not going to bring it back to you

 

[Richywalker64]

Yes I never leave my bike out of my sight when its out of my garage

 

[Mikerb]

I would use it if Bosch provided a failsafe back up but without that the risk is too high. The only device that can change anything on the Bosch Smart System of the bike is the phone ( complete with original SIM) that it is paired with, plus the Flow App. If that phone is not available/broken/flat battery etc you cannot unlock the bike ( assuming you opted to implement the bike lock option)..................only your LBS can do that using the Bosch plug in software once you have provided proof you are the owner of the bike.
There was a case on a forum recently where a guy bought a new phone but did not remove the lock function and unpair his original phone from his bike first..........and he had disposed of his original phone. Obviously the new phone would not pair with the bike because the system allows only 1 unique pair for security reasons. Similarly you cannot use the Flow app to connect to more 1 bike with the Bosch Smart Sytem.

 

[Mikerb]

I know what it says...........but have you tried it?? Once the LED Remote is paired with a specific phone (a phones ID is its SIM card) it will not pair with another until that pairing is cancelled. The pairing on the phone is saved in the blutooth connectivity list on that phone and the phone is identified by the SIM card.

I have not enabled the lock function but I did recently have to change SIM on my phone as part of a test to resolve a problem with recieving SMS ( turned out it was a network problem in the end!) . I tried to run the Flow App but could not pair with the bike despite repeated a ttempts whereas previously the pairing had always been instantaneous. I had to remove the Bosch pairing from my blutooth list on the phone, delete the Flow app and reload a fresh version of the Flow app. I could then start from scratch....ie run Flow.....pair with the LED Remote.
That coupled with the experience of the guy I mentioned in my post a bove suggests the advice in the manual may be wrong in some circumstances if not in all.
Quite happy to be proved wrong, so if you confirm you have in fact logged in to your bike from someone elses phone ( presumably one that is not meanwhile paired with that persons Bosch Smart System bike) just by loading the flow app and using you Bosch Account login id and password, then I may reconsider using the bike lock function.

 

[irie]

I know what it says...........but have you tried it?? Once the LED Remote is paired with a specific phone (a phones ID is its SIM card) it will not pair with another until that pairing is cancelled. The pairing on the phone is saved in the blutooth connectivity list on that phone and the phone is identified by the SIM card.

I have not enabled the lock function but I did recently have to change SIM on my phone as part of a test to resolve a problem with recieving SMS ( turned out it was a network problem in the end!) . I tried to run the Flow App but could not pair with the bike despite repeated a ttempts whereas previously the pairing had always been instantaneous. I had to remove the Bosch pairing from my blutooth list on the phone, delete the Flow app and reload a fresh version of the Flow app. I could then start from scratch....ie run Flow.....pair with the LED Remote.
That coupled with the experience of the guy I mentioned in my post a bove suggests the advice in the manual may be wrong in some circumstances if not in all.
Quite happy to be proved wrong, so if you confirm you have in fact logged in to your bike from someone elses phone ( presumably one that is not meanwhile paired with that persons Bosch Smart System bike) just by loading the flow app and using you Bosch Account login id and password, then I may reconsider using the bike lock function.

A phones ID is not its SIM card, a phones ID is its IMEI number.

 

[Giff]

I am going to try with my wife’s phone tomorrow!

 

[Giff]

I haven’t tried yet but on the Bosch website: Sorry Mikerb your theory did sound credible!

Can I use multiple phones at the same time when Lock is activated?​

eBike Flow app
Change product
Yes. Your digital key is linked to your Bosch ID. Hence, you can log-in with your Bosch ID on several phones and use each of those to unlock your eBike and disable eBike Alarm.

 

[57 Reaction]

My bike failed to unlock a couple of times whilst using the bosch lock, I had to restart my phone and re-pair with the bike to get moving.
Also it did not prevent my bike from being stolen.
Not impressed and I won't bother with it again if I get another bosch powered bike.

 

[Giff]

The pudding has arrived…..I have connected a second phone to the app after logging in.
Both connect ok. I closed the app on one before opening on the other both seem to work ok…….but I haven’t dared put the lock on yet!

 

[Giff]

My 2 phones are UK and French….both ok.

 

[Mikerb]

Bosch Smart blutooth access is restricted by identity rather than open to any blutooth device, and the phone is the "master" of the connection. ( that is why HRM access is restricted to Bosch approved devices only rather than any HRM.)

It seemed my experience together with the experience of the other guy I quoted in my earlier thread, was using the phone ID ( SIM) was that identifier, whereas the manual and yourself suggest it is the Bosch Account id on the Flow App which takes that role. Happy to accept that is the case but it seems strange that in my case my reloaded Flow app was complete with my Bosch Account details but blutooth still would not connect, until I deleted the previous saved pairing on the blutooth list in "settings/connections/blutooth". Similarly the other guy's experience was that nothing he did enabled him to connect with a new phone.
It will be good to hear others experience.

 

[Mikerb]

I think phone model and country restrictions may make this more difficult for you because of the Russian poisonings in your country if for some reason your sim is tied to your BLE connections. I’ll have to try it when I’m in the UK next with a local phone. Hmmmmm sneaky UK If so.

yes I know both blutooth will work even if no SIM in the phone but it seemed to me the Bosch System needed something to authenticate the connection...................I can see now that the personal Bosch Account is doing that.
mmmm.......that also means having to remember the Bosch Account login and password to get access via another phone!!
I think I will pass on this one

 

[Yoak]

Deep in the woods around here you are more often without signal than with. That would be my main concern. I did manage to bend an iPhone 5 when I crashed. Had it in my thigh pocket.

 

[E-MAD MALC]

Ivf you have problems
ie. Battery flat on you phone or if your riding with others who have Bosch motors then tell them to log out and log in with your id. Which will solve the unlocking problem

 

[DrosetDrew]

Has anyone activated the new lock system on a their Bosch Flow app.
Any drawbacks? Like it locks when riding or doesn’t unlock when you want it to?

Yes, I have been using the lock system for a while. You can deactivate it via the Flow app at any time. You can also access your bike on another phone with the Flow app, as long as you log in with your Bosch ID. I also have the ConnectModule, which sounds an alarm if the bike is moved while your bike is powered off. If the bike is then moved someone ( a would be thief), you are alerted on your phone and the app starts tracking your bike via GPS.

 

[Ianatstanage]

Has anyone activated the new lock system on a their Bosch Flow app.
Any drawbacks? Like it locks when riding or doesn’t unlock when you want it to?

I have been using it (Whyte E160).
It certainly works, as I tested it.
It clearly would not stop someone stealing the bike, although it may slow down the process if the thief tried to ride it.
I needed to change my phone & this caused a problem.
Even though I un-paired the old phone (the connection is via bluetooth) I could not connect the new phone.
I ended up taking it to the shop who had to contact Bosch, but not before an identity check that the bike is actually mine.
This all took a few days to sort.
Bosch are clearly trying to make thefts difficult and have a system in place to stop someone connecting another phone.
I'm hoping that the Bosch GPS unit will soon be available and plan to fit that.
The Whyte is great fun, but a very significant investment - protecting it from theft is a priority for me.
Cheers,
Ian

 

[DrosetDrew]

I have been using it (Whyte E160).
It certainly works, as I tested it.
It clearly would not stop someone stealing the bike, although it may slow down the process if the thief tried to ride it.
I needed to change my phone & this caused a problem.
Even though I un-paired the old phone (the connection is via bluetooth) I could not connect the new phone.
I ended up taking it to the shop who had to contact Bosch, but not before an identity check that the bike is actually mine.
This all took a few days to sort.
Bosch are clearly trying to make thefts difficult and have a system in place to stop someone connecting another phone.
I'm hoping that the Bosch GPS unit will soon be available and plan to fit that.
The Whyte is great fun, but a very significant investment - protecting it from theft is a priority for me.
Cheers,
Ian

The GPS unit is available in the UK - I bought my unit from here: GPS Bike trackers

 

[E-MAD MALC]

The GPS unit is available in the UK - I bought my unit from here: GPS Bike trackers

The GPS unit is available in the UK - I bought my unit from here: GPS Bike tracker

Which one did you purchase, the £85 or the £175 one

 

[tomisitt]

Which one did you purchase, the £85 or the £175 one

I got the Bosch ConnectModule fitted by my dealer for £99, which includes the first year’s subscription free (about £40 a year thereafter). Alarm, immobiliser and GPS tracker in one small unit. Worth it for the peace of mind.

 

[DrosetDrew]

Which one did you purchase, the £85 or the £175 one

This one: Bosch Gen4 Smart Tracker & Alarm BDU37YY (BCM3100) ETA

 

[Ark]

It clearly would not stop someone stealing the bike, although it may slow down the process if the thief tried to ride it.

Better a thief has to struggle riding a 27kg bike then being able to ride it with assistance imo
For me it works fine so far and I like the beeps when you turn the bike on adds a coolness factor

 

[Pazman]

My Canyon strive on is still having issues with e-bike lock , yesterday the phone could not connect to it .
But when i switch the bike on it just unlocks like its never been paired to a phone or every had the e-bile lock ever actived .
So its free for anyone to use or take lol , not a great system at all