Right: R1 Optical Power Transmitter
Left: Schlage Encode fitted with Wi-Charge battery cover
Israeli innovators bring wireless charging to your front door – San Diego Jewish World
Rotem said Wi-Charge started with smart locks because the dead-battery problem is a real pain point for users. The Schlage Encode also gave the company a clean test. It is one of the most popular Wi-Fi smart locks in the United States, and the integration was relatively quick because the Wi-Charge receiver could replace the existing battery pack.
When I told my friend, who owns a smart lock, about the product, his ears perked up immediately. He mentioned that this was his biggest issue with his smart lock in India, and if a retrofit existed, he would jump at the chance to get one.
According to Rotem, Wi-Charge made the decision around November, put up a preorder page, and saw customers pay within days. The first kits were in customers’ homes by February. He said that the early response gave the company more confidence that the product had the right price and the right pain point.
Rotem said the same transmitter could eventually power multiple devices in view. Once a customer already has a transmitter installed for a lock, adding another compatible device nearby becomes much easier.
The company’s website lists smart locks, security cameras, digital signage, smart sensors, smartphones, AR glasses, smart rings, and game controllers as possible categories. Rotem said fixed devices are the easiest place to start because they stay in view. To get the full wireless-power experience for moving devices, such as a phone or glasses, a home would need several transmitters.
Rotem described a future where, as smart devices require more power, batteries won’t end up the weak link. On my door, that future started with the deadbolt.
That may sound like a small achievement, but in a smart home, small annoyances are often what decide whether a product feels helpful or becomes yet one more thing to manage. Wi-Charge has not yet created a wireless power ecosystem for the whole house. But with the Schlage Encode kit, it has found one fixed place where the idea is easy to integrate and build on.
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Shor M. Masori is a freelance writer with a special interest in Israeli start-ups.