Every summer, thousands of vacationers flock to the beaches of the North and Baltic Seas. The beach chair has a long tradition and is considered a typically German phenomenon. While it is indispensable on the beaches of the North Sea and Baltic Sea, it is unknown in many places abroad. However, anyone who spontaneously decides to rent a beach chair in Hooksiel on the North Sea to sit and enjoy the waves and wind will be surprised to discover that the image of the thick key in the lock, which you have to get from a landlord in a beach house far away, is long outdated. Because in Hooksiel and many other beach resorts on Germany’s coasts, you have long been able to dial into the beach chair of your choice via an app, either planned in advance from a distance or spontaneously on site. But how does the technology behind it work? After downloading the corresponding app, you can first select the location on the map and then the section of beach. A display then appears showing the available beach chairs and their location (similar to booking a seat on an ICE train or plane). Users then have the option of selecting the desired basket and making the payment digitally. The app connects to the lock via Bluetooth, checks whether the booking period matches the current time and releases the beach chair. For those who prefer to walk to the beach chair rental and don’t have a smartphone with them, there is an NFC chip that opens the lock instead of the large key. In other places on the North Sea coast, a new version is already being used that has a SIM card integrated into the chip and can also transmit the exact location of the beach chair and the charge status of the integrated battery to the rental company via GPS. Experience has shown that a button cell battery in the locks can last for an entire beach chair season. Newer locks now even have an integrated solar cell.
Digital beach chair rental: How the app works for 10,000 beach chairs
