Key Finder

FOFA Key Finder Technology

Nothing compares to a FOFA Key Finder!

• Have you ever been late for or missed an appointment because you couldn't find your keys?
• How many times could a key finder have prevented you form being late for work? That's especially important in these tough economic times when the last thing you want to do is call any negative attention to yourself and being late just one time is one time too many.
• Do yo really want your kids standing alone after soccer practice or a school event because you're late picking them up because you couldn't find your keys?

A good key finder is important because no matter how organized your are you know there are times when you misplace your keys and, as a fellow believer in Murphy's Law, you know it happens at the worst possible time. I recommend the FOFA Key Finder as the best key finder on the market. The FOFA Key Finder has unique capabilities no other key finder can match that help you find your lost keys quicker and more reliably than any other key finder and at an very affordable price.
I'll prove my point by examining different types of key finders pointing out the advantages and disadvantages of each...

#1 2-Way RF Wireless Key Finder that Finds Other Items with XD Proximity Detect

This is the state-of-the-art in practical, affordable key finder. Here's why...

• Each Find One Find All (or FOFA) Key Finder specifically finds up to 35 additional FOFA Key Finders in the same system without requiring a base station. If press the number corresponding to the specific item you're looking for and only that items rings.
• Each FOFA is completely programmable so you can assign any number to any FOFA Key Finder.
• The FOFA uses 2-way RF communications so that when the item you're looking for senses the signal from the key finder you're holding which does three things...
  1. Initiates a loud 94 dB alarm making it east to hear and locate.
  2. Activates a red blinking LED light so it easy for hearing impaired people to find it.
  3. It's 2-way wireless communication called XD Proximity Detect to send a signal back to the FOFA Key Finder you're holding "telling it" that it has been found. This causes the red LED to flash and a warbling alarm to sound from the FOFA Key Finder you're holding. But there's more...
     
     The closer you are the faster it blinks. So you know you're close as you approach the closet or clothes hamper...or wherever your keys are hiding. The is the only key finder with this feature.
     A FOFA Key Finder you can find keys buried under sofa cushions, heavy coat pockets or laundry piles. Is it as good at finding items buried as the RF Key Finder with a Base Station with a Direction Pointer mentioned earlier? Well no if you consider just finding buried keys in your house. But since FOFA Key Finders don't a base station you can find keys this way wherever you go. The FOFA is 10 times less expensive. And batteries last several times longer.
• The FOFA Key Finder is available in three styles that are easier to attach to certain objects. All key finder styles talk to each other and are set up and programmed the same simple way.
  • Key Chain Key Finder
  • Flat Key Finder that's as small and just slightly thicker than a credit card that makes it a perfect wallet finder and easier to attach to thinks like your TV remote control.
  • Glasses Finder that attached to your reading glasses or sun glasses with a convenient lanyard.

The different key finder styles just give you a lot more flexibility to attach your key finders to different shaped objects. What other key finder is there that is almost as flat as a credit card and fits in a credit card slot in your wallet? None! I actually have it pulled out a little so you can see it better.

Key Finder Size
Some competitors boast that their key finder is smaller than the FOFA Key Finder. The FOFA is deliberately designed to be the size that it is to balance convenience and space with the ability to easily operate the numeric keys. The Numeric keys are what enable you to have up to 36 items in your FOFA Key Finder system. Who would want to give that up? Furthermore FOFA Key Finders are small and lightweight as you can see in the pictures above.

Considerations Regarding the FOFA's Ringer Volume and Detection Range
The FOFA Key Finder will locate other FOFA Key Finders up to 30 ft. away. As I mentioned earlier there are RF Key Finders that can locate keys further away. The FOFA's audible alarm is a loud 94 dB. There are key finders that are louder. But consider the way you can expect to actually use your key finder. 99.99% of the time it'll be in your house, office, hotel room or someplace where 30 ft. is a long distance especially considering that it works through walls and ceilings. Unless the item is buried you'll clearly hear 94 dB. If it is buried it doesn't matter how loud the key finder is. But you'll always be able to locate it with your FOFA.

And one last comment about distance and volume. The louder the alarm and the further the transmission distance the greater the power consumption and the shorter the battery life. The FOFA manufacturer could make it louder. They could increase the detection range and in fact tuned it back in prototype testing. The FOFA is engineered to function at this volume and distance in an attempt to balance performance with battery life. Now having said that if you lose your keys while hiking through the woods and you're backtracking looking for them you'd be glad for all the volume and detection distance you could possibly have. But then you give up all the advantages that the FOFA offers over competing key finders in situations you are most likely to encounter.

The FOFA Key Finder is clearly the best choice considering effectiveness, features and price. That's why I have yet to read a single independent key finder comparison test where the FOFA Key Finder has not come in first place.

#2 RF 1-Way Wireless Key Finders that Find Each Other With No Base Station

You attach a key finder to each item you want to locate. You use either key finder to find the other key finder.

Advantages:

There is no base station because you can use on key finder to find another item with a key finder attached.

• The range is very good with some brands claiming that the range can be up to a football field away.
• They work through walls and ceilings.
• Some key finders in this category have very loud alarms which can be heard at long distances.
• Some have lights that blink on the item you're looking for when it's located which is great for people who have hearing problems.

Disadvantages:

• You're still out of luck if the item you're looking for is buried under a sofa cushion or buried under a ton of dirty wash in the clothes hamper or wash basket. But if it's buried you can't hear it or see the blinking light.
• Most brands of this type of key finder are limited to specifically finding two units. But when you think about the real world most of us have more than two important things we want to track. Yes, you need your keys. But you also need your wallet or purse. Some people use a key finder to locate their cell phone or iPod. How about your glasses? How about when you want to use your key finder to find your TV remote control? Now if you add more of this type of key finder pressing the button will cause the ringer to go off on all the items in your system...throughout your home...which can get confusing very quickly.
• They're available in a key finder key chain configuration only. Their design is not conducive to attaching to certain items like your wallet or TV remote control.

#3 RF Key Finder with a Base Station with a Direction Pointer

There is a screen on the base unit that directs you to the lost item. It's actually pretty neat. The only reason I ranked it #3 was because you need to take the base station with you if you plan to use it away from home, the cost, and the power consumption.

Advantages:

They have all the advantages of the Key Finder with a Base Station mentioned below plus they can lead you to a lost item that you can't hear ringing or see blinking.

Disadvantages:

• They're ultra expensive with an entry level base system price over $200!
• The display screen consumes a lot of power. When you go to use your key finder you're not going to find anything if the base station's battery is dead. Now picture your mood when that happens and the time it takes to find and replace the batteries.

#4 RF Key Finder with a Base Station

You attach locator sensors to your keys and other items you want to find and then use a base station to locate them.

Advantages:

• You can specifically track multiple items because locator sensors attached to the items you want to locate are either labeled or color coded to correspond to specific buttons on the bas station.
• This type of key finder will work through walls and typically have a reasonably effective range.

Disadvantages:

• You can't find items that are buried and can't be seen or heard.
• You need the base station to find anything. Since people don't carry the base station with them...and they can often be quite large...you can't use this type of key finder to find keys lost away from home. Furthermore many people can't find the base station itself.
• If the base station fails the entire system is rendered useless. If a button specific locator sensor fails you usually can't get just that particular locator unit. The bottom line there is a lot exposure not being able to get replacement parts.
• Prices vary but most that actually work well are more expensive.

#5 Sound Activated Key Finder

You whistle or clap your hands and the key finder sounds an alarm.

Advantages:

• Their usually dirt cheap.

Disadvantages:

• You usually have to be very close to the lost item in order for it to work.
• You have to be in the same room with the lost item because it will not work through walls.
• You get frequent embarrassing false alarms activated by clapping and whistling at sporting events, shows, even in church. Loud sound tracks in movies can set them off. Street sounds often set them off.
• The item has to be in the open for it to hear the clapping or whistling. So it won't work if your keys are in a coat pocket or under a cushion. And even if it can detect your clapping or whistling you probably won't hear it.
• You look ridiculous in any sort of professional setting whistling or clapping to find your keys.