Bauer Products unveiled its NE-CS Bluetooth Channel Sounding RV door lock at CES 2026. The company said the lock is the industry’s first RV lock featuring Bluetooth Channel Sounding.
Bluetooth Channel Sounding was first introduced within the Bluetooth SIG in 2018. Channel Sounding is a key functionality for secure access and high-accuracy distance measurement.
The technology provides an accurate distance measurement via Bluetooth. Previously, distance was measured by signal strength. Bluetooth Channel Sounding measures the time a signal travels from one device to another and back.
Bauer co-owner and President of Engineering Bruce Bacon said the technology would enable consumers to set an RV lock to unlock when consumers’ cell phones were 5 feet away from the RV, for example, then automatically lock when the cell phone was 25 feet away.
The NE-CS door lock is a collaboration between Bauer Products, onceLabs, Nordic Semiconductor, Raytac and Metirionic. Bauer Products will provide live demonstrations during CES with the lock and a Google Pixel 10 cell phone. The lock will be available to the RV market in spring 2026, with additional details to be announced.
“Our customers expect innovation, convenience and uncompromising security from our products,” Bacon said. “We are proud to have worked with strong industry partners—especially onceLabs, whose long-term support has been instrumental—to bring this breakthrough capability to market.”
Bluetooth SIG Vice President of Technology and Market Development Chuck Sabin said Bluetooth Channel Sounding introduces secure, fine-ranging capabilities to Bluetooth technology.
“We are excited to see the collaborative efforts of member companies, including Bauer,” Sabin said, “in bringing innovative access control solutions leveraging Bluetooth Channel Sounding to market.”
Nordic Semiconductor Business Development Manager for Partnerships Andre Harris said Bauer has relied on Nordic Semiconductor chipsets for years. The NE-CS lock uses Nordic’s ultra-low-power nRF54L15 SoC chip.
“As a leader in low-power wireless connectivity solutions, we are thrilled to see Bauer continue their market leadership by being one of the first product companies to feature Channel Sounding,” Harris said. “This achievement reflects not only Bauer’s vision but also the collaborative strength of Nordic, Design, Module and Solution Partners like onceLabs, Raytac and Metirionic.”
Raytac’s AN54LQ-15 series module integrates Nordic’s chip with Metirionic’s Channel Sounding algorithms. The design enables the NE-CS lock to be a Channel Sounding indicator and reflector. The companies said the result is reliable hardware that strengthens security and integrity.
The lock is a product of nearly a decade-long partnership between Bauer Products and onceLabs. OnceLabs President and Chief Technology Officer Joseph Bakalor thanked Bauer for being part of the product’s development.
“This milestone highlights the highly collaborative spirit we share with Nordic Semiconductor, Raytac and Metirionic, to reduce risk and accelerate time-to-market,” Bakalor said. “These trusted relationships, combined with my team’s proven expertise in embedded and mobile software, have consistently delivered, and we are proud to see them culminate in Bauer’s vision becoming reality.”
