When every lesson, shift, or meeting depends on a working device, a dead battery can stall everything.
For schools, that means lost learning minutes while a teacher scrambles for a spare laptop. For workplaces, it means frontline workers standing still while IT tries to find a charged scanner, tablet, or handheld. Device problems look small, but they add up to real IT downtime and frustration.
A recent K–12 survey highlighted this clearly: more than half of teachers said students without working devices lose class time whenever tech fails. At the same time, higher ed IT teams are supporting thousands of devices with very small staff, so every manual swap or emergency call pulls them away from more strategic work.
Smart charging lockers sit right in the middle of this problem. They combine secure storage, charging automation, and simple software to keep shared devices ready around the clock — and keep IT out of constant “battery rescue” mode.
This post breaks down:
- Why traditional charging methods don’t keep up
- How smart charging lockers fit into modern technology landscape • Concrete benefits for device uptime, staff time, and student/employee experience • What to look for when you start evaluating solutions
- Where smart charging systems like ForwardPass fit among leading options
The Hidden Cost of Device Downtime
Device downtime rarely shows up as one big outage. It shows up as lots of micro interruptions:
• A student misses the start of an assessment because their Chromebook is dead • A warehouse worker waits at the help desk while someone searches for a charged scanner
• A nurse hands off a tablet at shift change only to find the next device at 5%
In K–12, an EdTech Magazine feature described how “dead devices” chip away at learning. In one survey, roughly 63% of teachers said students without a working device lose time during lessons, and those small delays snowball into significant learning loss across a term.
On the IT side, EDUCAUSE has highlighted how higher ed teams support thousands of campus devices with lean help desks — in one case, seven staff remotely supporting over 2,200 devices across 140 sites. When each dead device becomes a ticket, a walk across campus, and a manual handoff, stress and backlog are inevitable.
Whether you’re running a district, a university, or a team, the pattern is the same:
- People can’t work or learn without a functioning device
- IT spends too much time fixing low-level charging issues
- No one has a clear picture of where devices are or what state they’re in. Smart charging solutions are designed to attack exactly these pain points.
Why Traditional Charging Methods Fall Short
Most organizations still rely on a mix of:
- Wall outlets and power strips
- Rolling carts
- Open shelves in tech offices
- “Spare device” piles at the help desk
These options are familiar — but they weren’t built for always-on, 1:1, or shared-device environments.
Common problems include:
1. No guarantee a device is actually ready
You can’t tell from across the room whether a laptop is fully charged, partially charged, or not plugged in at all. A student may grab the nearest device and discover the battery problem only after class starts.
2. Manual, repetitive work for IT
Someone has to plug in every device, unplug it, move it to the right cart, and track who has what. None of this is automated, and it often falls on already-stretched IT teams — or on teachers and supervisors.
3. Zero accountability
If a device disappears or comes back damaged, there’s often no clear audit trail. Paper logs, shared spreadsheets, and memory are not reliable chain-of-custody systems.
4. Space and safety issues
Power strips snaking across floors, carts crowding hallways, and devices stacked on counters are all trip hazards and security risks.
These gaps are what drive both IT downtime and user complaints. To fix them, organizations are turning to charging solutions that combine secure storage, power, and software into one system.
The Smart Alternative: Charging Lockers as Everyday Workplace Technology
A digital smart locker is more than a cabinet with outlets. It’s a connected, software-managed system that automates the whole device handoff:
1. A user authenticates at the kiosk (badge, PIN, SSO, or QR code).
2. The system opens a bay with a fully charged device.
3. The transaction is logged — who, what, when — in the cloud.
4. When the device is returned, it’s plugged in and begins charging automatically.
From an IT perspective, a smart charging locker is a piece of essential workplace technology, not just furniture. It connects to your identity systems and ticketing tools, and it provides real-time visibility into:
• Which devices are checked out
• Which bays are occupied
• Battery status and readiness across the fleet
Because everything is software-driven, you can build rules around loans, repairs, shift-based access, or student cohorts without adding manual tasks.
Key Benefits: Less IT Firefighting, More Device Uptime
When you put smart charging lockers into everyday workflows, the impact shows up quickly in device uptime, IT workload, and user experience. Here’s how.
1. Fewer Interruptions for Learning and Work
When devices live in a managed locker, users don’t have to think about charging. They simply:
• Scan their ID
• Pick up a ready-to-go device
• Drop it back when they’re done
For classrooms, that means students can swap a dead or broken device in minutes instead of losing a whole lesson block. ISTE’s guidance on effective tech use stresses “robust and reliable access to digital devices” as a core condition for equitable learning — reliable charging is a big part of that.
For frontline or hybrid workers, it means fewer stalled shifts and fewer calls to the help desk just to find a working tablet or scanner.
2. Lower IT Stress and Ticket Volume
Because locker software handles the check-in/check-out workflow, IT doesn’t need to manage every handoff. You can:
• Auto-issue loaners when a device is logged as broken
• Route damaged devices into a “repair” workflow without confusion • Set reminders for overdue returns instead of chasing people manually
3. Clear Accountability and Audit Trails
Every locker event creates a log: who accessed which bay, at what time, and for which purpose (loaner, repair, deployment, etc.).
That chain of custody makes it much easier to:
• Reduce lost or “mysteriously missing” devices
• Support investigations or audits
• Enforce policies around damages or repeated loss
Instead of relying on paper forms or shared inboxes, you have a single system of record.
4. Smarter Power Use and Healthier Batteries
Because charging is controlled at the locker level, you can avoid:
• Over-charging devices overnight
• Leaving batteries at 0% for days
• Random patterns that shorten lifespan
Modern systems use charging automation to stagger power draw and keep devices within healthy charge ranges. Over time, this supports better device uptime and fewer battery-related replacements, which also supports sustainability goals.
Where a Digital Smart Locker Fits in Your Environment
A digital smart locker is easiest to justify when you map it to specific, high-pain workflows:
• K–12 and higher education: 1:1 programs, testing devices, loaner pools, and break/fix swaps
• Corporate offices: hybrid staff who share laptops, headsets, or hot-desking equipment
• Warehouses/logistics: shift-based use of assigned mobile devices • Healthcare: tablets for clinicians, shared carts, and sensitive devices that must be tracked
What to Look for in Smart Charging Solutions When you start exploring smart locker options, focus on solutions that provide:
1. Integrated Access and Identity
Support for badges, PIN, and — ideally — single sign-on (SSO) so you can tie access to existing identities instead of managing another login system.
2. Cloud Management and Reporting
A web dashboard where IT can see:
• Locker status across sites
• Battery and port health
• Check-in/check-out patterns
• Which operations generate the most IT downtime
3. Real Workflows, Not Just Storage
Make sure the software supports your actual use cases, for example:
• Loaners and temporary swaps
• Broken device intake
• Scheduled deployments (exam devices, new-hire kits)
• Role- or group-based access windows
4. Support and Ecosystem
Look for vendors that:
• Integrate with your MDM or ITSM tools
• Offer clear SLAs and remote support
• Provide training for staff and simple guidance for end users
How Smart Charging Lockers Support Digital Equity
Smart charging isn’t just about convenience. It also supports digital equity: making sure every learner or worker has “robust and reliable access to digital devices and technology platforms” — a condition ISTE highlights as essential for effective tech use in schools ISTE
When devices are always charged, tracked, and available:
- Students from different backgrounds have the same chance to participate in digital tasks
- Remote or hybrid staff aren’t penalized because they can’t get to IT during office hours
- Shared devices serve more people, more reliably, without constantly expanding the fleet
In that sense, smart charging lockers are not just an IT convenience. They’re part of the infrastructure that keeps digital learning and work fair and consistent.
Leading Smart Charging Solutions
Smart charging lockers are now a defined category, with several approaches on the market:
1. ForwardPass – Smart charging lockers built specifically for device handoffs in schools, universities, and workplaces, with pre-built workflows for loaners, repairs, deployments, replacements, and charging.
2. LapSafe – Provides self-service smart lockers and charging trolleys designed for education, business, and healthcare, with an emphasis on device loaning and automated access so users can pick up and return charged laptops and tablets without going through IT.
3. Bretford – Delivers enterprise-grade charging lockers for laptops, tablets, Chromebooks, and scanners, combining secure storage, device charging, and distribution workflows for organizations that need controlled access to shared devices.
4. RealTime Networks (AssetTracer) – AssetTracer smart lockers provide secure storage, in-locker charging, and automated tracking for loaner laptops, mobile devices, and AV gear, helping ensure devices stay charged and ready while maintaining a full chain of custody.
5. HonestWaves – Cloud-managed smart charging lockers for phones, tablets, laptops, and scanners, with secure access (PIN or RFID) and usage analytics aimed at organizations that want device-ready storage plus reporting on how lockers are used
Treat smart charging lockers as a long-term platform decision, not a one-off purchase. The best solutions will keep integrating with your systems and scaling with your fleet for years.
Conclusion: From Dead Batteries to Predictable Readiness
Smart charging solutions do three important jobs at once:
• They keep devices secure and powered so lessons and shifts start on time. • They cut low-value manual work for IT and reduce ticket volume.
• They give leaders clear data on usage, readiness, and bottlenecks.
As schools and organizations continue to expand their digital programs, the question isn’t whether you’ll need a better way to manage charging. It’s whether you’ll keep treating it as an afterthought — or as a core part of your infrastructure.
Smart charging lockers, especially when designed as connected, software-driven systems, offer a practical, scalable way to turn “device problems” from daily fires into
predictable, automated workflows.
