Forget About Keys – Add More Doors to Your Access System Wirelessly

Losing your keys… how often have you done that? If you
are anything like me, you’re misplacing them every other week. But while losing your home keys is a real drag, there aren’t necessarily lasting security risks.

Three years ago, when I worked for a small publisher with about 20 staff, a colleague of mine had her bag stolen in a busy bar. As well as the usual things in a bag — her wallet, house keys, mobile phone — there was also a set of keys to our office and a company diary that would let the thief know where to find the office. A potentially massive security breach had to be dealt with by changing the locks to the office and handing out new keys to all of the staff — hardly an ideal solution.

Most secured buildings with an access control solution tend to only employ it on the most important entry points — such as building entry or high-security areas like a server room. In fact, on average only 10 percent of doors in a building are managed by access control.

The process of wiring in an access control system to every door can be laborious and costly, meaning around 90 percent of doors still need traditional keys. But if a building has already taken the time to invest in an access control system for building entry, this can now be expanded quickly and without wiring using wireless lock technology called Aperio from ASSA ABLOY.

Click here to view Figure 1.

Using high- or low-frequency RFID cards, transponders, or NFC enabled mobiles, a new or existing access control system can be linked to wireless locks and door handles around a building with no door modifications, cabling, or need for mechanical keys — one access card can be used by a person throughout the building.

Click here to view Figure 2.

This allows an organisation to expand the level of secure access control throughout their building quickly and with minimal disruption. Aperio enables mechanical locks to be wirelessly linked to the access control system without any need to modify the door.

Doors can be equipped with battery powered Aperio locking cylinders, escutcheons and locks with RFID readers linked to the main access control system via a communications hub. This allows security and facilities managers to conveniently and cost effectively increase the number of doors that can be controlled.

Individual doors can be managed “online” — with the access control system making an access decision — or “offline” with the lock making a decision on access based on the data on the card.

Additionally, Aperio is based on an open standard so it can be integrated with an access control system made by any other manufacturer.

The benefit of Aperio also extends to security doors, with ASSA ABLOY launching the world’s first wireless lock range for security doors.

Click here to view Figure 3.

The Aperio L100 lock has a protection rating of IP55, suitable to temperatures down to -65 C and up 45 C, and complies with EN 179 and EN 1125 requirements, bearing a CE mark; it can be used for fire doors and different door profiles including Euro, Scandinavian, and Finnish.

Click here to view Figure 4.

There is also an Aperio escutcheon with a PIN pad available, for dual-level authentication. The PIN technology comes complete with the ability to set temporary PIN codes and a duress code that triggers a silent alarm on the access system.

By managing permission for all access credentials on a central access control system, the worry of losing a set of keys and the potential recurring expense of having to call in locksmiths every time a colleague’s bag is lost becomes a thing of the past.

And in addition, a security or facilities manager can be confident that the doors within their building are only being accessed by the right individuals.

Explore the Aperio environment below: