Wireless access control makes it easy to extend an existing security system... or begin a new one
Access control is still evolving. Swapping mechanical for electronic locks gives security managers more control, of course. It also saves money. We all know how quickly mechanical key management eats up budget. Every lost key costs time and money; stolen or copied keys are a constant risk. RFID-powered smart cards eliminate these security and admin headaches.
And with software-powered access control, user access rights can be changed in real time, and audit trails generated whenever needed. In short, electronic access control is a security upgrade. But you can also upgrade this upgrade, by beginning a switch to wireless access control — as organizations across Europe are discovering.
What’s the key advantage of wireless? Cost-efficiency, plus easy installation and upgrading of an existing system, are often mentioned. It’s easy to extend existing access control by switching any remaining mechanical cylinders for battery-powered, wireless Aperio® cylinders, for example. You can bring them into the existing control panel via communications hubs (online integration) or via update-on-card (offline), while staff and visitors keep the same smart cards they already use. Compare that to the expensive rewiring — not to mention high energy use and running costs — to add more wired magnetic locks.
Integration of wireless lock technologies like Aperio® with CCTV, alarm, HVAC and other building management systems is another major benefit. “Wireless locks are often specially designed for integration with other systems. The integration capabilities and ease of use can be a significant benefit,” writes Blake Kozak, principal analyst at IHS Research, in a recent ASSA ABLOY publication.
Open standards mean easy integration
Easy third-party integration is a major Aperio® advantage. The ASSA ABLOY Device Protocol has a simple SDK to integrate Aperio® into access control ecosystems just like any other component. Currently almost 100 major OEMs have integrated Aperio® wireless access control, including Axis, Nedap, Tyco, ACS, Gallagher, Lenel, Genetec, TDSi, InnerRange and many more.
Because Aperio® is built on open architecture, integration with these third-party systems is seamless. Administrators continue to operate their access control system from a single, easy-to-use interface which controls any installed wired locks alongside Aperio® battery-powered locks. On a day-to-day basis, the customer only sees one system — with the OEM brand.
Online Aperio® integration is supported by a Wiegand interface that relays information from a single door; the RS485 hub to connect up to 8 locks; and an IP hub for up to 16 doors which communicates via encrypted TCP/IP connection. Aperio® devices are also compatible with the OSS Standard Offline Access Application for battery-powered locks, the leading industry standard for offline access control.
Aperio®: trusted already in many sectors
In health care environments, Aperio® ensures only authorized staff can access controlled medicines or expensive equipment. It is the access control backbone at Ghent’s Hospital Maria Middelares: doors in a new building run Aperio® Offline locks connected to Nedap’s AEOS security system. The unified system, controlled from the AEOS interface, delivers much lower maintenance and admin costs. “This way AEOS gives the hospital the flexibility they need to keep control of access and the flow of people,” says Peter Rommens, Sales Manager at Nedap Belgium.
As part of a £35 million refurbishment, Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool, England, partnered with ASSA ABLOY, Grantfen and Inner Range to deliver a unified platform, extending an Integriti access system with Aperio® wireless escutcheons.
In higher education settings, libraries, labs and private offices need protection, and access control must be adaptable to an ever-changing roster of users. With Aperio® wireless locks, staff and students can use a single RFID smart card for room access, printing services and making payments. “The installation of Aperio® has proven hugely popular,” says Alan Donnachie, Deputy Director of Estates and Facilities at Surrey University.
Aperio® is also a popular choice for student halls of residence, both new-builds and retrofits. University of East Anglia extended an existing Gallagher system with Aperio® Online escutcheons. Around 740 Aperio® devices are fitted at Aberdeen University’s Hillhead Student Village and over 1,400 students at Birmingham’s Vale Village use Aperio® technology.
International corporations can run a single Aperio®-powered installation across all premises, no matter how far apart. Cost savings in large premises are significant, because Aperio® locks are powered by standard batteries and only “wake up” to interact with a credential. They are not connected to the mains, and use no power when inactive. One wireless lock uses approximately 0.001 kWh of energy per year, versus 55.2 kWh for a standard wired lock and reader. In carbon terms, an AperioÒ lock emits 0.16 percent of the emissions from a standard wired lock. Aperio® has proven credentials at venues with heavy footfall, including Stavanger Concert Hall and Rotterdam’s Ahoy Arena; and in complex industrial settings, such as Reshafim’s manufacturing site in Israel
Wireless devices for many applications
Cylinders, escutcheons, complete locks, the new Aperio® H100 door handle and the KS100 server rack lock — as well as both Online and Offline capability — can be deployed together in the same system, depending on the integration. AperioÒ can protect exterior and interior doors, from fire and safety doors to meeting rooms, labs and offices, and is compatible with Euro, French, Finnish, Scandinavian and Swiss door profiles. Customers benefit from a uniformly quick, straightforward, wireless installation process for all Aperio® components, alongside comprehensive product support from ASSA ABLOY specialists.
Users also benefit. Remote unlocking commands pass from system to door almost instantly. Site users can open both wired doors and Aperio® wireless controlled doors with the same smart card, via standard RFID technologies like iCLASS®, MIFARE®, DESFire®.
Why wireless? Why Aperio®?
- Aperio® wireless locks are a cost-effective way to extend access control systems
- Wireless and battery-powered locks are easy and quick to install, and more cost-effective to run than wired electronic locks
- Because it’s built using open standards, Aperio® integrates seamlessly with almost 100 leading access control systems
- The Aperio® range has cylinders, escutcheons, a door handle and complete locks for all kinds of door formats, interior and exterior, as well as server racks
- Aperio® access control is deployed and trusted all over Europe, in settings as diverse as health care, education, offices, arenas and industrial plants
For more information — and to watch a short film about bringing affordable access control to your organization — visit www.assaabloy.co.uk/aperiowirelesslocks.