The Value of Smart Security
Before COVID-19 smartphone apps were already a market trend, but now they’re all the rage
Society has come to value the mobility and convenience
of smartphones, tablets and other mobile
devices. The reasons are many, but according to
mobilecoach.com, nine out of 10, or 94 percent
of the population in the United States carry a
cell phone. It is only natural that mobile apps be employed for
facility security at motorized/hydraulic gates and electronicallycontrolled
entrances in multi-tenant properties.
With this in mind, the advent of the COVID-19 has resulted
in a growing demand for contactless access control, which in
turn has resulted in the proliferation of mobile credentials for
smartphones. A secondary benefit is video conferencing, allowing
people in multiple-tenant settings to see their visitor at an
electronically-controlled gate or the entrance of a facility.
Even older generations have embraced the use of smartphones
equipped with a variety of mobile apps. In security, this
allows them to visually screen their visitors, reducing the chance
of erroneously letting in unauthorized persons, create temporary
credentials for pre-authorized guests; and using the smartphone
as the credential.
MOBILE APPS AND CONTACTLESS ACCESS
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), respiratory
droplets can land on surfaces and objects. It is possible that a
person could get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that
has the virus and become infected when they touch their own
mouth, nose or eyes.
Contactless mobile devices make it possible to access multitenant
structures without a keypad or a card reader of any kind
for both apartments and gated communities. Of course, there are
pros and cons in doing so. For example, while this approach provides
hands-free access, especially when there’s an electronicallycontrolled
entrance, if internet service is lost for any reason it can
result in a lock-out situation. Therefore, a backup access method
is often warranted.
One way to achieve hands-free access is to install a small QR
coded sticker on the outside of an entry door or on a gate kiosk.
When the user’s smartphone camera scans the sticker, it will send
the decoded data to a centralized controller over Wi-Fi or the
smartphone’s connection. Another technical methodology combines
cellular with a single-relay unit that’s designed to receive
the appropriate code via cellular means, thus retracting the gate
or releasing the door.
This article originally appeared in the July / August 2021 issue of Security Today.
© 2021, Best Brothers Group. All rights reserved.
