Door Station for Professional Building Automation and Access Control
The Frogblue ‘frogTerminal’ video door station was one of the highlights at the Light + Building exhibition in Frankfurt. We took a closer look with Christian Heller, Chief Sales Officer (CSO) at Frogblue, and talked about the company, its ambitions in security and especially in door stations.
The Frogblue company from Kaiserslautern has concentrated on the development of wireless, Bluetooth-based electrical installation solutions for professionals since 2016. ‘Made in Germany’ is just that – the company only manufactures in Germany.
The overriding principle of the really innovative technology is that switch functions and their connections can be easily configured or adapted to new situations via an app. The benefit: It makes Frogblue products compatible with every existing switch range – users can then easily perform various different functions with just an everyday light switch.
A particular highlight in Frogblue’s portfolio is the professional video door station – the ‘frogTerminal’ – that supports the worldwide SIP telephone standard and is thereby multi-party capable. It provides a decentralized access solution with an integrated RFID reader and PIN keypad that allows up to three-factor authentication.
Q: What does Frogblue have to offer, and how do you define building technology, security, access control?
A: At Frogblue we view security and security technology as matters of universal relevance, regardless of commercial conditions or external influences. That is why we focus on the integration of security technology and building automation.
Simple Installation and Commissioning
With the help of the SIP standard, our terminals can help to provide really efficient building automation. I would go so far as to say that they have completely redefined building technology through their versatile, reliable and secure connections to door communication, access control and building control. Our frogTerminal provides a decentralized access solution that is perfectly suited both to private houses and to comprehensive industrial environments.
Q: Ideally, everything has to go quickly and easily these days. What can you tell us about the installation of the terminals?
A: Our priority with the frogTerminal was actually to ensure simple installation and commissioning. We know very well that electricians and installers are often under immense time pressure. We have therefore included a setup wizard in our system that makes it possible to rapidly commission a frogTerminal within just three minutes. By using standard technology such as Bluetooth, Dali, and SIP, we have been able to greatly simplify the installation process and integration into existing infrastructure.
In addition, the terminal also provides access control using RFID, which enables decentralized access control without the system having to be connected to a network. This opens up lots of potential applications for single buildings as well as for complex building networks at different locations worldwide.
Q: What security measures does the door station have on board?
A: The video SIP door intercom system can provide complete surveillance and recording of events within buildings, for example, with the option to directly raise alarms on one or multiple smart phones. One striking feature of our solution, which has been developed and is manufactured completely in Germany, is its versatility in integrating door communication, access control and building management without any control cables or cabinets being necessary.
Based on the integrated SIP world standard, the video door station supports simple multi-party scenarios up to widely distributed properties, whereby multiple SIP telephone systems and SIP servers can be simultaneously incorporated.
The integrated 8-megapixel camera gives a 180o view, while the audio transmission remains clear even in loud environments.
Seamless Integration into Existing Systems
The video logbook records calls at the door as well as the opening of the door using a PIN or RFID. Incidentally, we will soon be developing and manufacturing security cameras ourselves – watch this space!
Q: We are already keen to see the security cameras – that sounds very interesting. But back to the door station for a moment: How is Frogblue positioned with regard to existing systems? Let’s take Siedle as an example ...
A: If required, we are able to replace existing door stations one-to-one by incorporating our equipment into existing infrastructure. This allows us to seamlessly integrate our solutions into existing systems – and to modernize the building’s communication in the process. We are also open to cooperation with other manufacturers so that we can offer tailored solutions that meet the needs of all our customers.
Frogs Offer Intelligent Control
Q: We looked at the heart of the Frogblue system in an interview with Dr Ralf and René Hinkel some time ago. Are they still the basis?
A: Exactly. At the heart of our system are the so-called Frogs – intelligent control modules that enable installation without additional cables. By using Bluetooth mesh to build redundant and highly secure communication, the system provides a high level of security. Even if one element fails, the redundancy of the mesh network still ensures reliable communication. Individual validity-restricted PIN numbers for access can be used on the frogSIP terminals within a multi-party system, thereby significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized access codes. The integrated Mifare DESFire EV2 reader provides two-factor authentication.
You can choose the required level of security; automatic call verification and three-factor authentication are options.
Q: Who will be particularly interested in the Frogblue door station and your other products?
A: Commerce, industry, public authorities, home associations, even doctors’ surgeries or chemical plants – everyone who lives in a building or uses it for commercial purposes will be pleased with all the features that our frogTerminal offers. We can see a lot of potential in the modernization of existing properties. The versatile and scalable technology allows us to offer tailor-made solutions for a wide range of applications, from access control to building automation.
Innovative Security and Building Automation
Our products are of course interesting for integrators, installers, planners, and architects who are looking for innovative security and building automation solutions. We work together with selected distributors under our ‘frogblue competence center’ scheme to ensure that our products are ideally placed and supported. There are currently ten such competence centers in the DACH area who are all well trained and know everything about the systems – major companies such as Valeo IT, Neteye, ADS System, or Uniserve, for example.
Q: How does the pricing of Frogblue products compare to other systems?
A: Our products have an excellent price-performance ratio and are an attractive alternative to systems, such as those that you mentioned before from Siedle.
The modular system design allows our customers to choose exactly the functions that they need without having to pay for unnecessary extras. And apart from that, you can find features in the frogTerminal for a list price of €1,748 that are not even available in most systems for €3,000 and more.
Q: Where are you going with the frogs, and what vision of the future is Frogblue following?
A: Our frogs, the technology behind them, and other frog products will help us to become a leading brand in security and building automation – and make our products available worldwide. We are already a good way along the route as there are already 50 international value-added distributors – that is, Frogblue competence centers. We will continue to invest in innovative technology and work closely together with our partners to develop tailor-made solutions for our partners and customers.
