Assa Abloy: Wireless Locking for Three European Industries

Upgrading security and access technology makes people feel safer - and has a real impact on the day-to-day working lives of everyone who comes into contact with it. Wireless locks are a faster and more cost-effective way to extend an access control system than relying on mechanical keys. Assa Abloy has outfitted multiple spaces in Europe with their wireless Aperio locks, including a university and a hospital.

“Wireless electronic locks with inbuilt RFID readers are the most cost-effective way to upgrade access control and take it to more doors,” says Lars Angelin, Business Development Manager at Assa Abloy Opening Solutions EMEA. “Wireless locks can extend your existing wired system, meaning you don’t rip out your current secure doors and start again. And because they are battery-powered, and there’s no cabling or intrusive building work, they are much cheaper to install and run than standard electronic door security.”

A recent major modernization project at Luminy University, France provided Assa Abloy with the opportunity to upgrade campus security with more than 400 Aperio online wireless locking devices. The facility management team controls everything in real time — legacy and new Aperio-enabled doors — from their existing ARD interface. Using the same integrated system, staff book seminar rooms when they need. Students no longer hang around at the classroom door: their own access cards let them in at timetabled lesson slots. “Since we installed Aperio, we have not had a break-in,” says Cédric Lopez, maintenance manager at Luminy University, France.

Integrating wireless locks
“Our Aperio technology is built on an open platform, so these wireless locks integrate seamlessly with more than 100 different security and building management systems,” explains Angelin. “Aperio locks are modular, so you can add locks gradually to increase the reach of your system over time, as budgets allow. You don’t even need to exchange RFID cards.”

At Plexal, a major new flexible workspace in East London, academics work together with technology companies, innovative start-ups and creatives. Up to 800 entrepreneurs use Plexal to devise, create and launch products and services. Plexal’s new Aperio wireless locks are integrated with Door Flow, Net Nodes’ online platform for managing and auditing building access. “Plexal required an adaptable locking solution for a range of different doors and, with no wiring required, it was quick and easy to install Aperio with minimal disruption,” says Stewart Johnson, Director at Net Nodes.

Installers and wireless locks
According to one recent report, three-quarters of professional security installers agree wireless locks make installation easier, quicker and more cost-effective. For example, it is fast and easy to switch an old-fashioned mechanical handle for an award-winning Aperio wireless handle with integrated RFID reader, to bring more doors into your access system.

“Should any additional doors need to be added to the Plexal system in the future, this can be done easily, without modifying or changing the aesthetics of the environment,” adds Net Nodes’ Johnson. “This also minimises future installation costs, offering a cost-effective and straightforward access control upgrade.”

At all kinds of premises, Aperio cylinders, escutcheons and complete locks can be installed on both exterior and interior doors, from certified fire doors to meeting rooms, labs and offices; wooden, glass or aluminium doors are all suitable. Aperio locks are compatible with all common lock profiles: Euro, French, Finnish, Scandinavian and Swiss. Integration with an existing system can be online or offline. 

Benefits of wireless locks
To meet their security challenges, managers at Centre Hospitalier Métropole Savoie selected Aperio wireless locks integrated online with an ARD system. This enabled the hospital to introduce more secure doors and layers of security without incurring excessive installation or operating costs, including for sensitive offices and drug stores.

Now, staff no longer carry key bunches. Each of their individual permissions is stored on a single, programmable RFID credential. “Having just a single badge — and not having to carry around heavy keys — has been a major advantage for us,” says Béatrice Dequidt, Health Executive at CHMS.

“We have implemented internal HR management procedures, creating badges that are automatically integrated into ARD's operating software,” adds Alain Gestin, CHMS’s IT Systems Architect.

Aperio and ARD also maintain compatibility of credentials with the French government’s electronic Health Professional Card, for added staff convenience.