Bicycle Store Uses Electronic Access Control System

Originally formed as purely an online shop, Bikepirat.at has grown rapidly in just a few years to become Austria‘s largest specialist bicycle retailer. The company relocated to its new store in the Grafenwörth industrial estate in 2016. The new building was initially secured with a mechanical locking system. However, in order to gain improved control and more flexibility, the company decided to switch to a blueCompact electronic access system from Winkhaus.

Bikepirat showcases around 200 sports brands across 750m² of sales space. Reflecting the company‘s name, a structure in the shape of a ship towers over the shop floor. Shop highlights also include laser-assisted body measurement, which makes it easier for customers to find a bike that is the perfect fit. A workshop also provides customer-focused services, complemented by an outdoor test track.
Around 20,000 articles are stored in the two-storey building, including bikes with very high value. As the premises are also conveniently located quite close to the motorway, the property always arouses the interest of uninvited guests. The security concept therefore also plays an important role because of this factor.

Securely Locked in Seconds
15 employees, as well as countless customers, enter and leave every day. Instead of a mechanical key, each employee today carries a blueCompact electronic key to get into the building. The system‘s technology allows individual access permissions to be allocated to each employee and time profiles to be created. In this way, the electronic keys can control exactly who may enter which area, at what time and on which day.
Key permissions are issued and amended in just a few steps. The same applies for disabling lost keys or setting up new keys. „It takes just seconds“, says Anton Schweighofer, founder and managing director of Bikepirat. All he needs is an app on his smartphone or tablet and the system master key – simple handling and administration were important factors in opting for this particular solution.

Especially for Smaller Systems
Winkhaus developed this electronic locking system especially for small and medium-sized businesses, but also for clubs and modern residential dwellings with up to 25 cylinders and 99 keys. Administration is easy, even for those with no technological expertise and no training is required. The in-app tutorial explains everything users need to know and the locking system is installed and managed via a smartphone. Users can watch videos at a later date that explain each and every function, such as how to change the battery, which will only be necessary after several years. The app also describes the steps for replacing cylinders – a task for which a locksmith is generally not needed. This is because blueCompact electronic cylinders are exactly the same shape as conventional locking cylinders and do not have to be wired up.
The smartphone app for iOS and Android is available for free download from the relevant app store, and information is then transmitted between the app and the master key via Bluetooth Low Energy. The electronic cylinders on the doors are programmed via the master key and then know which key is authorized for opening, on which day and at what time.

Online Banking Standard
The app has been developed in line with current online banking app standards and has security features that include an in-app firewall. For data management, Winkhaus dispenses with storing personal and security-related data in the cloud or in the app on the smartphone. This way, if you should ever lose your mobile phone, the finder cannot get hold of key permissions and gain access to the building. The app is only used as a display and operating element of the master key on which this data is stored. Communication between the components and between the master key and the app is end-to-end encrypted, so there is a high level of protection against unauthorized data retrieval and manipulation.
The system works offline once the app is installed on the smartphone or tablet and the Internet is not required for the locking of doors or for the reprogramming of keys. So if the connection to the web is lost after the initial installation, it has no influence on the locking system.

Access Permissions On The Go
One exception to this is when issuing access permissions remotely. An Internet connection is required for this purpose because the access permission is generated by means of the master key and is sent by e-mail in an encrypted file to the person being authorized, who only needs an active key. The access ermission is transferred onto the active key by the blueCompact App, and this can be made valid for up to 31 days.