Mobile Keys and Mobile Technology Add Value to Access Control

Mobile technology in access control is now becoming a standard as obviously it brings a lot more of convenience for users and for system managers. It is also bringing all the connectivity that an access control system needs to improve the reactivity, the security and the control needed nowadays.

"At Salto we are conscious of this and that’s why the latest innovations in this field were presented at IFSEC, making our different platforms much more powerful. This refers to Salto SPACE, our host-based platform with SVN capabilities, as well as to Salto KS, our complete and reliable cloud based access control platform”, says Marc Handels, Chief Marketing & Sales Officer with Salto Systems.

One app, Several technologies
Salto JustIN Mobile is the mobile technology used within the Salto SPACE platform. Based on the genuine and proven SVN (Salto Virtual Network) core technology, JustIN Mobile has been designed to add new functionalities and thus enhance the system.
For Marc Handels, it starts with the App, which increases the user convenience: “Our JustIN Mobile App is available for iOS and Android in order to cover 98% of the smartphones market. It also brings an additional convenience as in the case of Android the App is compatible with BLE (Bluetooth Smart) as well as NFC (Near Field Communications) to communicate with the locking device.” This permits Salto’s mobile solutions to be compatible with almost all the products within the Salto product range: electronic escutcheons, wall readers but also electronic cylinders.
The usage of NFC in combination with the JustIN Mobile app reinforces the commitment of Salto to its customers to deliver future proof systems, as even already existing escutcheons and cylinders can benefit from this innovative mobile technology, just by a simple firmware upgrade.

Bidirectional Communications
“We have always been aware that mobile technology could bring important opportunities to our platforms and products, which eventually enables us to deliver so much more functionalities to our customers”, adds Marc Handels. “JustIN Mobile was designed based on these ideas and thanks to our SVN data-on-card technology we developed a mobile technology with bidirectional communications. Thus, JustIN Mobile converts any offline access control device virtually in an online device without additional hardware and without installation.”
With JustIN Mobile system administrators can make changes to access plans on the fly and remotely as all access rights are sent directly OTA (Over The Air), from the Salto ProAccess SPACE management software to the users smartphone, no matter where the user is. Thanks to this, the user will always have his access credential up to date and even can request immediately changes on the go or even got his card fulminated if needed.
At the same time, JustIN Mobile permits to transmit the audit-trail of the offline device immediately to the management software, thus sharing the information that the user has accessed the door. In addition, as JustIN Mobile and the Space platform use the SVN core technology, it is also possible to receive the battery status of the escutcheon or cylinder, in this way enhancing the information about the system in order to prevent potential failures and ease up on maintenance efforts. Another key feature is the distribution of the updated black lists, which increases the security massively.

No Need for Additional Infrastructure
“And all this without any additional infrastructure”, emphasises Marc Handels and explains the advantages with an example: “Imagine having a standalone offline electronic escutcheon on a remote site, where wireless systems cannot be installed due to the lack of internet connection. With JustIN Mobile you can monitor the lock, who accessed it, what is the battery status and even give access to the door instantly and remotely to any verified user. Just by accessing the door with his smartphone, JustIN Mobile will bring much more convenience to the user by removing the need to carry different credentials, and having anytime his credential up to date. For system managers it pays of as well, as he will have all the information regarding his access points in real-time controlled and secured.”

More Than Just a Key
The JustIN Mobile app also includes other features that bring more functionality. It allows to store more than one key, so no matter if a user has the key for his office and the key for a room in a hotel for next day’s business trip. Both can be processed and made available by the app without interference. The app even sends messages to the user regarding the keys for the different sites and even information about the location where the hotel is or the site one wants to visit. All the information a user needs is there, not just the key to access a door.
All these benefits do not go unrecognised, as JustIN Mobile is already used on hundred thousands of doors worldwide, mainly in hospitality, but also increasingly in commercial and health care environments. Salto draws heavily from these practical experiences and continues to develop this technology even further – when others just start with mobile technology.

Mobile Keys for Cloud Solutions
“We have been a front-runner also in cloud access control since many years. That’s why we believe, that our Salto KS Keys as a Service platform is the most advanced and flexible cloud locking solution”, says Marc Handels. “Since it is in use already on ten thousands of doors worldwide, we can deliver a cloud-based access control with proven reliability and stability, which not many other vendors can claim to have. If any.”
Salto KS offers a solution, which negates the need for complex IT infrastructures. It does not even requires a software installation. Yet it provides superior functionality and performance compared to traditional security solutions. Salto KS now also benefits of mobile access through the new mobile keys functionality that has been included in the Salto KS App in order to increase the flexibility and convenience of the cloud based access control platform.

Increased Flexibility for Administrators and Users
The app brings thorough flexibility to administrators as it permits straight from the smartphone to manage and control users and doors from anywhere and at any time. Blocking a user or perform remote openings was possible from the beginning, but in addition with the new mobile keys functionality the administrator can send a credential directly on the smartphone of the user, removing the need to hand over a physical key. “Just with the smartphone you can either control your property or even access it, thus increasing the already huge flexibility of our cloud based access control”, adds Marc Handels. “Users can also benefit as with Salto KS mobile keys we remove the need of having to provide a physical credential. Thanks to sending the credential remotely directly to the user, this also has an additional advantage as you can perform the dissemination of the credential automatically without having to do any queue or having people waiting to receive the physical credential. This is a perfect solution for those kinds of projects as co-working spaces or retail services where the users can move from one location to the other, and now with even more ease.”