Wireless Access Management Keeps College Facility Managers in Control
Koning Willem I College in northeast Brabant, The Netherlands, offers a broad range of educational and integration programs. In total, around 18,000 students take 250 courses at its 16 locations. A new location on Onderwijsboulevard in 's-Hertogenbosch has been designed to be a model modern educational institution, including its access control. The college chose Assa Abloy Aperio locks, which are easy to integrate wirelessly with the existing Nedap AEOS access control system.
The imposing new building has modern rooms that provide opportunities for consultation, collaboration in small and large groups, presentations and individual work. Access to these spaces required a flexible and modern locking solution, ideally with as few keys as possible. Employees and students must feel welcome and safe; dependable security was needed for all kinds of valuable learning materials and sensitive information. “Easy integration with the existing access control system without additional software,” was the goal, according to Alex te Pas, functional manager of facilities management information systems.
Keyless Access Improves Security
“We want to phase out the use of keys within our organization,” he says, “because when employees left, we noticed that they often forgot to turn in keys or tokens. In the event of an audit, we then have a problem.“
The college specified Aperio locks, which are easy to integrate wirelessly with the existing Nedap AEOS access control system. No additional software is needed: the locks communicate via hubs that handle secure, real-time communication between locks and the AEOS system. College security staff always have full control over access and can quickly revoke anyone’s access rights.
There was no need to make any major adjustments to the doors because Aperio devices run on batteries rather than mains power. This saves both time and cost during installation. The ongoing cost of using these battery-powered locks is also much lower than for equivalent wired electronic locks, which require an 'always on' connection to the power grid to maintain a secure state.
The college chose the Aperio E100 escutcheon to secure doors throughout the building. This offers a convenient combination of free exit from the inside with automatic locking on closure from the outside. It comes in a variety of specifications to fit different door security levels or everyday usage, including a version with a PIN pad that adds another level of control. The risk of unauthorized access via a found or stolen pass is minimized through the addition of a PIN code. “We wanted to provide our technical rooms with 2-factor authentication, so here we chose Aperio escutcheons with PIN code capability,” adds te Pas.
Extending with Wireless Devices
Nedap’s versatile AEOS access control system integrates seamlessly with a broad range of Aperio devices. End-users can get even more out of an existing Nedap AEOS system by integrating Aperio cylinders, escutcheons, handles and more, both online and/or offline, giving security managers control over traffic to and through more areas at their premises.
Nedap integration supports multiple devices from the Aperio range, including the award-winning wireless handle (H100), escutcheon (E100), cylinder (C100) and security lock (L100). Aperio devices are available for interior doors, including wooden and glass doors, as well as fire doors. Online integration with AEOS can use different interfaces (RS485/IP), connecting locks and the system via hubs that each control up to sixteen locks.
A full set of powerful functions and events is made available for any Aperio device within the AEOS interface, including door or battery status and tamper detection. AEOS software manages everything, eliminating unproductive tasks such as the need to duplicate data entry, saving time and extending control for building users and administrators.
