NFC could make access control solutions a lot faster and more user-friendly
The use of near field communications-enabled smartphones as access control credentials is becoming an increasingly hot topic for security experts around the world, with pro and con con opinions simply flying across the board.
For those not familiar with the technology, NFC provides simplified transactions, data exchange and wireless connections between two devices that are in close proximity to each other, usually by no more than a few inches.
Many smartphones currently on the market already contain embedded NFC chips that can send encrypted data a short distance to a reader. NFC technology is being added to a growing number of mobile handsets to ultimately enable mobile payments as well as many other applications.
Villanova University in the United States has found that using smartphones as badges saves time that can be better spent on other issues. Assigning the credential to the students’ phone takes less work than printing and delivering a badge and, since students are very protective of their phones, this should lead to a greatly reduced replacement rate.
If a phone is lost or broken, a new ID can be reissued to the new phone without even having the students come into the office.
Access Control UK employs a variety of access control technologies, including here RFID, to create advanced solutions, enable users to exert solid, reliable and accurate control over the access to specific premises or zones.
If you’d like to find out more about the range of solutions supplied by Access Control UK, both in terms of hardware (smart card readers, biometric readers, turnstiles, etc.) and software (access rights management software solutions, etc.), just contact us, we’ll be more than happy to answer any queries you might have.