Intersec 2017 showed how getting connected makes security even better

GUEST BLOG: Thomas Schulz from ASSA ABLOY reports from Dubai’s Intersec 2017 exhibition on a key trend affecting both commercial and domestic access control.

Life happens in real time, at full speed with no action replays. So, it’s hardly surprising that, across both commercial and residential sectors, the importance of real-time security is growing.

At ASSA ABLOY, we adopted “stay secure — stay connected” as our theme for this major trade fair, held in Dubai earlier in January. Why? First, because facility and security managers in commercial properties and public buildings benefit hugely from a “live” overview of their premises, or even multiple premises. Only connected, real-time security can deliver this. At the domestic level, we don’t want to know that our kids were waiting alone outside the front door a few hours ago. We can harness connected access control technology to let them in right now, remotely, from anywhere.

Being connected is also critical to developing better, open platforms. The market wants security devices from multiple manufacturers to interoperate seamlessly within the same installation. This is how we give enterprise and domestic customers the ability to choose the very best product for a task, rather than force them into walled gardens, limiting their choice of solution by constraining “compatibility”.

Integration on show for smart buildings

In commercial access control, the integration of wireless, battery-powered locks into the same system as existing controlled doors can bring many more openings under access control than would ever be cost-effective — or even possible — with a traditional hard-wired system. Controlling access to more doors instantly upgrades security.

The busiest displays at our Intersec stand were two live integration demos, showing our Aperio^® wireless locks working seamlessly inside third-party security systems from Axis and Nedap. With Axis, an online integration allows Aperio^® wireless locks to communicate with the Axis system via the powerful AXIS A1001 IP Network Controller. This online Aperio^® integration gives facility managers real-time status information about their premises.

In the words of Stephanie Hensler, Director Business Development at Axis Communications: “The joint solution fills a market need for smaller installations needing wireless devices. With the AXIS A1001, this allows for easy installation and management of wired and wireless doors within the same solution.”

It is worth emphasizing: in commercial premises, these kinds of integration with wireless locks offer a huge boost to site security for a relatively small outlay.

A domestic revolution: smart homes

After years of mostly incremental change, the home security market is very active again. The reason is so-called “smart home” or “home automation” technology. Much of the media buzz surrounds Silicon Valley players and their latest connected thermostat, lighting system or fridge. But in fact, surveys suggest it’s the security benefits of home automation that most interest homeowners.

Ironically, if you examine the consumer smart device market, security is often the missing piece in a smart home ecosystem — especially connected locks that households can trust. We’re helping to close this “security gap” in smart home systems with compatible, connected locks from brands with decades of experience in homes all over the world, including Yale.

In the home, too, integration is key. Households want to manage their lock from the same app that operates heating, lights, appliances and so on. 

At Intersec, there was huge interest around our own new smart lock, ENTR^®. Easy to install and set-up, ENTR^® enables you to unlock your door with a smartphone or tablet app, keypad PIN, remote control or even via fingerprint. We also ran a live integration with ENTR^® working inside the Fibaro smart home system. More integrations are under way; we’re encouraging interested smart home integrators and installers to get in touch.

Security is high on the international agenda — this much is obvious. New technologies exhibited at Intersec show how wireless, battery-powered locks can help to bring the advantages of real-time access control to homes, offices, shopping centres and public buildings. We can do security faster and better… if our smart homes and buildings are connected.