High-Tech Locks with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Accessibility Could Improve Your Business’s Security

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technology can transform your phone into a set of keys

If you own a business, it can be a serious hassle to keep track of your keys. Things tend to get worse if you have multiple locations, a large office, or need to store a lot of physical products. Unfortunately, the fact that businesses use multiple keys on a daily basis can leave them vulnerable. For example, keys can easily be ‘borrowed’ by employees and others and returned after they’ve been copied at a local home improvement store.

For this reason, traditional keys may not be the best option. Fortunately, however, new alternatives based on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth-enabled access control technology offer security and increased convenience. Bluetooth-enabled locks utilize the Bluetooth technology commonly used in smartphone headpieces, which employ short wavelength UHF radio signals to transport data over short distances. In comparison, Wi-Fi-enabled locks will take advantage of your business’s existing Wi-Fi router and internet connection to transmit a signal.

Why traditional locks and keys could be leaving your business vulnerable

Traditional locks require the distribution of a number of physical keys, which can of course be lost, stolen, or replicated. With a digital access control solution, you can provide custom credentials to certain individuals who then use a device – typically a smartphone or wearable – that gives them individual access to the property. Since smartphones and other wearables are typically secured via encryption, a pin number, and/or fingerprint access, a lost device (vs. a lost key) doesn’t automatically give anyone with the device access to your facility. In addition, digital access control gives you the flexibility to automatically grant certain individuals credentials across multiple doors and locations, which removes the need to keep track of different sets of keys.

It’s important to realize that many security measures don’t prevent a criminal from breaking in, they just make it riskier to do so, especially if your business doesn’t have 24-hour security monitoring. Therefore, a lot of your security is riding on the integrity of your lock and the security of your keys. And if they aren’t secure, your business likely isn’t either.

Bluetooth-based locks can act as a deterrent – but business owners should keep in mind digital requirements

One of the best elements of Bluetooth and wireless electronic locks is that they act as a deterrent for current or former employees who would seek out and use company keys to access your business for malicious purposes. These high-tech locks also act as a deterrent for criminals. Business owners and managers should understand, however, that due to the digital nature of these systems, adequate network security is also required.

For most businesses, the risk of hacking is extremely low; most common criminals do not have the experience or skill to even consider hacking into a Bluetooth-based or Wi-Fi activated lock. However, if your organization wants to make use of a digital lock, the system you’re using should be encrypted and/or have appropriate perimeter Internet security. Any risk of hacking is mitigated by the partner you choose.

To make sure the lock is secure, look to a provider who can create a custom solution for your desired security parameters and any other specific needs that you may have.

Companies like Assa Abloy, HID, and Allegion offer a variety of solutions

Assa Abloy offers Bluetooth-enabled locks that also work with a Wi-Fi solution. Their products work with HID Mobile Access® to allow users to open doors with any mobile devices enabled with Bluetooth® Smart and NFC credentials, and they provide a simple interface for issuing, delivering and revoking digital credentials. HID itself has a large portfolio of global certifications for Bluetooth Smart and new applications for NFC, and its mobile access control allows more than one secure identity to reside in a smart Bluetooth device – creating a single device solution for physical and logical access control. And Allegion’s Schlage NDE Series wireless locks are easy to install, work within 100 feet of an authorized device, and offer real-time networked connectivity and audited access trails throughout the facility.

Digital locks make security both tight and convenient

To learn more about Bluetooth and Wi-Fi-enabled smart locks and other products that may be able to give you more control over your business’s security, contact the experts at POM Technologies today at 212.688.2767 or get in touch through our online form.