Bluetooth Meets Door Control

Everyone with a smartphone or tablet has come to appreciate the benefits of communications through Bluetooth™. From wireless speakers that play our phone-stored music from across the room, to wireless Hotspots that allow our devices to connect to the internet through pocket mobile devices, Bluetooth has become a technology staple. The opportunities to use the technology are ever expanding, as more and more devices are equipped with this venerable communication protocol.

Imagine if door control and in fact, true access control, could be implemented through use of Bluetooth communications. For years, prepping a door for access control required a network of wiring, remotely-mounted controllers, and software that was connected via wire. Now, imagine being able to program and control access to a particular door with only an app that has been downloaded to a mobile device, which is operating within Bluetooth range. This is the future of basic access control; whereby the smaller systems may escape the confines of hardwired complexities.

Intelliprox ® Blue, new from Keri Systems, is a small controller that can be mounted right in the protected space, or remotely. The unit ships with an attractive molded plastic enclosure and mounting to a wall is no more intrusive than a thermostat or fan control. In fact, many similar-looking devices already exist on the average office wall. The unit can be purchased with an integral power supply or can be remotely powered to keep the footprint to an absolute minimum. Connected to this controller can be either one Keri NXT Proximity Reader, or a combination of an NXT entry and exit reader for in/out reads. There are connections for a door switch and request exit as well.

Manage Access Control from your Smartphone

Programming and management of the Intelliprox Blue is where the real magic happens: “IP-Blue” as we like to call it, communicates with any compatible mobile device or desktop device, that is Bluetooth enabled, through use of a free, downloadable app from Google Play or the Apple App. Store. This app allows a user to set a password and establish a database that is password protected. From this app, cards can be entered or removed, the door can be manually locked and unlocked, activity can be monitored, and time-zones and access privileges can be set. Basically, anything that one would want to accomplish at a single door can be accomplished through the small controller, a reader, and a hand-held device.

Keri’s Intelliprox Blue is inexpensive to purchase, requires minimal manpower or materials to install, and is super easy to learn. Although the application is designed to connect-to and manage one door at a time, it is possible to manage multiple doors individually from a single mobile device. One needs only to install a database for each. This database can be copied, modified, and replicated to prevent having to start from scratch at each door.

Scalable, from Basic Access Control to large Enterprise Access Control Needs

For anyone venturing into access control for the first time, or for facilities requiring basic access control or limited door counts, Keri’s Intelliprox Blue is a sure-fire winner. Consider also, that if a facility should ever grow to require a larger number of doors or higher system requirements, the NXT readers that are used in conjunction with the IP-Blue can be used with Keri’s NXT System controllers, which are utilized for everything up-to and including large, enterprise, access control offerings.