Page 17 - Campus Security & Life Safety, March/April 2021

credential from a smartphone to a mobile reader. Mobile credentials are commonly called soft credentials or digital keys and have several key advantages over traditional, physical credentials. Specifically, they may be less expensive and more secure than many comparable physical credentials.
Additionally, they are more convenient and can be delivered to end users in either paper or electronic form via data services, text or email.
Bluetooth's other big advantage is read range, up to 30 feet. Plus, installers can adjust read ranges on-site and differ them for various individual applications. For instance, they could be short-range at the computer access control reader but six feet at the front door. When entering the facility gate, a still longer read range, perhaps 15 feet, can be provided so users don't have to open their car window to reach the reader. Typically, NFC readers only operate with a read range of an inch or two, eliminating any possibilities of simply leaving the smart- phone in the pocket and still get reads.
Smartphone-based mobile access credentials can be sold in the same manner as traditional 125-kHz proximity or 13.56-MHz smart cards - from the existing OEM to the dealer to the end users. This
By Scott Lindley
Leverage Mobile Access
Integrators well positioned to take advantage of mobile technology
insures seamless operation with the electronic access control system. For the dealer, smartphone credentials will be more convenient, less expensive and more secure. They can be delivered in person or electronically. They are quicker to bill with nothing to inventory or to be stolen. Also, in most cases, soft credentials can be integrated into
an existing access control system.
And, today, the access control system administrator’s tasks are sim-
plified, as credential distribution can also be via independent access control software.
Smartphone-based credentials support a range of formats, includ- ing 26-Bit Wiegand, custom Wiegand, ABA Track II magnetic stripe, serial data formats as OSDP. Mobile credentials can be ordered with specific facility codes and exact ID numbers, and integrators will deliver them in the precise number sequence ordered, with no gaps and with no under- or over-runs. Each order can be precisely filled.
Very Simple to Install
To install a mobile credential, a user will first need to have the Wallet App installed on a supported smartphone. The App is available, at no charge, on the Apple® App Store and on Google® Play. Once installed, launch the App and select the “Add” button to begin the process of loading a new credential.
A Registration Key Certificate is provided for each credential ordered. Enter the unique 16-character key from the Registration Key Certificate and tap “Submit.” Typically, in less than a minute, the mobile credential will load. Once successfully loaded, the new mobile access credential will appear in the Wallet App, ready for use. Importantly, no longer does installation require sensitive personal information (PI) from end users, integrators or access control system manufacturer partners. Instead, all that is required to enable the system to run on an end-user’s smartphone is the smartphone’s telephone number—that’s it. In this way modern mobile access solutions respect user privacy.
The telephone number is used to allow the Wallet App to securely download and store all mobile credentials in a single, convenient location. This includes mobile credentials that support multiple access systems, have different formatting or are individualized with
MARCH/APRIL 2021 campuslifesecurity.com 17
VGstockstudio/Shutterstock.com