Page 54 - Security Today, September/October 2021

Connecting Networks Creating safer workplaces during the COVID-19 pandemic
By Shahar Feldman
The Internet of Things (IoT) is turning dumb houses into smart homes. It is also revolutionizing access control systems for all types of commercial buildings, from small offices and retail shops to enterprise campuses and sprawling factories. Although digital locks, keyless entry, RFID card readers and security cameras have been around for many years, IoT technology has transformed building automation, bringing a new level of data-driven security, control, reliability and safety to the workplace.
The convergence of ultra-low-power IoT devices, cloud connectivity and advanced security technologies has enabled developers to create highly sophisticated, versatile and resilient access control systems. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has also added a new and unprecedented dimension of complexity to the workplace as evolving health screening regulations require even greater scalability, security and upgradability for access control systems.
To ensure the security of a building, its occupants and its contents, network and security system architects must consider all points of entry, anticipated threats and the ever-changing credentials of those seeking access to a building or campus.
A comprehensive access control system can include a multitude of devices such as smart locks, security sensors, keypads, card readers, surveillance cameras, gates, health screening kiosks, and a wide array of sensors to help monitor maximum occupancy, elevated body temperature and facial mask compliance. Integrated
through a robust network, these devices provide real-time status and control of the entire system.
Whether the scale of an access control system is a set of smart home door locks, health screening stations at building entrances or hundreds of secured doors in a large hotel or office, the costs and complexity of maintaining and upgrading the control network continue to increase. Whether running on an on-site computer or hosted by a cloud-based remote monitoring center, an access control system will benefit from using low-power wireless connectivity and IP, to unite all of the access components into an IP-based network that can extend across long distances inside and outside of a building.
Current best practices make it possible to implement robust wireless networks that deliver the flexibility and scalability to aggregate a multitude of devices under a single standard: Wi-Fi HaLow.
WHAT IS WI-FI HALOW AND WHY IT IS
A GAME CHANGER FOR ACCESS CONTROL
Wi-Fi HaLow is a low-power, long-range version of the popular Wi-Fi standard that provides 10 times the range, 100 times the coverage area and 1000 times the volume of traditional Wi-Fi technology. These attributes make it an ideal wireless backbone for today’s access control systems, especially those serving large enterprises with multiple entry points, locks, cameras and many other security devices.
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | SECURITY TODAY
ACCESS CONTROL
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