Subscriber Discussion

Can Anybody Tell Me The Main Disadvantages Of Hotel Electronic Locks?

bk
bharath kumar
Dec 22, 2014

My senario is if we are replacing accescontrol systems like lenel, genetec, nedap etc. with hotel locks like salto, tesa, assaabloy, hotec etc. What level of security compramise we are doing by selecting this hotel locks like antipass back etc. There is a trend going on in hotel sector to use same locks everywere other than FOH.

(1)
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Brian Rhodes
Dec 22, 2014
IPVMU Certified

Hello Bharath:

I think the biggest abilities you give up in moving from a centralized access management platform to a hospitality system are:

1. Central Door Management: Most hospitality management systems are fairly imprecise and may not share the same exact timestamp (since each lock keeps it's own). A few seconds may not seem big until a security event occurs. Also 'lockdown events' where all doors are locked at once is not possible.

Seeing the current state of doors (ie: Open/Closed/Locked?) from a central management screen is not possible. Checking doors remains a manned operation.

2. Integration with other systems: Tying together hotel access with video surveillance, intrusion/fire, or even central reporting is going to be difficult and more expensive.

3. Hardware Options: Not all doors/openings are built the same. A controller based platform gives you flexibility in addressing those options with a range of readers, locks, sensors, and timing adjustments. A hotel system may not even support exit devices or gates.

Even beyond alarm features you mention (antipassback), a hospitality/hotel access system generally has a different purpose than enterprise access control. Instead of central management, the operational security burden falls to the user.

There is more contrast here, but these are the big ones. Feel free to followup if you have questions!

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SP
Sean Patton
Dec 22, 2014

In addition to Brian's points, because the locks are in a sleep mode until there is an action (card swipe) at the door, the unit wont receive credential access updates. What that means is that sometimes when you go up to the door and swipe the card they just gave you, it doesnt work the first time, but then you swipe again and it works, because it has received the new card data now. This can be annoying in a non-hospitality/hotel environment.

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JH
John Honovich
Dec 22, 2014
IPVM

Sean, is that way one frequently gets the annoying - does not work, than does work on second try - door swipes?

SP
Sean Patton
Dec 22, 2014

As far as I know, thats the only way... and its definitely that. Theres no technical way to avoid it, without drastically decreasing battery life

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