Proxy Access Control Tested

By Brian Rhodes, Published May 09, 2019, 11:02am EDT

Silicon Valley Access Startup Proxy raised $13.6 Million in May 2019, focusing on mobile physical access control.

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Beyond the fund raising, Proxy made a big claim at ISC West 2019: 'Works with all existing access systems' citing nine well-established, and even proprietary, access brands like C-Cure, LenelS2, RS2, and others:

We purchased a Proxy reader and tested multiple functions including:

  • Compatibility With Existing Access Systems
  • Operation With Other Common Credentials (HID 125 kHz, Generic 125 kHz, HID iClass Legacy, HID iClass SEOs, MIFARE Classic, MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2)
  • App vs. Web Portal Operation
  • The Platform's Strengths & Weaknesses Compared To Others
  • Proxy vs. Openpath and HID Global

Key ********

** *** ****,*****'* *** *************** ******* ****:

  • ****-** ******** *******: ** ********* *****'* reader **** * *********** 3rd ***** ******, **** the **** ******* **** typical ********** ***** *****. Our **** ************ **** both ******* *** ****** OSDP *** *********.
  • ******** **** **** *******: ***** ******** ******** credential *******, *** ** tested ***** ****** **** physical ********** *****. *** tests ***** ********** *************, although *********** ***/*** **** reads *** *** ****** formats.
  • ******** *********: ** ******** ** tested ******, *** **** Proxy ****** ***** ****** to ******, *******, ** deny ****** ** ***********. Some ** *** ***** app ********* *** *** test ********, *** *** core, ******* ****** ******** did.

*******, *** **** ** the ****** ***** **** weaknesses **** ********* ********* market ******:

  • ***** ***** ********: ** *** ******* round ** *******, *** 'Smart *****' ******* ** the **** **** ******* working. ***** ******** *** unit *** ** *** not ********** ******* ******, but *** ******* ********* is *** ******* (** well *********) ** ****-****** sensitive ****** *********.
  • **** ****** **********: *** *** ******** and ****** ******* *** readers *** ***** *** testing ***** ** ** difficult ** ****/*** ** bright, **** *****.
  • ******* **** ***********: *****'* **** ****** are ******* *** *** most ****** '****** *******' profile ** *** *********.
  • ************** ****: *** ******'* **** are ****** **** *** app *** ****** ** downloaded *** ******* *** by ***** *********, * common ****** ** ***** access *******.

Proxy *** ****** ********** ******

*** **** ********** ****** of *****'* ******* ** that ** ** * 3rd ***** ****** **** to *********** **** *** majority ** ******** ****** systems.

** ******** ********** ****** *******, ***** *** ****** access ****** **** ** purchased **** **** ******, typically ** * **** of ~$*** *** $**/***** in ******* *** **** (May **** ******: ******** now ****** * '*******; $20 **** ******** *****), Proxy's '******' ********* * reader (** ******* ******** a ****)*** ~$*** *** ~$**/***** in ******* ******** ****.

Compatible **** ******** ****** *******

***** ***** **** ***** because ***** ****** ******* reader ******** ** ****** systems **** *********** ******* - ***. ******* ** OSDP.

*** ***** ****** ****** has ******** *** ************* uncommon ** '*******' *******, like *** *** **** connectivity, *** * ****** credential ***** *********. *******, many '***********' ********* *** also *******, **** ******** card ****** ************* *** standard ************* ********* **** controllers.

App ********

******* ** ***** *** administering *****, *** ********'* free *** (********* ** both *** *** *******) allows ****** ** ********* most ** *** ***** reader ********* *** ******* users ** ******** **** the ******.

**** *** ****** ** testing, ******** ******* **** made * ****** ** times *************, *** ********* sporadic *** ***** ** crashes **** *****.

*******, ***** **** ********* tested ********, ********* **** 'updating ****** *******' ******* do *** **** ********.

** ******** ** ******* mobile ********** ******, ***** also **** *** ******* to ******* ****** '******' events **** *** ******.

** **** ***** ******** in *** ***** *****:

Some ********* ***** ******* *** ******

*******, **** ****** ***** functions ***** **** ** done *** *** ******** web ******. *** ******** of **** ****** ** below:

Works **** ***** **** *******

** ******** ** *****'* proprietary ****** **********, ******* also ******* ******* ***** of ***** *** ****.

*** ******* **** ******* major '********' *********** ********** formats **** *** ******:

  • *** *** ***
  • ******* *** ***
  • *** ****** ******
  • ****** *******
  • ****** ******* *** & EV2

*** **** ********** ***** on *** *******, *** was ******* ** ******* only *** '**** ****** Number' (***) ** ***'* iClass *****.

***** ********* *** ********, clarifying *** ****** ************* is **** ** * partnership ***********:

*****/****** *** ******** ******** by ******* (*** ** is *** ******* ***** key, ** *******), ** have ********* **** **** for **** ************* -- no ****** ** ******** the *****. ******* *** a ****** ******* *** programming ****, *** * secure ******** ** ** where **** *** ** so. *** **** ** supported **** ***** ** the **** ** *******'*. We ** ****** **** our ********* ******* **** process ** **** ***'* have ** **** **** multiple *******.

*** **.** *** ****** formats ***** '******' ******** reader ****, ***** ***** can ** ************ ** match.

** ********, ********** ****** produced ** *****'* ****** Credentials *** ** ********** to ***** ******** **********/****** Facility ***** *** '***' values:

**** ************* ** ******* to *** **************** ** Proxy **** *** ***** access *******, *** *** credentials ******** *** ** configured ** ***** *** formats ******** ** *** host ******.

System *******

*****'* ******** ** ** up *****, *** **** cost, *** *** ***** based ****** **** *** an***** ******* ******* ******* ****** ********** *******.

***** *** **** ******* service ****** **** $** per *****/ *** **** for *** ***** ****, ranging ** ** ~$** per ***** *** ****** for ***** ***** ******* service **** ******** *** hardware **** ** *** readers.

*** **** *****, ******* for * ****** ****** door ******* ******** **** an ****** ******* ****** equipped **** * ***** Pro ****** ** $***, then $** *** *****.

Mobile **** ******** ************

*** ****** ********* ***** of *** ****** ******* ~40' ** ** '***** contact' **** ***, *** the ****** **** **** for **** '******' ****** as ******. ** ****, a ************* ** ***** unlocking *** **** ** they **** ****** ** a ****.

***** ********* *** '****-******' range ** **** *** web ****** *** *** app:

***** *******, **** ***** will ****** *** '*******' ranges, *** *********** ******* closer **** **' ** Proxy ******* **** **** to ****** '-*' ** '-2' ****** ** ***** auto-unlock *****.

Sensing *** '*******-**-****' (***)

** *********** ********* *********** for *** '****-******' ******* is ** * **** of ***, ********** ** maglock ******* *****.

***** ******* ******* ** the '****' ** ****** side ** ***** *** be **** ** ****** user ********* ****, *** release *** ******* ****** the **** ******** ******* the ****.

** *** ****, *** performance ** *** '****-******' detection *** ******** *** never ****** ** ****** accurately ** **** **** one ******* ********.

*******, **** **** ** unlock ********, ****** ******* ************, *** heavily ********* *** **** safety *****, *** ** **** point ***** ***** ***** not ******* *** ******* defined ** ****, ********** because *** ****** ****** on ***** ****** * powered-up, *** *********** ***** to ****.

**********with ***** ****

* ********* ******* *** high-security *********** ** **** Proxy **** *** ***********'* '****** *******' *******, *** *** ******* and **** ******** ********* 'Legacy' **** *******.

**** ***** ** *** clearly ****** ** **********, simply ******** '**** ******** *******', *** *** *** additional ******** ** ******* the *****.

** ** *** ** our ****, *** ******** controller ********* ** ***** via **** **** ** downgraded ** *** *** older *******. ** ********* both ** **** ***** (firmware *.**.*.*) *** ***/******* Security **-**** (******** ******* Firmware) ** ******* **** compatibility.

***** ********* *** *** to ****, **********:

** **** ****** ******* at **** ****, ** is ** *** *******.

** ****, *** ***** of **** *********** *** unclear ******* ****** ** an ***** **** **** is ****** * ****** look ** ** *** general ****** ******, *** will ******* ******** ** an ******** ****.

Reader ********** **** ** ***/****

* ********* ******* **** outdoor *** **** **** deployments ** *** ******** of *** ******* *** light *** ******* ****** on *** ******.

*** ******* ****** ***** is ********* ** ***, especially **** ****** ******** shines ******** ** *** device:

*** ****** ****** ** rated *** ****************, *** **** ******* openings **** ** **** to *** *** ****** otherwise, *** ***** *** not **** ** ** either ****** ** ******* feedback **** *** ******.

Wire ******* ****** ********* ** ***

*** *******-***** ****** ******* attached ** *** ****** uses ******** *** ********* to *** '*****/*****' **** to ****** *** ******/******** terminal, *** *** ***** black ******** ********* ** the '*****' ********* ****.

** *******, *** ******* or ******* ********** ** the ***** **** *** cause *********** ********, *** Proxy's ****** **** **** that ****** *** ********* takes ******* **** ** note *** ****** ******.

* ****** ******** ***** be ****** ** ***** the ***** **** ********** or **** (** ** most ***** ****** *************), thereby ******* *** ******** noting *** *******.

Size ********** ** ***** *******

** *******, ***** *** 'mullion *****' ***** *** approximately *** **** **** as ***** ******* ******* units.

*** ***** ***** ******** Proxy ** ******** *** AWID' **-**** *****:

** *******, ***** ***'* mullion **** ****** **** fit **** ******** ****** or **** ******** **** boxes. *** ****** ******** a *-*** ********* **** plate.

Device ****

*** **** ***** *****'* internal ********* ** *** basic *** ******* *******/ undownloadable ** **** *** app *** *** ******.

**** ** * ******* that ****** ***** **** downloading *** *********** *********** logfiles **** ***** ******** systems.

**** ********* ** ** existing *** ***** ****** system, *** *** ****** noting ********** ********** *** unlock ****** ** ****** available, *** *** ********** 'denied' ****** ******** ** the ****** **** *** be ******.

Compared ** ********

***** *** **** ** a ****** ****** ****** in ****** ******, *** upside *** ****** ***** or ******** ******** ******* untapped ****** *****.

*****'* ******* ********* ******** to ******** ** * lower ******* **** *** retrofitting ******** ******* *** mobile. ** ******** ****** for * ******* /** users **** **** ~$*,*** in ******** *** ~$*** per ***** ** ******* fees *** ******** * 'forklift' *********** ** ** existing ******.

******** **** ** *****'* ~$1,700 ** ******* *** ~$100 *** ***** ** service **** **** *** be *********** *** ** compatible **** ** ******** access ******.

May ****: ******** ******** **** ***** ******* & ******** ******

******** *** ******* **'* own ******** ** ***** Proxy's ******* ******* ***** and ***** ********* '****** *******' ********* ****** *** ******** to ******** *******.

***** ********'* ******* ************ pricing ** ********** ** $20/month *** ******, *****'* hardware **** *** ****** is ***** *****.

** ********, ** **** asked ******** *** ******* and ******* ** *** 'Mobile *******' ****** ** compare ** *****'* **** unit, *** ** **** update **** ** *******.

Compared ** *** *****

***'* ***** ******** *** SE ******* *** ****** in ***** ** *****, and *** ***** ******* substantial ***********/ ***** ** the *********** ****** ********** market.

*******, * ********** ********** with *** ** **** Origo ** ****** ***** according ** *** ****** of ***** ******** ** an ******* **** ** ~$6/yr *** **** ** ~$0.50/month *** ****. *** smaller *******/ ******* ** users, *** ***** **** of *****'* ***** ~$**/***** fee *** ****** ** more ********* **** ***.

*** ** ******* * reader / ** **** system, *** ***** **** cost ~$***/ ****, ******** to ~$*,***/ **** *** the ********** **** *****.

Comments (7)

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John Bazyk

Command Corporation
IPVMU Certified | 05/09/19 05:00pm

How does the reader communicate with the app? What if there is no existing system in place, is this something that can be installed as a new system? 

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Brian Rhodes

IPVMU Certified | In reply to John Bazyk | 05/09/19 05:13pm

The app uses BLE and/or WiFi to communicate with the reader.

Proxy sells units equipped with a 'Smart Relay' to connect to locks (from our test - image below), but aside from locking/unlocking via the app, it does not have the depth of functionality a normal access system does with access level/schedules, live system status, and reporting.

 

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Undisclosed #1

05/13/19 01:53pm

Great article and a very interesting product. While there are many different types of installations, a ratio of 28 cardholders per door is a consistent average we've seen in the SMB space. At this ratio the cost comparison would be $168 for HID vs. $240 for Proxy /door/year, supporting your conclusion on cost.

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Brian Rhodes

IPVMU Certified | 05/13/19 03:25pm

We have updated the competitive analysis section above with feedback from Openpath:

May 2019: Openpath responds with lower pricing & takeover option

Openpath has tweaked it's own products to match Proxy's monthly service costs and added a takeover 'Mobile Gateway' option for adding the platform to existing systems.

While Openpath's monthly subscription pricing is equivalent at $20/month per reader, Proxy's hardware cost per reader is still lower.

In addition, we have asked Openpath for pricing and details on the 'Mobile Gateway' option to compare to Proxy's Edge unit, and we will update here on receipt.

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Brian Rhodes

IPVMU Certified | 05/13/19 03:43pm

Proxy founder Denis Mars responded to this report, specifically clarifying the purpose of $299 Proxy Edge smart-relay equipped unit and the (~$350) 'Pro' unit tested above is priced for bigger 'takeover' deployments:

Our Mobile Reader Pro pricing is specifically designed for enterprises, commercial properties and large organizations that are deploying in multiple buildings and locations. Our pricing removes the difficult-to-budget user counts from their pricing equation in favor of a fixed reader count, which is easier to predict and understand. 
 
When you start to apply HID’s pricing at that larger scale it becomes very costly, very quickly as we have seen in the market. Especially when dealing with large enterprises and commercial properties that need to enable 10s to 100s of thousands of employees, or the thousands of daily visitors, contractors, and guests needing temporary access who are left out of the equation. We believe our pricing is perfectly suited to that scale.
 
On the smaller side (such as the typical 5 readers / 40 person site), we think our stand-alone Edge unit is a more cost-effective solution since it doesn’t need the additional overhead of controller hardware and wiring - often the most expensive part of such a setup. In fact, we have a number of customers at the 20-150 people size that have gone fully mobile, with no panels or cards at all.
 
When compared to the alternative, the Edge becomes unbeatable in cost savings - although it does lack the features of other systems, it is often all that these sites need. And as they grow into larger spaces, they can easily migrate to Pro readers with 3rd party panels, without losing the investment they made in Edge readers which they keep for smaller sites and continue to manage as one unified system.
Mars also commented specifically on drawbacks we found during testing:
 
Blown relay contacts: 
We did ship some Edge units which didn’t have proper contact protection. We have since rectified this, and all current builds have proper electrical protection of all contact lines to avoid such problems. 
 
On the drain wire:
Good call on leaving the drain wire unjacketed or bare to make it clearer for installers and keeping with best practices - we are adding this to our to-do list of improvements for next release.
 
Weak reader indicators:
Here we had to make a tradeoff between not being too noisy and bright for use in dense office areas (which is the feedback we got from some customers that complained about loud readers when sitting next to them) vs accessibility in louder, brighter spaces. We think the best way to solve this is to allow admins to configure these settings within the app to suit each specific environment. We are planning to provide that feature in a future update.
 
Partial OSDP conformance:
Completely agree with you that there needs to be more clarity and standardization around what it means to support OSDP. Our Pro Readers do indeed support OSDP in the same sense as most other OSDP-capable readers in the market, yet the OSDP spec has many optional features which hinge on the capabilities of the panels and full support for those varies across implementations, as you correctly point out. We are encouraging customers to move to OSDP in its current form to start the ball rolling as secure channel implementations become more widely supported in the ecosystem (it will be a firmware update for us, so existing deployments will be able to benefit). This is something we all need to work on as an industry, and we’ll do our part to support it and encourage others to do so. We have updated the website to reflect our level of OSDP supports more accurately.
To Denis' point on market/buyer/installer uncertainty about what 'OSDP Support' actually means, IPVM is doing an in-depth review about OSDP profile confusion and challenges the protocol faces as it scales deeper in the market. Our post on the issue is in queue for coming days.
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Bryan Buenaventura

www.dynamic-certified.org
05/13/19 04:40pm

Awesome write-up, and this is exactly why we keep re-upping our IPVM Memebership.

We will definitely consider all this when trying the product out ourselves...

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Undisclosed #2

In reply to Bryan Buenaventura | 08/30/19 07:21pm

I like Memes as well but a Memebership is so much cooler. Happy Friday.

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