Security | News

New App Controls Key Use in 'e-Cylinders'

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 08/13/13

A "smart lock" company has released a programming device for its "smart" keys that lets administrators in charge of access control update credentials via mobile phone. Medeco is shipping the Logic Mobile Programmer, which lets keyholders receive programming updates and temporary access to its "e-cylinders" via Apple iOS or Google Android apps.

According to the company, remote programming is useful for installations that span large geographic areas or where access to keys or openings may be inconvenient. An e-cylinder is installed into a door and works like a mechanical lock but also provides features that can be managed from anywhere through the company's Logic Web systems manager.

The new device ties the encryption to the user's Logic system, which is managed through a browser-based application called CLIQ. It connects via Bluetooth and uses the phone's data share or hotspot feature to communicate with a remote server. The idea is to reduce the possibility that a keyholder will lose the key or that the key will be used by the wrong person. The app enables the administrator to activate the key when and where it's needed. The system maintains an audit trail to show who has accessed the locked location.

The Mobile Programmer requires "dual-authentication" to gain access. Only a person with the correct Logic key and a Mobile Programmer setup can access the Logic Web system, which is where the administrator presets access. If no access is required at the time, then the key remains inactive. For example, if a key to a medicine box is supposed to work in a given cylinder lock only when a nurse is on duty, the cylinder won't function outside of that specified period.

"This new functionality allows security managers to have complete control over when [staff] has access to assets, regardless of where they are located, and to have full visibility via audits without the complexity of traditional access control," explained Medeco Vice President Joseph Kingma. "It's a cost-effective and feature-rich management software solution that gives enhanced control and flexibility and provides administrators the peace of mind that their facility is in good hands."

The Mobile Programmer is priced at $680.