Why keyless locks need a battery to be future-proof
The use of batteries in digital locks brings along undeniable possibilities for critical infrastructure protection. These include managing and opening locks remotely and proactive responses to unexpected events, improving situational awareness.
It is true that batteries should be replaced every once in a while, as they do not last forever. But batteries deliver a continuous source of power, which provides opportunities and features that other power sources might lack. Let’s take a closer look.
Keyless and mobile-controlled locks have entered the market. There are wired and wireless digital locking solutions available, and wireless solutions commonly utilise either NFC-technology or Bluetooth®. Wired solutions have a continuous power source, but they have clear limitations and site requirements on where they can be placed. NFC is a wireless solution that works without a continuous power source. These devices activate when they are in very close proximity. For this reason, they can only log events when being used. With the operating distance of about 4 centimetres NFC-devices are difficult to control remotely making them less than ideal for IoT purposes.
Compared to the alternatives, battery-powered Bluetooth® locks offer a continuous power source as well as the flexibility of a wireless solution. Bluetooth® locks can be operated up to ten meters away with other devices, such as gateway products. Many of the future-proof advantages are demonstrated in our growing ABLOY BEAT keyless portfolio.
Batteries improve situational awareness
Battery-powered locking solutions designed for critical infrastructure protection provide premium security and privacy protection and herald a new era of connectivity. Connectivity will mean more than the ability to connect to a user’s mobile phone: it will mean that locks can be monitored and managed remotely without a physical visit to the site.
Let’s compare batteries to NFC-technology. NFC-locks activate only when a device with an NFC-chip is present at the site. Without the right device the lock stays offline and will not open. Opening a wireless lock remotely is not possible without a continuous power source. That’s why a battery-operated lock can be opened remotely through Bluetooth® gateway, so people accessing a site will not have to carry the right type of smartphone to open a lock.
With a continuous power source and connectivity, a keyless lock can monitor and log unexpected events or unauthorised access. Without a power source, a key feature of keyless solutions is weakened: situational awareness of site security and operations decrease, if the only information about security situation comes from audit trails after one has used the locks.
Benefits outweigh costs of replacing batteries
The cost of replacing batteries is one of the most common things that comes up when discussing battery-operated locks. However, with ABLOY BEAT the hassle is so small that it is easily overcome by the benefits. ABLOY BEAT products’ battery life last generally more than 5,000 activations which equals to about five years, depending on the frequency of use.
On top of all that, changing the batteries is easy and predictable. After getting a low battery notification on CIPE Manager access management software or the BEAT mobile app, the batteries can be replaced in a few minutes with a standard tool during a regular site visit. If the battery runs out, it is possible to feed backup power to the lock’s electronics via USB-C port.
BEAT locks can also be opened with smartphones without a cellular connection when access rights are updated on the mobile devices before entering an offline area. All in all, the time and cost of replacing batteries is overcome by the benefits of future connectivity:
- You can open a lock at your sites with a smartphone or in the future remotely with access management software thanks to Bluetooth® connectivity and gateway devices.
- You will be able to react to vandalism and unauthorised access much quicker.
- You’ll have peace of mind of by having total awareness of your security situation without visiting the actual site.
- With the automated locking feature, if a user forgets to close a lock through the app after opening it, it will lock itself automatically.
- BEAT solutions have internal clocks, which makes them less easy to manipulate.
Bluetooth® connectivity is universal and reliable
In addition to enabling interesting opportunities in the future, battery operation is also a reliable solution available now and built for the future. While other technologies are not, Bluetooth® is universal, and a connection can be found on every smartphone. Therefore, the seamlessness of the keyless smart lock can be enjoyed by anyone with access rights, without high hardware costs or installations.
From ABLOY's growing BEAT portfolio, the Super Weather Proof Bluetooth® padlock and the controller have audit trail features that give an insight of a lock’s status in real time. Thanks to BEAT, locks can be opened with our mobile application. It also offers future possibilities that could help you know more about site temperature, safety, and security as well as information of tampering attempts. To read more about the benefits of our battery-powered digital locks, check out our Keyless access page.