Student's key management problems solved with SMARTair access control

Challenge
Rialto Court is a block of contemporary apartments for students attending Durham University and Teesside University in Middlesbrough. When management company Mezzino took ownership of the property, each apartment was secured using a master key system. But with the annual turnover of tenants – together with a need for scheduled cleaning and summer shutdown periods – keys were quickly becoming difficult to manage.

Key requirements

• A convenient access control solution that would make life easier for both the student tenants and the management company
• User-friendly locks that did not compromise on security
• A security system that was designed to work with the unique demands of students and student accommodation, among which are frequent lost keys and a rapid annual turnover of tenants
• A solution that would allow Mezzino to continue working with long-standing locksmith partner, Newark & Sherwood

Solution
Mezzino asked Newark & Sherwood Locksmiths to recommend high-quality access control that could both simplify the security arrangements for all residents and solve key management issues for Mezzino. They suggested SMARTair, a complete access control system that could work from existing programming and be quickly fitted to every apartment to upgrade security instantly.

In an initial deployment, 74 apartments were fitted with wireless SMARTair escutcheons. With SMARTair, cards or fobs can be easily added or removed at a central point when required. Time zones can also be set, and an audit trail is available from the door device or user credential to make sure personnel access to any room is easily trackable. These and other features make SMARTair a security solution tailor-made for student accommodation like Rialto Court.