Brisbane Boys College swaps physical keys for wireless access control

When one of Australia's most prestigious schools needed to upgrade to 21st-century security, it turned to a wireless SMARTair access control system from TESA. Nearly 100 doors in the school's new annex are now protected by electronic escutcheons and wall readers, which staff and students open with programmable smartcards.

SMARTair is a self-contained access control system that meets the needs of educational premises, and allows security managers to easily extend or replace a building's mechanical key system. Because it works wirelessly, installation is quick and easy, requiring no complex, expensive cabling.

Geoff Bowring, Facilities Manager at Brisbane Boys College, said, “We at Brisbane Boys College take student safety and security seriously so a new security system needed to meet high standards. Ease of use, combined with the speed of the installation and, of course, the cost saving, sold us on SMARTair.”

Doors were fitted with new SMARTair battery-powered electronic escutcheons and wall readers. System installation was quick and caused minimal disruption to building aesthetics and everyday school life.

In the past the College relied on a traditional master-key system, but lost keys often resulted in time-consuming and expensive efforts to change compromised locks.

“You only have to lose a master key once resulting in replacing all your locks and you very quickly appreciate the convenience and cost saving that SMARTair provides,” added Bowring.

Facilities staff at Brisbane Boys College can now open doors remotely, issue smartcards instantly, and generate an audit trail for any access controlled door in the new annex. Lost keys no longer pose a security risk: they can be revoked with the click of a mouse. Staff and students just present an RFID smartcard or secure digital credential and an internal or external door opens.

SMARTair is also flexible enough to expand as needed. In fact, work has already begun on the gradual replacement of mechanical keys across the entire campus.