With a large percentage of the population moving to physical access control systems, solutions which are automated, user-friendly and internet-connected will become extremely important.
As the global population continues to increase at a rapid pace and more and more people migrate to the cities in search of better lives, there will be an acute shortage of land required to accommodate them. This will prompt authorities to rethink the concept of housing in the future, which in turn will influence the access control solutions.
According to Liam Pope, Founder and CEO of
GateCode, an Austin, Texas-based access control solutions provider, residential housing, in such a context, will naturally consolidate into apartments, condos and other multifamily communities. With a large percentage of the population moving to physical access control systems, solutions which are automated, user-friendly and internet-connected will become extremely important.
“I used to work part-time as a delivery driver, and frequently found myself stuck outside gates and doors,” Pope said. “I realized that a solution for anyone to be able to enter a location with their smartphone was the inevitable future. This translates to our vision of a universal network of access, where individuals can seamlessly enter any property without needing an onboarding procedure for access. All that matters is whether or not they’re allowed to be there.”
This experience led him to come up with GateCode, which upgrades legacy physical access control systems to support smartphones, then connects them to its mobile credential network, which replaces property-specific credentials with a universal profile.
Moving from just credentials to physical identity on smartphones
Once a user downloads the GateCode app and creates their account, their profile can be assigned access at any GateCode-equipped property, either as a tenant by the manager or as a visitor through a tenant’s invite.
“Think of it as a social network for physical access,” Pope said. “We can upgrade nearly any legacy system, but have found that the residential market needs it the most. Multifamily properties and gated communities are stuck in the access control dark age - gate codes, call boxes, and clickers that break all too often. Replacing the systems is a major expense, however, so they’re eager to upgrade with GateCode for a fraction of the price.”
Liam Pope, Founder and CEO, GateCode
Smartphone-based access control management is expected to be the next big thing for the industry, but GateCode’s approach is a bit different from the rest in the market. Modern mobile access systems simply move the credentials to a user’s phone, whereas GateCode creates a physical identity on the smartphone that people can use as an access control credential anywhere.
The hardware and software behind the solution
The company upgrades legacy access control systems by installing encrypted Bluetooth beacons at entrances, adding cellular routers to connect the system to the internet and integrating with access control software which is already installed. This connectivity allows for cloud-controlled management of tenants at a property as well as real-time automating and updating of who is or isn’t allowed on the property, enabling an invitation feature.
“Our end user interfaces are a web/mobile web app for property management, and a smartphone app for access and invitations,” Pope said.
As technology moves forward, Pope expects artificial intelligence (AI) to have a major impact on access control. Automation in access management is improving, but is still pretty limited in capabilities. AI-augmented automation will enable a seamless interaction with the physical world, making physical access control almost invisible in our day-to-day lives.