University of Rhode Island partners with ASSA ABLOY to improve residence hall security

As a critical element of its two-year campus-wide renovation, the University of Rhode Island recently upgraded over 4,000 door openings across its residence halls with SARGENT Passport 1000 P2 Wi-Fi Locks backed by PERSONA Campus access control software.

Prior to the renovation, the University relied on three different software platforms to monitor the exterior electrified access doors for the residence halls. Students were also using rocks and other objects to prop open the other non-access doors when exiting the buildings, raising serious security concerns and increasing maintenance needs at the openings.

Rather than continue to discipline offending students for violating fire code, the University decided the renovation was the perfect time to update security and provide student access at all the openings. “We recognized that the students wanted access to those areas of the buildings,” said Dr. Jeffrey Plouffe, Associate Director, Administrative Systems and Operations, University of Rhode Island. “We needed to find a solution that could allow us to offer access to those areas and ensure student safety. ASSA ABLOY was the perfect match.”

The University wanted a lock and software that could be easily integrated with its residential operations management software,  It also wanted a lock that is extremely low maintenance and that would work for both interior and exterior doors.

ASSA ABLOY teamed with the University to test 13 SARGENT Passport 1000 P2 Wi-Fi locks on the PERSONA Campus Software. After about a month of testing, the University made the decision to establish a relationship between the Department of Housing and ASSA ABLOY.

“ASSA ABLOY has been with us every step of the way, from onsite technical support during the installation phase to having a representative on campus with us during every opening,” said Charles Hall, Assistant Director, Housing and Residential Life, University of Rhode Island.

The University chose the Sargent Passport 1000 P2 WiFi lock, which combines HID multiCLASS SE technology with a magnetic stripe reader and keypad. The P2 uses the residence hall’s IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi infrastructure to connect to the access control system, significantly reducing installation time and costs. In addition to the card readers installed on every exterior door, about 4,000 Wi-Fi locks with PIN and student ID card access were deployed across campus. The new system will help minimize the efforts of the card office, with the ability to manage access rights centrally.

“One of the most important criteria in our decision was the company itself that we would be partnering with,” said Plouffe. “I believe that great companies make great products. ASSA ABLOY knows their market and they understand where it’s headed in the future. I would challenge anyone who may have thought it was the wrong choice to come see the operation. ASSA ABLOY’s solution sare efficient, high-quality and deliver on their promises.”