In today’s digital world, it is hard to imagine a modern home without smart home gadgets like remotely-operated door locks, appliances, thermostats, lights, and other devices. A truly modern living space is also incomplete without a smart and touchless residential access control system.
Access Control Systems for Residential Buildings
Key Card, Fob, and Pin Pad Access Control: The last time we checked, most residential spaces were using legacy access control systems. These included key cards or fobs, and pin pad based building entry systems (not to mention the good-ole metallic lock-and-key arrangement). These systems were already losing market share after the introduction of smartphone-controlled automatic locks. COVID-19 has only accelerated their departure.
Biometric Access Control: Contact-based biometric entry systems such as fingerprint scanners are also on their way out. Common touch surfaces are less secure ever since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Camera, Mobile App, and Alarm-Based Systems: Contemporary home access control systems consist of wireless or wired video cameras, monitoring screens, on-site or cloud-based recording devices, alarms, and automated electronic locks. With regular versions of these systems, you can watch and record people at the door and unlock manually using a mobile app or electric button. The video recording is stored locally, with the option to buy cloud storage for added safety.
Camera and alarm-based access control systems are in use at many homes. Some of them can be integrated with electronic locks and keypads to make the system smarter. But they still remain dumb compared to the next category on our roundup: smartphone access.
Smartphone-Enabled Automatic Access Control: With these systems, you or anyone you authorize can unlock the door by using a mobile app or waving your smartphone at the door terminal. Smartphone access control systems are often cloud-managed, which means you can add or remove tenants or visitors instantly from anywhere. You can even set different permissions for each individual door or extend the system to multiple locations.
Smartphone unlock is modern, but it also has certain limitations. For example, it may be hard for people to use the phone when their hands are full; or when their phone battery is drained. Moreover, video surveillance and recording capability don’t come as a part of most smartphone access control systems, which means you’ll have to pay extra down the road—not very smart.
Face Recognition Access Control: The latest residential building access control systems use face recognition to create a modern, secure, and touchless entry experience. Imagine unlocking doors by looking at the face reader and walking straight in. Family members and guests can enroll simply by snapping a photo of their face through the solution provider’s app. Admins can also add or remove users, lock or unlock doors remotely, and manage access permissions from their mobile devices using cloud-based dashboards.
Face recognition access is powered by artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and IoT technologies, which give it a lot of flexibility. For example, you can program each individual door and sync the access control system with your smart home assistant like Amazon Alexa or Google Home. Face recognition access control systems like Swiftlane also include features like video intercom for easy communication with visitors.
Conclusion
A modern living space starts with a modern and smart entry experience. Your choice of access control system for your house, apartment, or building would depend on how modern you want to make your home. Cameras, alarms, keycards, and keypads, though not cutting edge, are still more modern compared to traditional locks and keys. Smartphone access is a step ahead of keypad and keycard-based systems, but you still need cameras for surveillance and safety. Face recognition is the latest and most modern in the lineup and may be the best choice for the smartest of living spaces today.
