Mobile access for community protection

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Residential Security Handbook 2021: Secure Living Access Control & Identity Management, Integrated Solutions

CAP (Community Active Protection) was established in July 2006 after a series of tragedies struck a community as a result of violent crime. After consultation between the Chief Rabbi of South Africa, Rabbi Goldstein, a group of experts was tasked with designing a mechanism and infrastructure to enable communities to combat crime. CAP was created. In November 2006, the first area it launched in was Glenhazel, Johannesburg.

From a single community initiative, CAP has now spawned a collection of proactive, multifaceted, integrated and community-run security schemes across 20 areas of Johannesburg. Its dynamic and innovative take on crime fighting has yielded resounding success across all territories incorporated into the scheme, reducing crime in these areas by a staggering 80% to 90%.

The CAP Group had been using fingerprint biometric authentication for access control purposes prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to the pandemic, the health risks of human interaction through physical touch as well as the spread of germs through shared surfaces became a major detractor from the use of fingerprint technology. Thus, there arose a need for an affordable, contactless access control solution, which is what they found in Suprema’s Mobile Access Solutions (MOCA).

The MOCA solution

XPass 2 card readers were installed at CAP group’s HQ and used for mobile authentication in conjunction with employees’ mobile phones. Through a cloud connection between the Suprema BioStar 2 web-based software and the MOCA webpage, they are able to apply mobile credit licences on the MOCA site, proceed to create users on the BioStar 2 platform and then provide the user with a mobile credential card. The system then sends an activation email to the user’s email address, giving them the option to download the app and activate the card, or if they have downloaded the app already, input a special 5-digit code to activate the card and start authenticating on the XPass 2 devices using either BLE or NFC technology.

Key benefits

1. Suprema Mobile Access allows you to use your own smartphone as a key to access doors, facilities and more. By using your smartphone as a credential, managing and using an access card becomes easier, faster and safer. The system also provides enhanced security as a users’ identity is linked to their mobile phone.

2. With Suprema’s security solutions, the entire process is protected by an ISO 27001 certified system. Users are less likely to hand over their smartphones to other people, thus decreasing the likelihood of unauthorised persons entering the property.

3. Suprema Mobile Access supports both NFC and BLE for full compatibility with various types of smartphones. These two technologies are enabled in the background and foreground to seamlessly communicate with an RFID reader. With Suprema’s enhanced technology, Suprema Mobile Access prevents unintentional openings by controlling the BLE communication distance, thereby allowing authentication in less than a second.

The biometric hardware

The Suprema XPass 2 Mullion Type IP card reader is an outdoor compact RFID reader based on Suprema’s RFID technology and multi-hardware platform. With multi-form factor technology, including mullion-mount, gangbox-type and gangbox keypad-type designs, XPass 2 can be installed in various environments.

XPass 2 also supports dual-frequency (125 kHz/13,56 MHz) RFID technology with the capability of reading mobile cards using NFC and BLE. Packed in a resistant/tough IP67/IK08 structure, it is dust and waterproof as well as vandal resistant, suitable for tough environments and outdoor installation. Some of the features XPass 2 boasts include:

• Multi-smart RFID card reading, including mobile card (NFC and BLE).

• Mullion-mount design: with its 48 mm width, the XPass 2 fits perfectly in narrow spaces and door frames.

• Gangbox-type design, XPass 2 offers complete installation in gangbox locations. You can choose either gangbox-type or gangbox keypad-type depending on your needs.

• IP67 dust- and water-resistant. With IP67, XPass 2 is tightly sealed against invasive moisture, dust and liquid. This protection is achieved by Suprema’s protective engineering which ensures that XPass 2 remains reliable and functioning in all types of environments. No matter how harsh the environment, it is the ideal choice for outdoor applications.

Fast facts

Location: Houghton, Gauteng, South Africa

Year of installation: 2020

Application: Access control

Technology: Mobile access

Project size: 224 employees, 224 MOCA mobile credentials

Solutions:

• 15 XPass 2 mullion type readers.

• BioStar 2.

• MOCA Airfob site.

For more information contact:

• CAP Group, www.capgroup.org.za