The application of highly sophisticated security systems is no longer limited to commercial and government institutions. Increasingly, such systems are being used in large residential environments to enhance security via strict control of access. Could your home be next?
In SA, the first residential examples of the use of modern access control systems were in apartment blocks in downtown Johannesburg. From around 2003 onwards, a number of property owners and developers began introducing access control systems for their tenants. Initially, such systems were card or proximity tag-based with physical access being controlled though full height turnstiles - in other words they were essentially the same as systems one might find in a typical factory environment and they ran on associated software platforms.
The systems offered benefits both to landlords and tenants simply because they controlled who could enter the building. For landlords this obviously allowed greater control over who could live in their buildings. Equally, the exclusion of undesirable elements led to a safer environment for tenants. These two basic benefits created a virtuous circle - in simple terms, safer blocks attract tenants who value security and are prepared to pay accordingly. The rejuvenation of residential properties in central Johannesburg has gained such momentum that developers and owners have for some time been converting redundant office blocks into residential units and the trend is also growing in Pretoria.
By 2005, many of the apartment block systems had evolved to include biometric identification as apposed to conventional cards or tags. This then gave definitive control by linking access rights to personal identity, rather than tokens that are not unique to any single user. In order to increase the mutual benefits to landlords and tenants, it seems certain that the inclusion of biometrics will increase to the exclusion of older access technologies.
Although successful, the use of commercial systems for residential applications presented one major problem. How to control access for large numbers of visitors and their vehicles? Recent developments in Sagem technology have addressed this challenge by allowing visitor registration in 15 seconds.
While a typical apartment block application will cater for perhaps 1500 tenants, the requirement on a big residential estate will easily run into tens of thousands. The success of visitor-registration technology means that biometric access control is now used by at least 10 major estates in SA where the entry and exit of residents, contractors and visitors is controlled with fingerprint-based access systems. With over 1500 individual homes, Midstream Estates in Centurion controls both pedestrian and vehicle access with Sagem MorphoAccess readers linked to a database of approximately 50 000 persons. A similar Sagem-based system is also in operation at Ernie Els' signature course at Oubaai Golf Estate in George. At Midstream, the system is also used to control access to the estate's gym and primary school. At the school, access for both parents and teachers is controlled using fingerprint biometrics.
In terms of extending biometric access control to individual residences, the technology is now not only mature and secure, but also sufficiently cost effective.
For most individual homes, commercial-scale access control systems were impractical simply because of their high cost. However, that is now all set to change. The Ideco Group recently launched the first dedicated intelligent power supply, specifically designed for use with Sagem biometric terminals. This intelligent power supply (IPS) offers the homeowner many of the fundamental features and security previously only practical and affordable in large-scale residential systems.
A typical home system will be comprised of a biometric terminal, electronic lock, battery backed up power supply and optional network connection. Such a system provides control over who enters which doors and when. The system eliminates the need for keys and the associated risks involved in key-based access. In addition, the ability to view records of access transactions also provides valuable information to homeowners.
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