Mobile and cloud access control: your phone as the key
For property managers, offices, multi-family buildings, hotels and businesses with more than one site in Alberta and BC.
Updated
The quick answer
Mobile access lets people open doors with their phone instead of, or as well as, a fob or card. Cloud access control lets managers add and remove people, change schedules, unlock doors and check the logs from a browser or app, with no server in the building. You can have one without the other: many on-site systems accept phone credentials, and many cloud systems still use fobs. We help you choose, install it, and hand over admin access and full documentation.
How phone credentials work
| Way to open | What happens |
|---|---|
| Bluetooth | The phone talks to the reader through an app. Depending on the system, people tap the reader, wave a hand or press a button in the app. |
| Phone wallet badge | On systems that support it, a badge in the phone’s wallet (such as Apple Wallet) opens the door with a tap, like paying with a phone. |
| App unlock | A button in the app opens the door. The same feature lets an admin unlock a door remotely. |
| Sending a credential | New people get their credential by email or text, with no fob to hand over, and it’s cancelled the same day they leave. |
Cloud or on-site management?
| Cloud-managed | On-site | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the software runs | In the maker’s cloud, managed from a browser or app | On a computer or server in the building |
| Updates | Handled by the maker | Installed by your team or ours |
| Ongoing costs | Usually a subscription | Usually licences, plus the computer or server to look after |
| If the internet goes down | Many systems keep the door list on the controller, so doors keep working; management resumes when it’s back | Runs on the building network; remote access needs the internet |
| Several buildings | One dashboard for every site | Possible, with more setup |
| Suits | Property managers, portfolios and teams that want phone access and no server | Sites that want the system and its data in the building |
Brands we install with phone or cloud options
| Brand | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Ubiquiti UniFi | UniFi Access, with mobile unlock in the UniFi Identity app and Touch Pass badges in Apple Wallet. |
| HID | HID Mobile Access on compatible readers such as Signo, used with many access control systems. |
| Genetec | Synergis access control in Security Center, with support for mobile credentials on supported readers. |
| Avigilon | Avigilon Alta: cloud-managed access control with phone credentials as standard. |
| Kantech | EntraPass software at your building, with apps for managing doors from a phone and support for HID Mobile Access. |
| ButterflyMX | Cloud-managed video intercom and access, with door unlock and time-limited visitor passes from the app. |
| 1VALET | A cloud smart building platform where residents use their phone as a fob, with virtual keys for guests. |
| MTech | Bluetooth mobile keys for its hotel locks, alongside key cards. |
Features depend on the model, the readers and the software version, and some need a subscription or a licence per user or door. We confirm it in writing before you choose.
Remote unlock, done safely
Good uses
- Letting in a courier or trade when nobody is on site
- Opening a door for a staff member who forgot their fob, after checking who it is on camera
- Unlocking a meeting or amenity room for a booking
- Opening up for a scheduled event without sending someone in
Good habits
- Give remote unlock to a few admins only
- One login per person, with two-step sign-in where the system supports it
- Check the door log and the matching camera view
- Use schedules instead of leaving doors unlocked
Moving from fobs to phones
Most buildings run phones and fobs side by side, so people without a smartphone, or with a dead battery, can still get in. Some older readers can’t read phones and need replacing, while controllers, locks and much of the wiring can often stay. We plan the change in stages, starting with the doors people use most.
Comparing systems? Read Kantech vs Avigilon Alta for on-site versus cloud, and our condo access control guide for apartment and condo buildings. Every cloud account is set up in your name, and you get admin access and documentation, so you’re never tied to one company.
Thinking about phone access?
We’ll look at your doors, readers and current system, and tell you what it takes to add phones or move to the cloud.
Related: access controlKantech vs Avigilon Altacondo access control guidemulti-tenant office access controlvisitor management
Stuck with a system nobody will fix?
We repair and take over cameras, access control, intercoms and alarms installed by other companies, when your current provider has fallen short.
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Mobile and cloud access control questions
What is mobile access control?
Access control where people use their phone as the key, through an app or a badge in the phone’s wallet, instead of or as well as a fob or card.
Do we have to give up fobs?
No. Most buildings run phones and fobs side by side, so everyone has a way in.
What if someone’s phone battery dies?
They use a fob, a card or the intercom. Some phones can still use a wallet badge for a while on low battery, but it varies, so people who rely on their phone should keep a backup.
Do cloud systems stop working when the internet goes down?
Many keep the door list on the controller at the building, so doors keep working and management catches up when the connection is back. We confirm how your system behaves during design.
Can we unlock a door from our phone?
Yes, on most mobile and cloud systems. We set it up for the admins you choose, with a log of every remote unlock.
Is a phone credential more secure than a fob?
Phone credentials are encrypted and much harder to copy than older proximity fobs, and many systems can require the phone to be unlocked first.
Can we add phone access to our existing system?
Often. It depends on your controllers, readers and software. Sometimes only the readers need replacing; we tell you after a site visit.
Who owns the cloud account?
You do. We set up cloud accounts in your name and hand over admin access and full documentation.
Is there a subscription?
Cloud systems usually have one, and some mobile credentials are licensed per user. Every ongoing cost is listed in our written quote.
More answers: Access control questionsGlossary: credentialfail-safe vs fail-secure
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