ACCESS CONTROL
Intratone: Access All Areas
Why GSM is the Ideal Kit, and the Perfect Fit to Add to Your Business
» IT IS CERTAINLY NOT NEWS TO SAY
that there has been a digital shift in access
control, and a mechanical lock and key
is seldom satisfactory nowadays. Even
intercom systems and key pads are moving
with the times, and nothing demonstrates
this more than the emergence and
evolution of GSM technology.
Originally created for mobile phones,
Global System for Mobile Communications
(GSM) has all the flexibility of technology
and lack of handsets/wires that makes it
ideal for access control. Intratone built on
this idea more than a decade ago, and
began to design and develop marketleading
GSM-based access control
solutions, allowing property professionals
to take back control of security, costs and
their time, and offering residents more
freedom and peace of mind.
Transitioning from analogue processes
to digital is universally acknowledged
as an effective way of improving both
operational and cost efficiencies. The
property management sector is one area
in particular which could reap significant
benefits by implementing more digital
ways of working. By harnessing some
accessible technologies, including GSM
– which was originally created for mobile
communications, and applying them to
block management, the switch to digital
is straightforward, without the need for
significant investment in infrastructure
or added resources. Plus, with social
distancing measures still in place in
the UK at the time of writing, working
remotely is not merely an option but a
necessity for many of us. Technologies
that not only facilitate this remote working,
but enhance it too – bringing time and
cost savings for example – can truly
drive the property management sector
forward.
By implementing SIM cards and GSM
capabilities into access control systems,
both residents and property professionals
can benefit from more streamlined,
intuitive block management – allowing
property access to be granted via mobile
phone calls, no matter where they are. As
an alternative to the more traditional radiofrequency
technology, which is reliant
on the distance between the device and
the handset, GSM technology’s unlimited
range makes property management
infinitely more practical.
For occupants and tenants of
apartments, flats, studios and the like,
GSM by Intratone provides a new level
of personal safety, security, and even
independence; especially for those with
limited mobility. For property managers of
local authority housing, halls of residence
and apartment blocks, Intratone’s portfolio
of GSM-based access control solutions
offers a ‘fit and forget’ option with minimal
hardware maintenance, the ability to grant
access to long term users (the residents
themselves) and short term users
(carers, cleaners, contractors, etc) - even
emergency access - without having to be
physically there themselves.
But, when talking about this type of
technology, there is a third group of
people that can benefit enormously from
this system: installers. By offering GSM
technology, installers add a futureproof
skill and sales opportunity to their brand
or business.
UPGRADE YOUR SKILL SET
For installers of almost all levels of
experience, GSM-based access control
solutions - such as intercoms, readers/
receivers, key cabinets, key pads, digital
notice boards, etc - are relatively simple
to fit and maintain, but highly sought
after by existing property managers
and specifiers of new buildings. Making
the decision to become a GSM installer
sooner rather than later adds a new
‘string to your bow’ with a skill that is
fast becoming the go-to access control
solution for councils and local authorities,
private facility and property managers.
Furthermore, Intratone provides free
training in person or online, depending
on your personal preference.
FOR NOW, AND FOREVER
While GSM as a technology has been
around for some time, it is also a very
‘timely’ technology, given the way many
of us have had to change the way we live
and work due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
And, while restrictions of movement
are beginning to ease, this method of
access control seems serendipitous,
given current circumstances, in the way it
allows remote access for carers/cleaners/
contractors, but also would allow those
who are self isolating or shielding to
monitor visitors; whether family and
friends, deliveries of food or medicine, or
any other visitor of any kind. Again, for
installers to get to grips with GSM-based
equipment during this period, it is an
opportunity to build a new area of your
business; filling in the gaps when other
revenue may have been lost or lessened
due to the Coronavirus crisis.
36
JUL/AUG 2020
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