The Benefits of Door Key Fobs

Fobs eliminate the need for metal keys and have become popular amongst building management teams for their ease of use and trackability. They also keep a full record of who is coming in and out, helping to limit internal shrinkage or loss.

Fobs are not indestructible and are prone to failure from time to time. If yours isn’t working, the most common culprit is usually a dead battery.

Keyless Entry

The simplest and most obvious benefit of keyless entry is that it eliminates the need for physical keys. Keyless entry systems can be used with pin pads, electromagnetic fobs, credit card-sized key cards (prox cards), or even smartphones, to allow for secure and convenient access control without the need for a traditional door lock.

In addition to eliminating the need for physical keys, keyless entry systems are also more environmentally friendly than traditional lock systems. The reason for this is that traditional locks use a lot of metal, which is not only a limited resource, but also has a negative impact on the planet in terms of its extraction, manufacture, and disposal.

Another important benefit of keyless entry is that it can make granting and revoking access to guests much easier. With a keyless system, you can give your guests a temporary passcode or other form of access authentication and then simply deactivate the code when they’re done with it.

This is also a great way to prevent the common mistake of leaving a spare key hidden somewhere outside. Burglars are often aware of where people tend to hide their spare keys and can easily find them in order to break into a home or business. By providing your guests with a keyless system, you can avoid this potential security risk altogether.

Tracking

Like the keyless devices found in cars, key fobs are designed to control access to a building or restricted area. The small remote device contains a short-range radio transmitter and RFID (radio frequency identification) chip that communicates with a reader device when the user presses a button on the fob. This enables the fob to transmit an RFID signal that matches what the reader device has been programmed to accept and unlock the door.

Key fob systems have back-end software that can control multiple readers from a central server, making it easy for administrators to program new or lost fobs remotely. Fobs can also be reprogrammed to provide different levels of access, allowing admins to manage access more efficiently than they would with a traditional system.

This tracking capability can improve security by limiting access to specific areas of a building, room or vehicle. It can also help to reduce internal shrinkage or theft by ensuring that only the right people have access to important assets. Fobs can even be used as employee IDs, improving accountability and providing an easy way for staff to sign in or out. They are also more secure than coded options because they cannot be copied easily, and they can be deactivated Door Key Fob if they are lost or stolen. They can also be used to automate locking doors when a specified time passes, preventing the possibility of doors being left unlocked.

Security

Unlike passwords, which are easily intercepted and used for cyberattacks ranging from stealing identities to locking systems with ransomware demands, fob devices require users to authenticate their identity in person to unlock a door. Many device models use fingerprint technology that reads the ridges and seven layers of a user’s finger pad to ensure that the individual is the owner of the credentials. Some devices also use facial recognition or iris scanning technology for added security.

Moreover, key fob access control systems provide reliable audit trails and access logs that allow admins to track exactly who is entering and leaving buildings or rooms. This feature can be especially helpful for reducing internal theft and shrinkage in businesses.

Fobs can be combined with existing readers to create a streamlined system that eliminates the need for multiple types of hardware. For example, some fobs can combine both a door and parking gate access signal in one. This allows individuals to move about a building without having to carry around two separate credentials.

When choosing a door key fob system, it is important to consider the cost of each credential as well as how the system will be maintained and integrated with other on-site and cloud-based security features. It’s also critical to factor in the number of fobs that will be needed and how temporary credentials will be issued.

Convenience

While traditional card and key fob door entry systems are widely used in parking garages, office buildings, HOA communities, and even large enterprise offices, they don’t always offer the highest level of security. Depending on the system, these cards and keys can be copied easily by anyone with a simple card cloner you can purchase online for under $20.

Key fobs use proximity technology to unlock doors when a person approaches the reader. They are similar in size to a standard key and can be kept on a person’s key ring for convenience. Fobs don’t have any personal Door Key Fob information on them, which makes them a more secure option than prox cards that can include an employee name, photo, and title, which are easily readable from a distance.

Fobs are also useful for businesses that don’t want their employees to be identifiable, especially in a post-COVID-19 workplace. While many key card and key fob systems allow for remote management, registering and revoking credentials can be a time-consuming process. This may cause a delay in onboarding new hires or temporary furloughs.

Fobs are easy to program and can be linked with different systems, including CCTV, for added security measures. They also don’t wear down like keys and are less prone to mechanical damage. This makes them a popular choice for commercial doors, employee lockers, and supply closets.