Smart Devices for Freedom of Access

Access control for buildings has been moving towards biometric and fingerprint systems, with remote or cloud-based flow management, for some time, but the pandemic has undoubtedly accelerated this trend. This is precisely the path taken by Iseo Ultimate Access Technologies, a well-established company in Brescia in northern Italy, that has always specialized in mechanical and electronic solutions for doors and flow control. Its products are suitable for homes and apartments, for companies and public buildings, and for railway stations, airports and subways. The changes everyone has experienced over the last two-and-a-half years have only served to make clearer the overlap between the need for individual and social safety and security, and freedom of movement. Such has been the impact of this that the company itself has redefined its identity, even adopting a new communication approach, in the wake of this new world. This process has been broad, with Iseo improving its expertise and understanding of client’s needs in relation to the interweaving of these aspects. The company has labeled this new approach its “unlock your freedom to move” mission.

Such considerations were also the driving force for acquiring a majority stake in Sofia Locks, a Milan-based company specializing in native cloud-based access-control solutions. This company is actually a PropTech development – a business model in which digital and technological solutions are applied to the real estate industry – that was launched specifically to manage spaces safely, securely and flexibly, and thus to help push forward the technological innovation process already underway at Iseo.

The Argo 3.0 remote access management system uses a new generation of smart devices with Bluetooth Smart 5.0 and Smart Gateway. Such technologies provide a direct, secure connection between a phone and a lock, with end-to-end encryption and no intermediate server. In practical terms, this means a highly secure connection both when used locally and remotely.

For the x1R Smart lock, a new multi-reader lock opening system was created and, when installed on the external panel of a door, it allows the use of smartphones, smartwatches, fingerprints, RFID cards and pin codes. For example, a person can use their fingerprint to open the door or use their cellphone to decide on which device to use.

One of the other Iseo innovations is the patented R ME multi-profile reversible key cylinder with a mobile element that, using a combination of three lines of encryption on the cylinder, guarantees an amazingly high permutation calculation.