by Shane Henson — March 30, 2012—Using college-issued identity (ID) cards to enter buildings may soon become a thing of the past for college students who carry smart phones, thanks to the innovation of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies, a global provider of security and safety solutions and manufacturer of contactless smart credentials and readers, and The CBORD Group Inc., a provider of campus card and integrated security solutions.
The companies have conducted what they say is the most comprehensive Near Field Communications (NFC) access control trial in the North American marketplace to date. Three research projects were conducted among 1300 students and decision makers across 980 U.S. colleges and universities, both public and private, two-year and four-year, during May of 2011.
At Villanova University, for example, students and staff have been using the aptiQmobile Web-based service from Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies along with NFC access control and their own personal smartphones as their credential to access dormitories, academic buildings and administration offices. The NFC credential seamlessly integrates with Villanova’s CS Gold campus card system from CBORD, says the school.
To enter buildings, students simply open the aptiQmobile app and tap their phone to the smart reader on the wall in the same way that they would present their Wildcard campus ID badge.
Researchers found that two-thirds of American college students are interested in using their mobile phone in place of an ID card. Students feel they are less likely to lose their phone than an ID card and they know that ID cards are shared; phones aren’t. In fact, people will almost always notice that their phone is lost faster than noticing a card is missing.
Using a phone as a credential also offers the ability to remotely erase credential data in case it is lost or stolen, providing an extra layer of security, note the companies. In a survey among the students in the Villanova trial, over 70 percent stated they would prefer to use their phone instead of a badge to enter buildings.
The enhanced convenience of using smartphones instead of badges extends to administrators in charge of access control systems. Rather than having to print physical ID badges for each student at enrollment time, a mobile “key” can be issued online by the administrator directly to the student’s phone at any time, saving the university staff time, administrative costs, and the expense of printers, ink, card inventory and other needed supplies.
In the United States, more than 40 million phones are expected to be NFC-enabled by the end of 2012, and according to a report by Market Research, nearly half of all mobile phones will be NFC enabled by 2016.
