The Internet of Things and latest technology also enable increasingly more intelligent and affordable solutions for door locking and remote control. Jouni Koljonen, the Managing Director of Ratna, a company developing digital solutions, has worked with access control in several companies for more than 20 years. He says the development of digital access control still gets him excited every day. 

This work inspires me because no usable access control solutions meeting the requirements of environmentally friendly circular economy, shared premises and peer-to-peer renting exist. Even the safe home-delivery of groceries is still not possible if you are not at home, says Koljonen. 

At the moment, the majority of consumers still use mechanical keys, which were invented a hundred years ago. My personal objective has been to create an access control solution which would be priced so that it is available to regular consumers as well. When I and my then colleagues accepted this challenge in the 1990s, there was no knowledge of IoT networks. At that time, we relied on 3G networks and phones and were able to accomplish a lot with them, says Koljonen. 

With IoT (Internet of Things) network technologies, devices can be connected to the Internet at a very low cost. Ratna’s access control solutions use Digita’s LoRaWan network, which is the first technology in the world that was developed specifically for the Internet of Things. Data produced by devices that use a minimal amount of energy can be transferred long distances wirelessly. According to Jouni Koljonen, existing, installed code locks, for example, can be modified to be programmed through the Internet. 

An existing lock can be updated to an IoT device, which means that the PIN code can be changed remotely by using a phone or through an internet browser on a computer. Multiple codes can be stored in a lock so that each user, for example, has their own personal code that can also have a time limit.

Better safeguarding of lock codes for apartment blocks 

The current challenge with code locks is that the codes are quickly disclosed to people who do not live in the building. For this reason, Koljonen wishes that more housing companies in cities would deploy smart code locks, which enable flexible changing of codes. 

There have been problems when a code has been disclosed to several people, but it has not been changed in the code device outside the door quickly enough or often enough. In models using new technology, the code can be changed remotely and even several times a day if necessary. 

Koljonen says that an additional advantage of code locks using a LoRaWan network is the cost level, which is approximately one tenth of the deployment cost for traditional access control. The cost of an installed code lock using IoT is 400–500 euros. 

To introduce the new locks not only to the entrances of buildings but also on the doors of apartments will also require a change in attitudes. 

It surely is a question of mindset – people don’t believe that systems like this could work. They are maybe afraid that someone uses the code to enter the apartment without permission. Price is also an issue. With Digita’s network, the price of intelligent code lock systems will decrease, but we are not yet at a level where locks could be bought anywhere for less than one hundred euros. For housing companies, the cost is not high, but it may be too high for individual consumers.

Airbnb-type services are also targeted 

One of the advantages of locking systems using IoT technology is that they can also be used in places where there is no electricity, such as in remote cabins. This could be a convenient solution, for example, for someone renting their cabin. 

We aim to take over markets for peer-to-peer renting, that is, services like Airbnb, where people rent the space they own. The person renting the space could pay the rent online and receive the PIN code in return. The code would only be valid for the duration of the reservation. 

Such a system would enable flexible entry for occasional users. With traditional mechanical keys, there is always the risk of not getting the key back.

Corresponding code technology is already used in many hotels, where guests enter using a code that is valid for the duration of the visit. 

The code lock we have developed doesn’t need electricity, as it works with batteries even when using a traditional mechanical lock. Similar solutions have been developed for a long time for mobile devices as well, but you always need to make sure your mobile’s battery is not running out and that you have downloaded the application. 

For the time being, however, mechanical keys are mainly being used in peer-to-peer renting services. 

This is another reason why I still get excited about this work, as I know that there is still a lot of work to be done. The introduction of IoT networks is one major step towards eliminating the need for mechanical keys. I believe that in 5–10 years, the situation will be different, says Koljonen. 

Originally published on the mtvuutiset.fi website through commercial cooperation.