Fob
readers and the accompanying Cloud-based management system from Intratone have
transformed the management of keys and access to properties for Your Housing
Group, one of the UK’s largest housing providers.
Your Housing Group manages more than 28,000
homes, ranging from affordable housing through to private rentals.
Previously, facilities managers had to manage a physical set of keys and log
who had taken them, at what time and for what purpose. Many keys were never
returned.
The
housing association upgraded a number of properties within its portfolio to fob
access, but the original system wasn’t properly managed: almost 100 fobs were
issued to one block of six flats, for example, without being properly
controlled and without being able to trace who had them.
To
address the issue, Intratone proximity
readers were installed during refurbishment works at the front and rear
entrances of 34 apartment blocks in Liverpool and Manchester by
Merseyside-based Maintec Ltd.
“One of
the main objectives for installing the new system was to simplify key
management, especially when granting access to contractors,” says Trevor Hill,
Senior Compliance Manager at Your Housing. “With our old system, one of our
team had to escort any contractors on site which was very time consuming.
“The new
system also benefits the residents. If a user loses their fob, the operator is
able to immediately establish its identity and disable it for future use. A new
fob is subsequently activated and then dispatched. Every time a fob is used,
the data is sent back to the remote operating platform, giving operators an
overview of that particular gate or secured door’s activity. Any unusual
activity is therefore easily identified and monitored.”
Contractors
can also be granted access using their mobile phone. Authorised users with
access to the management platform can add the phone number and specify a time
limit; the number can be dialed into the entry panel to gain entry.
Steve
Cranshaw, Director at Maintec Ltd, says if a resident loses a fob, the property
manager or housing association is instantly able to establish the identity of
the fob and disable it remotely from future use: “A new fob can be easily
activated on the Intratone cloud-based management site and sent out to that
individual. This saves time and money and enhances the security of each
property.”
“The
Intratone system gives us complete control and visibility. It also means we
don’t have to approach a third party whenever a resident has lost a fob, or
someone moves out. We have been so impressed with the potential time and cost
savings that we have started a gradual roll out across more of our sites,”
Trevor adds.
Intratone manufactures a range of cost-effective
door-entry and access control solutions designed around the customer need. Its
systems are installed across a range of housing association, social housing and
private properties throughout the UK and Europe.
