SECURITY
Bluetooth technology offers a usercentric,
streamlined solution for the remote
management of user credentials.
76 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017
Using a Smartphone
as a Key
Th e rise of mobile and digital technology
is changing access control. With
embedded Bluetooth and 4G connectivity,
manufacturers are using smartphones
as a means of controlling
access to cars and homes. Th is same
technology can also be used to control
access to storage units on board the
train that have been equipped with
electronic locking solutions.
Traditional electronic access
control is managed in one of
three ways: through something
passengers have (i.e., a key or RFID
card), something they know (i.e., a
PIN), or something that is uniquely
them, such as a fi ngerprint. Smartphone
based access provides for
all three: one could argue that a
person’s mobile phone, as it is used
today, has become as unique to an
individual as a biometric trait.
Bluetooth technology off ers a
user-centric, streamlined solution
for the remote management of user
credentials. When connected with
cloud-based applications, Bluetooth
enabled devices — like the common
smartphone — can be used as a key.
Electronic access solutions that
integrate Bluetooth controllers off er
a simple solution for onboard locker
access. Time-based virtual keys can
be sent wirelessly to a smartphone
application via a cloud-based web
portal. Th e passenger then simply
opens the app to see their virtual
keys, along with the associated
locked equipment location, description
and period of access time.
To access the locker, the passenger
need only approach it and
click the access button on their
app, which transmits the encrypted
Bluetooth signal to the reader,
unlocking the door and sending a
record of the access via the smartphone
app to the cloud. Bluetooth
controllers allow the user to
open the lock without a wireless
network. Th e mobile app simply
communicates via Bluetooth with
the lock controller. At the same
time, this technology also allows
the rail carrier to monitor access
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For more information, visit www.MassTransitmag.com/10066417