Can’t I just buy a smart lock for my office?
Growing a business is exciting but new pain points start to arise - specifically key management for new employees, contractors, and interns can become tedious work.
A lot of businesses are looking for better ways to manage access. Digital keys on a smartphone are not only more secure but a lot more convenient. It’s a smart decision for the office. The failure comes when the solution to a commercial access problem is a consumer smart lock.
Here are a few things to consider when shopping for smarter access:
How many types of doors do you have?
Smart locks are great with securing the front door of your house but when a business has multiple entry points, internal offices, meeting rooms, server rooms, or even multiple locations, they fall short.
A lot of smart locks have strict requirements on the type of door - typically deadbolts. Office doors differ so you may be out of luck. Smart access platforms like Nexkey allow you to connect any type of door to one platform.
Do you have an outside gate or garage?
If you find yourself still carrying around a fob or key for an outdoor gate or a garage in addition to your new digital keys then the convenience of the smart lock starts slipping away.
You want to make sure the solution is weather proof and can be outside. Smart locks were designed for the comfort of your home and do not support outside doors. Nexkey can do both.
How many people need access?
It is important to note how many people come to the office every day. Three? Then a smart lock will work ok but if your answer is above 15 then keep reading.
Smart locks are really designed for a few unlocks per day like you would see at a home. After some wear and tear, some businesses experience the smart locks falling apart after a few months.
How long before I need to replace the battery?
Access control like Nexkey is designed to be extremely low power so the battery can last years, even with 100 people coming into the office every day. In fact, Nexkey batteries will last 14x longer than traditional smart locks. That’s 14 months versus 1 month for a business and 14 years versus 1 year for a home before the battery needs to be changed.
Do you need an audit trail for who had access?
The key logs are crucial for SMBs who need to know exactly who is accessing the space and when. Whether it is for employee tracking or HIPAA requirements for healthcare, Nexkey has a dashboard available to quickly download access logs.
Do you need to integrate with third party apps?
Smart locks have a lot of integrations similar to a smart access platform but tend to focus around personal devices in the home like turning on the lights as you walk in. If you wanted to automatically send a key when your new client who paid for a desk in your co-working space, then you need access to an API. For more information about Nexkey’s API, you can go here.