A lost key is not a problem anymore for this French student accommodation

Challenge

Student accommodation provider Easy Student already has 8 locations around France, with a ninth under construction. For new premises in Rennes, capital of Brittany in north-western France, they sought reliable, key-free locking. They wanted their new residence to be student friendly, to run efficiently — “like a hotel” — and without the unnecessary workload that inevitably comes with physical key management.

Requirements

• Secure, flexible access control for students, service providers and facilities managers using the block.
• Better, less cumbersome access management thanphysical keys can provide, including the ability to respond to any security or access incident quickly.
• Software to help them manage access efficientlyacross 83 rooms, and around 100 active access credentials at any one time.
• Support from a partner with extensive experienceproviding security solutions to the student accommodation sector.

Solution

Easy Student chose SMARTair Update on Card access control following a positive experience with these locks and JPM at another group site, in Nantes. SMARTair’s TS1000 software is one major reason for the choice. The intuitive interface and time-saving functionality make it easy for administrators to program credentials. “SMARTair does not require any technical knowledge. I trained quickly and found the software very easy,” says M. Verger.

If someone loses a credential, the TS1000 interface makes cancelling it fast and easy — a major change from the old days of physical keys, mechanical locks and key organization charts. It gives Easy Student managers the ability to change permissions anytime without visiting the doors or to act decisively if an incident occurs. “A lost key can still be used,” he says. “A lost credential can be cancelled easily.”

Easy Student programs every student credential to open multiple doors: the student’s own room, the main door and bike park around the clock; the common relaxation area and laundry room between 6.30am and 11.30pm only. “Managing this way avoids comings and goings by people who don’t live here,” he adds. “Our students are very happy with the solution. They got used to it quickly, because this type of access control is found in lots of hotels and private homes.”