Adopting a smart approach to door hardware
Latest research identified 30% of individuals in the UK own smart home devices for building safety and security*. As the appetite for automated systems continues to increase, where does this leave traditional hardware systems?
Here Sumier Foster-Shah, Smart Security Product and Customer Support Manager at ERA, explores the benefits for fabricators to combine both types of systems together to offer customers customisable security solutions that deliver the highest possible standards of protection and convenience.
As homeowners look to automate their lives and make their daily routines more convenient and efficient, the demand for smart devices is continuing to increase. This presents door manufacturers with the opportunity to meet customer demand and differentiate themselves from competitors by adopting a proactive approach to security that combines the very best of connected technologies and more traditional hardware innovations.
This includes systems such as ERA’s door security solution, TouchKey, which is suitable for fabrication with composite or timber entrance doors and provides multi-factor authentication for residential door access, backed by trusted mechanical hardware.
The only system of its kind to combine five different entry methods into a single door handle, TouchKey facilitates the unlocking of the door via fingerprint access, the ERA Smart Home app, geolocation technology and voice-activated entry. For ultimate peace of mind, TouchKey also contains a hidden manual key override, with three keys supplied as standard.
Featuring advanced fingerprint technology, up to 50 different fingerprints can be stored directly within the handle to provide users with instant access to the property.
When used with the ERA Smart Home app, TouchKey can be unlocked with a single touch locally or remotely via the addition of an ERA alarm hub. Digital e-keys that have timed access can also be assigned to individuals, such as family and friends, via the app. Voice command can be utilised via the app to unlock the door on approach, without having to physically touch a smartphone.
With geolocation technology, the system can remotely unlock the handle via Bluetooth when within range, without having to physically use a smartphone.
Whilst the system features the very latest advancements in connected technology, traditional hardware hasn’t been neglected in the product’s design. TouchKey combines a smarter security door handle with an auto-firing multi-point lock and an anti-bump security cylinder to provide ultimate levels of protection and convenience.
The multi-point lock is fitted at the point of fabrication, whilst the battery-powered handle and anti-bump security cylinder are easily fitted on-site using M6 security screws, without the requirement for electrical qualifications.
Whilst the smarter handle is built for endurance and security due to the addition of a forged steel backplate and hardened plates that prevent potential attackers from removing the handle to access the lock, it also delivers on aesthetics.
The sleek, contemporary design is available in Fab&Fix’s Hardex Chrome and Hardex Graphite finishes, which are supplied with a 10-year finish guarantee and complement over 200 traditional hardware products within the Fab&Fix range to create a suited finish across the entire entrance door.
To offer homeowners ultimate confidence, TouchKey has been independently tested to BSI’s new Smart Residential Locking Device standard, which was developed in conjunction with ERA and combines the BSI Internet of Things (IoT) Kitemark with TS 621 for mechanical security with smart locking. It has also been awarded the Secured by Design (SBD) Secure Connected Device accreditation, which has been launched specifically for Internet of Things (IoT) connected products.
TouchKey is also supplied with ERA’s substantial Mechanical Hardware and Smart Security Guarantee, which ensures fabricators can provide their customers with complete peace of mind.
*https://www.statista.com/forecasts/997845/smart-home-device-ownership-in-the-uk
