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Customer Story - Top Digital Group

Bringing 5G IoT smart access to Spain offices and retail stores with Top Digital Group
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Headquartered in Malaga, Spain, TOPdigital Group develops a multitude of activities in various sectors from telecommunications and software development to retailing and the distribution of household appliances and electronics to 40 stores in Spain.

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With many of TOPdigital’s customers being large enterprises, purchasing mobile phones, electronics, and security equipment from them, a demand had been emerging for an end-to-end connected smart access control solution that could also be bundled with their existing electronic and security product range. TOPdigital choose Digital Keys NB-IoT smart access control to meet their customer demands.

 

"We are confident that the DIGITALKEYS NB IoT access control solution is the right fit for offices, retail stores and hotels in Spain", said Manuel Illanes, CTO TOPdigital Group.

 

TOPdigital had researched other smart access options available in the marketplace including Wi-Fi/BLE solutions, but these were deemed unsuitable due to short battery life and many customers did not have the necassary Wi-Fi mesh systems on site.

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"Some of our existing customers are Fortune500 companies, so we had to offer a solution we knew would meet their strict security and data retention requirements" said Manual Illanes CTO, TOPdigital Group

Digital Keys smart doorlock
Digital Keys at MWC

Measuring early product market fit with trials

 

Following successful trials in the TOPdigital offices in Malaga Spain, new access management software and apps were built specifically for Spanish shops, offices, banks and hotels (in the Spanish language too). Digital Keys supplied the API’s, the smartlocks and the technical support to develop the product in cooperation with software developers from TOPdigital.

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"NB-IoT smart access is a game changer for small to medium enterprises in Spain to control access to their premises", said Mr Illanes.

 

The smartlocks were connected to the Vodafone Spain NB-IoT network and hosted at the TOPdigital onsite linux servers. It was important for the system to be hosted locally, as large customers based in Spain could not have the system's data leaving the country due to EU General Data Protection regulations.

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"By offering our customers and industry partners a solution hosted in Spain with access management software designed for Spanish commercial customers, it opened many doors", said Mr Illanes.

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Digital Keys

 

Digital Keys API's and integration guides make it easy for any company anywhere to add all the features of the NB-IoT smart access system to the companies own software and apps and for local private cloud hosting too.

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TOPdigital wants to be able to continue to develop new hardware and software solutions in the future for new applications and use cases, with the support of Digital Keys.

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For more info visit https://www.smartkey.es/

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  • Why should I get 5G IoT Smart Access
    You can use 5G IoT smart access anywhere where you need to secure a property. You can use 5G IoT smart access in your house, in your office, at any work site, for community facilities, for storage spaces, for plant and equipment storage, for containers, for sheds, for hotels or anywhere else. 5G IoT Smart access is even better suited where there is people coming and going on a regular basis. 5G IoT smart access does more than secure your property, it can also be used for tracking people, providing access to people for limited time periods, or one time use, and knowing and controlling who goes where at what time. Its also useful if you don't like carrying around metal keys!
  • Are 5G IoT smart locks weatherproof
    We are working to bring 5G IoT smart access to a range of smart locks including weatherproof/weather proof locks, cabinet locks, locker locks, padlocks, and locks for any other use. As of May 2018, we have an indoor smart lock available for purchase. Send us an email to learn when new weatherproof locks will become available, or if you have a request for a specific lock that you would like to make smart with 5G IoT.
  • How Secure is 5G IoT Access?
    A lock needs to provide the best security it can get, otherwise any one will be able to break into your property at anytime. 5G IoT is a new secure network built specifically for smart devices to communicate. Here is how we provide the most secure access control system in the marketplace; 1. The mobile network itself, of which 5G IoT is a part, is a fully managed network with mature and standardized security to guarantee the credential and integrity of all data running in it, comparing with unlicensed solutions. ​ 2. 5G IoT as a mobile technology is applying 3GPP standardized security protocols at chipset level (3GPP is the organisation responsible for managing the mobile phone network). ​ 3. Between the vertical applications, our Smart Access Management Platform, all communications are running on HTTPs military grade encryption to provide application layer securities. ​All other technologies and networks used in access control technologies have been exposed in recent times as being insecure and hackable. To learn more about insecurities of other technologies please visit our page; Why Choose 5G IoT Smart Access.
  • How much is the digital keys app to use?
    Its free to use the digital keys app and to download from the online stores. The guests are not charged to use the Digital Keys app to unlock their doors.
  • Is the 5G IoT network switched on around me? How do I know if I'm in range
    For smart access to work, you will need to be within range of a 5G IoT mobile network. You can see where the 5G IoT network is switched on by checking our network page. Also if you are unsure, please send us an email. We can also use our device to read that you have good signal strength at your location before purchasing.
  • What are the opening methods of unlocking locks?
    We offer the following opening methods; smartphone unlocking via NB IoT network. Smartphone unlocking with smartphones that have NFC. NFC cards/tokens. PIN code. Metal Key override.
  • How does NFC work in 5G IoT smart locks?
    NFC is built into our 5G IoT smartlocks. See here a list of NFC compatible smart phones https://www.unitag.io/nfc/is-my-phone-compatible-with-nfc . We use NB ioT to program our locks for specific users for specific time periods (with a unique ID code) and that unique ID code can then be copied to NFC tokens, or sent from NFC phones to the lock (when held within 2-5 centimetres) of the lock to open. In some cases, the Telco may provide special SIMs with whats called a 'secure element' so that if your phone battery dies you can still unlock your doors with your smartphone. For regular users, such as in a home, we recommend you use NFC tokens such as NFC stickers, which you can stick on your smartphone, or a NFC ring (so you'll never forget your keys and be locked out)
  • Do all phones work with digital keys?
    Yes, digital keys works with any phones that can have apps. You just need to download our FREE apps from the online stores to use NB IoT smart locks and digital keys.
  • Does 5G IoT Smart Access also work with keycards?
    Yes! Our 5G IoT smart locks also work with NFC keycards, and operate almost exactly the same way as a typical keycard system does. But so much cheaper, and with none of the onsite keycard network infrastructure. You can also use NFC in your smartphone for easy unlocking rather than unlocking over the 5G IoT network (for regular daily use, such as in homes). To see an up to date list of smartphones that support NFC (updated daily) please check here https://www.unitag.io/nfc/is-my-phone-compatible-with-nfc
  • Do I have to have a phone and know how to use apps to unlock doors?
    No. You can use a variety of opening methods such as numberpads, keycards, NFC tokens such as rings, bracelets, and you can unlock in our software too. You can also make the digital keys/tokens work for selected time periods too and send them to the NFC tokens. You can also add a widget to your home screen and just click on that to unlock your lock. For some NFC phones with some special SIM cards, you can unlock with NFC even when your phone battery is dead.
  • Do I need to have Wi-Fi/Broadband on my property?
    No. The system uses Narrowband technology and NFC. Narrowband is currently being rolled out across the world on the existing mobile phone towers. However if you don’t have Wi-Fi on site, your guest’s with iPhones will need to use their mobile data to use digital keys (iPhones don’t have NFC). Its only around 20 bytes per unlock. The message to unlock the doors needs to go up the cloud and into the NB IoT network via the Telco's mobile network. Users with Android phones only need to use NB IoT network to program the locks in advance, and then you can use NFC on the phone locally to unlock the locks.
  • Will your 5G IoT Smart locks fit my door?
    Please check our technical specifications of each of our 5G IoT Smart locks to see what door types/thicknesses they will fit. If you are unsure, please get in touch with us.
  • How do I know if the locks are running out of battery?
    A battery level status is included in our software, and can be added to your customerised apps. The lock can also beep regulalry when the battery levels are low. We will also send push notifications to your phone when battery is running low.
  • How easy is it to install 5G IoT smart locks? Is it DIY?
    Yes. Please check the installation instructions for each of our smart locks on our website under 5G IoT smart locks. You can DIY if you follow the installation instructions, and if you are handy with tools. If you are not handy with tools, then our partners can arrange to install the locks for you. Please get in touch with us, to ask about install costs with our partners.
  • Can I use metal keys in the traditional way as well as digital keys?
    Yes, all the smart locks used in our system have a metal key override. We suggest, however, that the metal key be used only in case of emergencies, as our system will not be able to provide the live audit for use with metal keys.
  • How does 5G IoT Smart Access work for hotels?
    After a guest makes a booking in the normal way they do now, (whether at the OTA, the hotel website, on the phone, or on the hotel app) they can use digital keys. On the hotel app, the digital key automatically downloads to the app. For all other booking here is what happens; After the booking is made, our system (via API’s) extract the booking details, such as name, time and date of check-in details, email address, and assigns a random unique ID to these details, e.g 567 890. This ID is then stored in our cloud data base, and it is emailed to the guest (at the time of choosing by hotel, e.g 24 hours before check-in). When the time comes of the check-in and the guest wants to unlock their door, the guest sends the ID up to our cloud data base via the digital keys app (wi-fi 3G, 4G, or NFC encrypted), and the database looks at the time it was sent up against the time stored with the booking details, and if they match, then an unlock command is then sent over the NB IoT network to the lock, and the lock unlocks. For bookings made in the hotel app, the digital key is automatically downloaded into the app. For bookings made anywhere else, to get the digital key, the guest simply needs to copy and paste the booking/check-in reference number into the digital keys app in their confirmation email (along with instructions on how to locate room in email), and then the digital key will appear.
  • Does it integrate with small hotels systems?
    Yes. We can charge you a small connection set-up fee to do the integrations for you however, we need your PMS/Channel Manager/booking engine to provide us with some details before we can do this such as an API. If your current PMS/Channel Manager/booking engine cannot provide us with the details we need, then you’ll have to choose our already integrated booking engine/channel manager/PMS. The current PMS/booking engine/channel managers we have include; Wubooks; more to come soon.
  • Do I need to have a hotel app to get this?
    No. Your guests can download the Universal Digital Keys app from the online apps stores anytime. The Universal Digital Keys app will work with any NB IoT lock anywhere, and is available now on the link here. The Universal Digital Keys app for Android will be available soon. The FAQ title can be adjusted in the settings tab of the App Settings. You can also remove the title by unchecking its checkbox in the settings tab.
  • Can I get a customerised hotel app for my hotel?
    Yes, we can provide you a quote to build an app for your hotel.
  • Do I, the hotel, have to pay each time a digital key is generated?"
    No. There is no per use fee for digital keys. We charge a very small monthly/yearly subscription fee to use the system as often as you want - this will be provided to you in your quote depending on how many rooms you have. This fee is cheaper than the monthly, yearly subscription fee to use the software for making keycards in RFID systems. We have to charge this fee to cover the use of our cloud servers for hosting the system and for the connection of the NB IoT network provided by Vodafone
  • How do I allocate rooms with this system?
    Just the same way you do now in your PMS. After you allocate a room the guest can receive their email with their digital key and instructions on how to use their digital key. If you would like to offer guests to choose your rooms, please tell us about this in the set-up questionaire, and we can set this up for you. E.g for Bed and Breakfasts say with three rooms, with names for rooms, we just let the guest choose the room name in the booking
  • When do the guests get their digital key?
    Its up to you the hotelier, to decide. You can request to have the digital key sent out on the morning of the check-in (in confirmation email) after you allocate rooms in the morning. You can set up the system to automatically allocate rooms at the time of the booking, and distribute the email with the digital key at the time of booking. You can set it up for automatic send of the email within 24 hours of the booking (with automatic random room selection). You can give a digital key at the reception desk if you like. Its totally up to you the hotel to tell us in the set up questionnaire.
  • Do guests need to be connected to the internet?
    Only iPhone users need to have Wi-Fi or mobile services on to use digital keys. We recommend you send out Wi-Fi log in details in the confirmation email, so your guests can connect as soon as they arrive on site to use digital keys. For example they can still go straight to their room and use digital keys with the Wi-Fi name and password. Android users with NFC (most NFC Android phones) won’t need to use Wi-FI or mobile data to use digital keys.
  • Can I integrate Digital Keys into my own hotel app that already exists?
    Yes. We provide you with the app templates, and instructions on how your IT department can integrate digital keys into your app.
  • Does digital keys work with booking.com, or other OTA's? ​"
    Yes, you can use our API to integrate your Channel Manager to NB IoT Smart Access
  • Can I close by reception desk when I install your system?
    Yes. It all depends on the set-up, and your property size. You can select to set up the system for complete automation, or partial/remote automation, so that you won’t need to staff an onsite reception desk to check people in. Of course our system enables a 24/7 virtual check-in desk, and self check-in system, we can’t do your cleaning or other services for you!
  • What happens at check-out with digital keys?
    The digital keys will stop working at precisely the time of your check-out. For example, the digital key will work at 9:59 am, but stop working at 10:00am. You can set this for one hour later than your check-out time if you like to give your guests a few minutes leeway. After check-out the guest simply leaves, and their digital key will stop working.
  • Do guests have to stop at the check-in desk?
    No, they can go straight to their room, and open their room door with their digital key on their app.
  • Can I make the guest stop at the reception desk for their digital keys?
    Yes. You can generate the digital key and send it directly to the guests phone/app at the reception desk.
  • Can I also use keycards in the traditional way?
    Yes, you can. Our system is also a keycard system.
  • What happens if the system stops working?
    You can call the 24 hour support line and we can troubleshoot with you the problem and attempt to fix it.
  • What about cancellations?
    You can simply cancel the existing digital key or keycard anytime by logging onto the digital keys management platform and hitting the cancel digital key (cancel booking) button. Immediately the digital key will be removed from the guests phone (the unlock icon literally disappears off the screen.
  • How do I know who opened the door at what time?
    By simply logging into our digital keys management platform with the log in details we provide you on set up, and clicking on the live audit button in the menu.
  • Can I get the live audit sent to my phone?
    Yes, please notify us of this in the set-up (we will send out a set-up questionnaire after the purchase of the product.
  • How often do I have to change the batteries?
    The battery life of our NB IoT smart locks is around 1.5 years (around 5 activiations a day) with standard AA batteries. Using special IoT batteries can increase this battery life by around a year, or using D batteries can extend battery life up to 4-5 years. Please get in touch with us to learn about which locks use which batteries. Please check the lock technical description pages to learn more about each individual locks battery life, and what types of batteries they use.
  • How much mobile data is used on guests iPhones?​
    Not much – only a few bytes each time they need to unlock the door. If the iPhone user guest does not want to use mobile data, and you don’t have free onsite Wi-Fi, then we suggest providing them with a keycard.
  • Does the system work on common doors?
    ​ Yes. Please tell us the common doors on your property in the set-up questionnaire.
  • How much does it cost?
    Unlike RFID systems, and Wi-Fi/BLE systems, there are no set-up costs, or any onsite infrastructure costs to use our system. The locks become internet connected with SIM cards, and tiny modems inbuilt into the locks. All our locks come with SIM's and 2 years connectivity. Our locks are available for purchase through our distributors and re-sellers, and they will give you a quote for the costs of our locks depending on volume. Please send us an email to get in touch with our distributors.
  • How much does it cost to install?
    This will be provided in the pricing quote from your local distributor/local installer. Generally the locks can be replaced in 10 minutes per door – but this needs to be confirmed by the local distributor/installer.
  • How much per door for 5G IoT smart locks?
    ​ This will vary depending on the hardware and the software required. Generally speaking the costs will be between US$200-$300 per door (this could be more or less depending on volume, and type of hardware).
  • Do I have to change my locks?
    Not necessarily. In many cases yes. But in large hotels with existing RFID keycard systems, there may not need to be a need to change the locks, but this will be determined by the local distributor at the time of the visit/quote. If you would like to know if you need to change the locks, please send us an image and details of your existing electronic locks.
  • Can I use digital keys with phone bookings or walk-ins?
    Yes, you simply need to do the same process you do now for this. You can then choose if you want to allocate the room and the digital key immediately, or at the time of check-in.
  • Can I use the system with wristbands/waterproof tokens?
    Yes. Our system works with a range of NFC tokens from wristbands, to stickers, to badges. Please tell us what you want to use in the set-up questionnaire.
  • What type of locks does it work with?
    Please see our NB IoT smart lock page. Generally the locks work with any 3.6V and 6V electronic mortise locks. If you have a special lock hardware, you would like NB IoT smart access to integrate with, please send us an email with the details, and we’ll try to accommodate your requests.
  • Can I use digital keys for group bookings?
    Yes. Please allocate rooms for groups in the same way you do now, and then send all the digital keys (in the form of the check-in/booking reference number) and room numbers in one email to the group organiser. Big savings in having to manually make new keycards everytime by hand
  • Can I use 5G IoT Smart Access for my home, or my office?
    Yes, you can use NB IoT Smart Access anywhere, where there is mobile coverage.
  • Can I use digital keys for group bookings?
    Yes. Please allocate rooms for groups in the same way you do now, and then send all the digital keys (in the form of the check-in/booking reference number) and room numbers in one email to the group organiser. Big savings in having to manually make new keycards everytime by hand.
  • How does it work from a technical point of view?
    You will be given an organisational admin account, by which you can manage users in the organisation. Each user can be added by the admin and be appointed to different roles(e.g. admin, internal staff, visitors etc.) and assigned to different groups(e.g region A, region B etc.). Each new user will also be able to register themselves from the mobile app, and choose their roles and groups in the organisation. But their information will not be added to database before they have their their email/phone number and role verified from the head account administrator. Admin account can create digital keys(location, valid period) for groups of people or individuals. Digital keys will be automatically synced on relevant users on mobile app once they're created. Each user can also submit Digital Key Creation Request to backend for individuals or groups of people to backend, but it will not be valid before admin person approves it. The Mobile app a. mobile app uses the conventional registration -- email/phone number/password login to authentication and identify users. b. The mobile app will use secured connections to invoke our backend APIs. The API will issue an HS256 encrypted and time-sensitive token to the mobile app. c. Apart from an access token, there will not be any sensitive data stored on app. This is to eliminate the hassle of inputting login details every time they open the app. Access token will use AES-256 encryption, and the decrypt key is hidden in the app's binary data with code obfuscation to prevent from decompiling. Jailbroken devices means "root user" will be available for all application, and they can do anything on the system in theory. We are not responsible for any problem arises due to devices being jailbroken. d. Yes, SSL/TLS is used whenever possible. On site process Step one: launch the app, tap on the corresponding digital key(synchronised automatically with backend). An unlock command will be buffered. Step 2: activate touch button(or the metal part of the device) to wake up lock and establish communication with cloud. Step 3: buffered command is sent and device unlocks. Entire process takes a couple of seconds. If there is no action after step one, command will expire in 60 seconds(as default).
  • If a guest is bypassing the front desk, how do I get their ID?"
    A ‘take ID’ function can be added to the app, and emailed to the hotel. It can also be suggested in confirmation email, that the guest send their ID to the hotel. It can also be suggested that the guest stops at the reception desk at anytime during their stay to give a copy of their ID. The Terms and conditions can state that by making the booking, agree that the person staying is over 18. The guest can be asked to send their ID during the registration process for the first time with the guest loyalty app.
  • Does the system work with elevator controls?
    This feature is coming soon.
  • When will 5G IoT smart locks be available to purchase?
    ​ You can pre-order now my emailing us. The 5G IoT smart access control system will be available for purchase and installation in March 2022.
  • Do 5G IoT smart locks use Wi-Fi?
    No. We connect to the internet with 5G IoT modems/modules and SIM cards, so we don't need to use Wi-Fi. When sending unlock commands over the 5G IoT network, you can use 3G/4G or Wi-Fi on your phone - its only 10-20 bytes. You only have to use 3G,4G and Wi-Fi to remote unlock from an app, or from the Smart Access Management Platform. We can also use the 5G IoT network to program the lock for limited time periods, so you can use NFC cards and tokens (use it like a keycard access control system) or to unlock doors with numberpads. Most Android phones have NFC in them, so you don't need to send the unlock command over 3G/4G/Wi-Fi, instead you can send the unlock command (in the form of a unique ID encrypted code) to the door with NFC on your phone locally (after we program the lock first with 5G IoT.
  • Can the room be opened only by the particular guest/user who has the booking?
    We offer a number of opening methods including smartphone unlocking, keycard unlocking, and unlocking with a PIN code. If you want to restrict the unlocking to only the guest that made the booking (or just one user) for any particular room, and nobody else, then the guest will need to unlock with their phone or keycard. Of course with a PIN code, it can be shared with anyone. With any PIN code lock, its impossible to be stop the guest sharing their PIN with anyone (just like an ATM, anyone can share their PIN number, but most people don't).
  • How will the lock cease to start closing after a predefined time to prevent battery leakage?
    Our locks have a battery life of around 1.5 years at 5 openings a day with standard AA batteries. With thionyl chloride (lithium) batteries, this can be extended up to 3 years. The lock stays asleep all the time, and is woken up when the guest presses a star button on the lock, and presents their digital key to the door (in the form of the phone, keycard, or NFC card/token). The lock only wakes up for around 5 seconds to accept the unlock command over the NB IoT network, or to accept the PIN or card - and then the lock goes back to sleep. The lock automatically locks as soon as the door is closed.
  • Do the locks come with a warranty?
    All our locks come with a standard 2 year warranty.
  • What is the default way of opening locks in an emergency?
    All of our locks come with a metal key override.

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