ProdataKey’s pdk io is the latest development in the company’s wireless access control portfolio, giving dealers and integrators the capacity to do a true cloud-based managed access offering.
The company’s wimac wireless mesh access control allows for customization, from full wireless to combinations with network controllers to leverage existing networks, the company described. wimac provides up to a one mile line-of-sight wireless range, an average 450 foot indoor range, a smart healing wireless mesh network, AES encryption and up to 1,000 connected devices.
“A lot of companies are moving to network-based access control, but that doesn’t eliminate the problems of wire,” said Jeffery Perri, president, ProdataKey, Salt Lake City, Utah. “You still have all of that labor and the only difference is the cost of the cable. It is arguable that IP-based access can even be more labor-intensive due to having to work with IT, the server infrastructure and ultimately, managing those pieces.”
From the head end to the controllers, wimac is a full wireless platform, he said. “We eliminate the home run from the door, back, which is a much less intrusive install and a cleaner installation.”
Combining wimac with pdk.io (pdk’s cloud infrastructure) adds value to the solution, Perri added. “The benefit behind a true cloud solution is we are connected to servers in the cloud and all the interaction is through pdk.io, which has a connection back to each one of the sites as well as redundancy.”
pdk.io cloud offers 180-day cloud backup, the ability to add/delete or manage users from any device, real-time features and configurable email and text alerts.
The pdk io product line includes a range of intelligent io controllers that provide flexible communication methods through wimac wireless, plus networked and PoE connectivity. Consisting of a master panel and single or eight-door wireless panels, it can accommodate one to 1,000 doors, but the sweet spot is 30 doors and under, Perri said.
“The entire platform has been redesigned and redeveloped to make our controllers smarter and more efficient in reporting and connecting to the cloud,” Perri said. It is also considerably less expensive. The original cost of our one-door system was $1,380 to the dealer. With the new cloud platform the cloud node is $550 to the dealer. It has reduced the cost significantly, making it more affordable to the dealer to sell product that provides them with RMR.”
The managed services opportunity is also new, he added. “Before, we were simply facilitating a remote desktop connection to a local server. We didn’t have the ability to have all the customers [partitioned] there on the dashboard.
“With this wireless managed access control platform our goal is to decentralize access control, making it available to everyone. In traditional access you may need 30 doors to justify the cost. With this it is completely decentralized so you can install 30 doors at one location or one door at 30 locations. That is the value of a cloud-based platform.”
Other key features include streamlined mobile configuring, allowing dealers or end users to program, add or delete from anywhere; real-time email and text alerts through pdk io; and a responsive platform that automatically configures to whatever device is being used; and several API integrations with leading manufacturers to allow for more integrations.
Perri sees the managed access control concept as one that could potentially change the game for dealers and integrators in the access control space.
“If you look at security companies this will give them the ability to take some of the cost of the equipment and subsidize it by monthly fee, which could be a significant benefit to a user who only wants one or two doors. Now that barrier to entry is so much lower. We believe we will see the same thing that happened with the security market, where companies are subsidizing the equipment cost for a monthly RMR and covering it with some sort of agreement.”
Visit www.prodatakey.com for information. —By Karyn Hodgson, SDM Senior Editor
