STANLEY Product and Technology designs app-based PAC8 access control solution for SMEs

Designed as a scalable system for small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), the pioneering PAC8 access control solution from PAC, a STANLEY Product and Technology company, uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and app-based functionality to offer a whole new level of reliability and flexibility.

IT and mobile communications have had a dramatic effect on the security industry by facilitating the development of new technologies that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. When it comes to access control, tokens and smartcards are replacing traditional locks and keys within SMEs, and PAC8 bridges the gap for those looking for innovative electronic security solutions that exploit the benefits offered by smart devices and the cloud.

Negating the need for a constant connection to any software, PAC8 can be configured and controlled using any Apple iOS or Android smart deviceApp-managed access door controller

Every PAC product is designed to provide state-of-the-art access control and this ethos is encapsulated in PAC8 – an exceptionally secure, compact and feature rich single door controller that is managed entirely through a dedicated app and uses high frequency (HF) tokens.

Negating the need for a constant connection to any software, PAC8 can be configured and controlled using any Apple iOS or Android smart device, which gives end users complete flexibility in terms of how they operate the system. Communication between a smart device and controller is made possible through the use of BLE, which is widely recognised as the easiest and most effective way to add functionality to a device, so that it can talk to any modern mobile platform.

PAC8 is so advanced that it boasts 90 percent of the features normally only associated with PC based systems and, just as importantly, BLE removes the need for a physical IT network infrastructure, including expensive data cabling.

PAC8 has an integral touch sensitive request to exit (RTE) button that, if installed locally to the door, eliminates the need for an additional RTE button, making the system more cost effective

Integrated request to exit (RTE) button

The installation process has been made as easy as possible – simply complete a one-time registration, download the app to set-up and configure the PAC8 system, create a customer account for the end user and add their controller serial numbers. This process is completed via the cloud, where information is also stored, offering the additional benefit of allowing synchronised events to be viewed on demand.

Then it’s simply a case of installing the controller – a process that is helped by the size of the device itself, which fits into a standard electrical back box. PAC8 also has an integral touch sensitive request to exit (RTE) button that, if installed locally to the door, eliminates the need for an additional RTE button, making the system more cost effective. Once this process has been completed it’s then a case of configuring the system to match specific requirements.

Changing user access privileges, creating new users or deleting redundant tokens is straightforward and doesn’t require the input of an installer

Control in the hands of end user

The system can be handed over to the end user at the press of a button. At this point, to keep it secure, the installer loses their ability to control the system and the end user uses their own installed app to make configuration changes when necessary, while updates can be transmitted to the controller via the app using BLE. Changing user access privileges, creating new users or deleting redundant tokens is straightforward and doesn’t require the input of an installer.

If, at a later date, the help of an installer is needed to carry out more complex work such as preventative maintenance, changing time profiles or scaling up the system with new devices, access privileges can be granted by the end user. For the installer, their support can be given off-site at a convenient time, as the end user simply gives them access privileges to ‘see’ the system again, make any required changes and then hand control back. If the installer forgets to hand back at midnight, the system will automatically refer exclusive control back to the end user.

Each QR code is encrypted, unique to a specific token and can only be read by the PAC8 app

Protection up to 8 doors

As its name suggests, PAC8 can protect up to eight doors, operates with up to 250 keyholders and allows access permissions to be tailored to match specific roles. It allows the user to configure a maximum of four time profiles, of which each can have four time periods. One of these time profiles can be assigned to a keyholder or a door.

SMEs and the buildings they occupy are constantly changing, so PAC8 has been carefully designed with flexibility in mind. End users can add tokens through the app in four simple steps – add the user’s name, click on the doors the user is to be allowed access to, scan the QR code on the token using the device’s camera accessed via the app and press save. Each QR code is encrypted, unique to a specific token and can only be read by the PAC8 app, while keyholder and event information is stored both in the controller and the cloud.

PAC8’s HF tokens have been tested to meet Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 128 bit compliance, which further reduces the risk of token cloningEncrypted with AES 128-bit compliance

A chain is only a strong as its weakest link and the use of QR technology protects against attempts to read tokens by unauthorised scanners. Furthermore, even though it is a cost effective solution, PAC8’s HF tokens have been tested to meet Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 128 bit compliance – a standard recognised as being ultra-secure. This further reduces the risk of token cloning and adds to the security of an end user’s building.

PAC8 represents a massive step forward in the availability of cost effective, reliable and flexible access control for SMEs. Quicker to install than traditional hardwired systems, and easy to administer and use via any Apple iOS or Android smart device – using the relevant iOS and BLE 4.2 – PAC8 delivers a modern method of system installation and management. Thanks to the use of app based functionality, BLE and secure cloud storage, end users can take advantage of an intuitive solution that makes complex, expensive and time consuming access management software a thing of the past.