A Finnish sailing club saves members’ time by securing premises with cloud-managed, energy-harvesting locks

Many businesses know this problem. Securing dispersed sites poses specific problems for facility managers. Cylinder replacements when a key goes missing often involve travel and high expense.

Any alternative access control system which relies on electricity can be hard or impossible to use in remote locations. Battery-free, wireless electronic locks, managed remotely via cloud software, help meet these challenges.

Access control challenge 

Näsijärvi Sailing Club in Finland has multiple bases all over Lake Näsijärvi, some located up to 2 hours’ sail from each other. Many mechanical “skipper keys” were in circulation, which allowed club members to unlock and use these facilities.

However, keyholder registers and many traditional mechanical keys’ whereabouts were no longer up to date. This presented a security challenge that neither mechanical security nor traditional access control could solve. The sailing club was seeking a solution to increase their security and at the same time save effort and costs.

Solution: Digital key 

Sailing Club needed wire-free locking devices suited to the club’s remote locations

For a new, more efficient solution, the Sailing Club sought a programmable digital key system to help them regain control over facilities’ security. They needed wire-free locking devices suited to the club’s remote locations, with power provided by the user key.

To manage everything, they required software that enables system management tasks to be completed from anywhere: a system that makes it easy to remove access rights from any missing keys and audit trail capabilities, so security administrators can check access logs if an issue arises.

More control with programmable smart keys

Näsijärvi Sailing Club chose the PULSE key-operated access control solution from ASSA ABLOYs group brand ABLOY to secure their premises and manage access for club members.

Around 55 PULSE cylinders have been deployed across various Sailing Club locations. Authorised members also carry an individual key that opens all their permitted PULSE locks around the lake.

Why is PULSE the best fit for clubs with remote sites?

PULSE locks are ideally suited to an environment like Lake Näsijärvi, where access points are scattered. They generate all the electricity they need to power lock electronics from the key thrust. This innovative energy harvesting technology means neither cabling nor batteries are needed, which saves running and maintenance costs for the Sailing Club.

The PULSE cylinder range includes door locks, cam-locks, furniture locks, and padlocks

The PULSE cylinder range includes door locks, cam-locks, furniture locks, and padlocks, which can operate outdoors in the harshest climates. Almost any cylinder can be switched for a PULSE device and connected without wires or drilling.

Advantage 

Another advantage is that a PULSE system is so easy to manage. The club administers it for themselves, saving them additional management costs. Secure facilities may be hours away by boat: PULSE saves wasted journeys.

“The PULSE system allows keys to be updated and disabled at any time via readers and the cloud service,” says Ari Karjalainen, CEO of Ajan Lukko Lock and a member of Näsijärvi Sailing Club.

Incidents are easy to investigate by consulting key or lock audit trails: “In cases of vandalism, the access register can be used to check whose key has been used to visit the premises and when,” adds Ari Karjalainen.