The Merchant’s Academy, which opened in September, has installed an integrated solution that can provide full access control of all perimeter doors and internal areas and also incorporate photo ID cards, library ticketing, cashless vending and photo printing and copying.

The Salto XS4 solution includes 4K MIFARE cards operating via the company’s Pro Access software to control 185 on-line and off-line doors while also securing access to laptop computer stores using on-line wall readers teamed with electronic locks. XS4 also has the ability to program keys to allow access to specific rooms or areas for selected periods with the doors locking at pre-specified times.

A similar locking system was used in Cairo to control access via standard issue student and staff ID cards that could provide them with everything that a hard wired system would deliver but in a mix of on line and off line stand alone wire free formats.

That includes controlling 1,500 doors in student dormitories, classrooms, laboratories and offices and placing 500 wall readers in strategic locations throughout the campus. In addition to these, students and staff will also use their Mifare enabled ID cards to access elevators and car parks as well as use them to check out books via the university’s library card program.

Besides the hardware, the heart of the new access control system is the Salto Virtual Network software which enables the XS4 locks to read, receive and write information to the students’ and staff’s smart ID cards. Since most access related information is kept encrypted on these cards, the wall readers are able to update and receive information from the cards at any time.