AUSTIN, Texas — HID Global, an identity solutions provider, has extended its open-architecture controller line with the introduction of HID Aero. Building on the success of the Mercury intelligent controller platform, HID Aero is said to extend flexibility and access control choices to a wide range of businesses, while future-proofing an organization’s investment as requirements change.
“HID Aero is providing features to a broader market that were generally available only in solutions for larger organizations while eliminating the ongoing cost and complexity of designing, manufacturing and maintaining panel hardware at the same time,” states Stephen Carney, vice president of product marketing, physical access control solutions, HID Global. “It also brings end-to-end security to everyday applications with encrypted communication and threat detection, and its robust features to meet corporate compliance.”
HID’s open-architecture controller portfolio is said to provide original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), channel partners and end customers an array of solutions for deploying a broad range of physical access control systems. An announcement lists the company’s range of standard-based controllers:
- HID Aero platform controllers that fit in the same footprint as earlier HID VertX® controllers and are backward compatible with HID VertX modules to simplify upgrades. The controllers include hardware, firmware, software and tools that speed development time, as well as host and controller authentication, and encryption to protect keys. HID Aero enables remote management capabilities with HID Signo and other HID readers supporting Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP), minimizing the need for field inspection and reconfiguration.
- Mercury LP Linux intelligent controllers and MR Series 3 SIO modules bring a game-changing level of extensibility, flexibility and value to security and IT departments seeking to stay ahead of the vast changes in technology. The controller’s multi-device and third-party application integration capabilities enable easy integration of wireless locks and other devices, as well as destination control and dispatch, intelligent power supply analytics, FICAM authentication and numerous other advanced applications.
- Mercury MR Series 3 SIO modules are a diverse subset of controllers that are specifically dedicated to point control and monitoring as well as individual door oversight for system expansion of Mercury LP Linux controllers. The modules provide the flexibility to choose the controller configuration that best meets customer needs.
With all controllers based on HID’s Mercury hardware platform, users can choose from a large variety of access control software providers over time without any re-investment in hardware. Systems are also easy to migrate to new software and highly configurable to dynamically enhance situational awareness.
“With over 25 years in the market and used in more than four million panels shipped globally, HID’s Mercury open platform hardware addresses the full spectrum of access control requirements,” says Matt Barnette, vice president of global accounts and Mercury, physical access control solutions with HID Global. “This ensures OEM partners, installers and end customers spanning virtually all vertical markets can select from a variety of controller solutions to meet their needs.”