Is NFC the Future of Access Control?

In a pilot program, Arizona State University students and staff used Near Field Communication-enabled mobile phones to enter their residence hall. The technology could eventually provide an alternative to ID cards on campuses.

December 12, 2011 Robin Hattersley

Another challenge was that students had to stop what they were doing on the phone to open the app so they could open their door. This issue could be addressed by running the app in the background all of the time, but then security might be compromised.

Interference with metal objects and app failures, which required them to be reset and relaunched, were other problems experienced in the pilot.

Students Like NFC ‘Cool Factor’
Overall, however, pilot participants liked NFC for access control. Ninety percent said a phone is just as convenient as using their Sun Card. They also liked the “cool factor.”

“All the other students saw the phone being used to open the door and said, ‘Hey, where can I get that? I want that too,’” says Ploughe. “That alone was a big win-win for all of us in that, yes, this could be a viable solution. They want to use this because they think this is the new, cool technology.”

Although the pilot participants enjoyed usin
g NFC, that doesn’t mean it’s ready to be deployed campus-wide.

“We would love to, but I don’t think the industry is ready for it yet,” says Ploughe. “NFC phones are not generally available, with the exception of the latest BlackBerry.”

Lack of standardization among cell phone carriers, handset manufacturers and security manufacturers is probably the biggest barrier, Plough claims. Most have proprietary equipment, and there is infighting among everyone as to who will own the technology.

Ploughe is hopeful the technology will be ready for widespread use in one or two years when a business model has been developed that allows all of the players to get their piece of the pie.

Study Shows College Students Want to Use Cell Phones as Credentials
Two-thirds of American college students are interested in using their cell phones in place of an ID card, according to new research by Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies (IR). In a study titled “Effective Management of Safe & Secure Openings & Identities,” IR reports that nearly half of the 140 students surveyed identified cell phones as their favorite personal electronic device. Additionally, almost half of all respondents reported using cell phone apps to manage classwork, check grades, communicate with professors, and receive notifications and alerts.

Similar to the introduction of smartcards and biometrics at universities, many early adopters in the college population are already comfortable with the idea of using a cell phone as a credential, says IR Vice President of Education Markets Beverly Vigue.

“This ties in nicely with the budding discussion on NFC [near field communication], which will inevitably end up on cell phones,” she says. “No Visa card; no MasterCard card — only your cell phone will be needed for cashless payments or to show your identity.”

Currently, there are few phones with the NFC capability. However, the availability of the phones and their infrastructures should increase dramatically within the next couple of years as the population grows, Vigue says.

“It is important to understand that the solution is still in the testing phase. It’s not yet ready for mass commercialization. Plus, it’s hard to determine what the phone providers will charge for having this attribute,” Vigue says. “Nonetheless, as with the use of smart cards and biometrics, the early adoptors will be on college campuses, ready to bring the technology to the commercial market along with themselves and their degrees upon graduation.”

Source: Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies

What Is Near Field Communication?
Near Field Communication (NFC) allows for simplified transactions, data exchange and wireless connections between two devices in close proximity to one another, usually by a few centimeters or less. Normally the devices used are mobile phones.

Previous pilots have been conducted internationally, such as in Germany, Sweden and Malasia. NFC can be used for contactless payment, transportation, healthcare and, in Arizona State University’s (ASU) case, access control.

At ASU, students were provided with phones that had HID’s Secure Identity Objects (SIOs) — which are virtual identities — embedded on them. To open doors to their dorms, students would open an app on their phone that would activate the SIO. They would then put the phone very close to an access control reader that was on the door. Some of the doors used in the project also required PINs.

Scott Goldfine and Ashley Willis of Security Sales & Integration magazine also contributed to this article.

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About the Author

Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief

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Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.