Cage, Cabinet, and Locker Control

By John Piccininni

Like most access control systems, Identiv’s Hirsch Velocity system and Mx intelligent controllers can manage access through doors, turnstiles, and gates. It is common for organizations to need controlled access to more than just doors — shared storage devices like drug storage cabinets, weapons storage lockers, and racks and cages in data centers — which most other systems overlook. The Hirsch architecture and feature set gives users the ability to control more in the most cost effective and operationally effective manner.

Most physical access control systems developed from the card access world (and their controllers) maintain a one-to-one relationship between the reader and device controlled. So, if a user had 10 cages or drawers to control, they would need 10 readers and the control equipment necessary to support them.

Because Hirsch grew from the keypad code world, we anticipated that people could enter a whole series of PIN codes and that those PIN codes could activate different functions at different locations. As a result, Hirsch systems allow authorized users to control up to 64 points of entry from a single point of control (Hirsch ScrambleSmartProx®) connected to a single controller.

Real-world applications of this capability of Hirsch systems include narcotics storage drawers in
pharmacies, elevator floor control, access to individual server racks in data centers, and weapons storage lockers at courthouses and police stations. Users can specifically control and manage the following elements:

• Which users can access which controlled point:
  – By individual point  (only one cabinet or drawer unlocks when a valid code is presented to the ScrambleSmartProx device)
  – By groups of points  (more than one cabinet or drawer may unlock)
• Authentication level:
  – PIN only or card plus PIN
  – Different users can be assigned different levels of authentication
• Access parameters:
  – Set privileges by day or week, time of day, start and stop dates, number or days of use, holiday schedules, and more

All access events — granted and denied — are logged in the Velocity database. Successful access grants will be recorded by the specific cabinet or drawer.