Newsbriefs: aptiQ™ Multi-Technology Readers Upgrade Security

Jan. 3, 2013

CARMEL, IN – Ingersoll Rand introduces new aptiQ™ multi-technology readers, which read both proximity and smart credentials and provide multi-family building owners and managers with a simple migration path to electronic access control and increased credential security levels. Instead of using mechanical keys, owners and managers now have a solution that will read a variety of credentials, including proximity and smartcards. The readers are also NFC- compliant, letting owners provide their residents with the ability to use their own smart phones, instead of cards, as credentials in the future.

“The aptiQ™ readers are a newly designed product, both aesthetically and from a technology perspective,” emphasizes Chris DeSchamp, portfolio leader, electronic security at Ingersoll Rand. “They read both proximity and smart credentials and are ready for the future with built-in NFC mobile phone compatibility. With an industry-standard wiring scheme and new quick-connect harness, installers can wire the harness without the weight of the attached reader. Unlike proprietary readers and credentials, aptiQ products provide customers with the freedom to choose their own partners.”

While125 kHz proximity technology is the common technology in today’s electronic access systems, 13.56 MHz smart card technology provides a higher level of security and storage at a comparable cost. For that reason, many organizations migrating from mechanical keys to electronic access control are moving directly to smart cards. However, since the aptiQ multi-technology reader speaks to both proximity cards and smart cards, building owners who currently utilize either of these types of credentials can benefit from the new aptiQ™ solution.

The aptiQ™ readers read the card serial number (CSN) of most 13.56 MHz smart credentials and are able to communicate with the growing population of NFC enabled mobile phones. All aptiQ™ readers are FIPS 201-1 compliant, important for military multi-family housing, and have been approved by the US Government under HSPD12 as PIV Transparent Readers.

aptiQ™ readers are extremely easy to install, using a quick-connect wiring harness and a familiar standard wiring color scheme. Providing a streamlined offering of fewer readers with multi-technology capability, Ingersoll Rand meets the large variety of access control product needs without a confusing number of complex choices.