iLOQ brings access control to the door with its innovative digital key system that requires no wires and no batteries, providing easy retrofits and scalable security for customers including school districts, multifamily developments, university student housing, critical infrastructure, hospitals, utilities and even the Empire State Building.

“Nine out of ten times customers keep their own door hardware on the doors. You don't need to re-prep the doors, drill holes in the doors, violate fire ratings on the doors. All it is a simple cylinder retrofit in their existing hardware. And then by simply retrofitting the cylinder, it turns a regular mechanical lock into a smart lock, all independent of batteries, wires, any infrastructure whatsoever,” explains Chief Business Officer Robert Mancuso.

The smart lock is powered by the users’ mobile devices, and those mobile devices are the bridge between the cloud and that cylinder, via the app. With an open API and SDK, it integrates with any platform.

The system uses Near Field Communications (NFC) technology. All the power comes from the users’ phones. When a user touches their phone to the cylinder, the photo transfers power to the cylinder, waking the cylinder up enough to read the credential and grant or deny access. At the same time, the user’s phone is sending that audit trail information up to the cloud.

“And that's how we avoid all the wiring, all the Wi-Fi, all the infrastructure in the building necessary for everybody else to operate,” Mancuso notes.

“I can't even tell you how many hundreds of thousands of batteries we've saved over the last 20 years. Everybody's using these Bluetooth locks that are battery powered. Everybody's supposed to responsibly dispose of those batteries. They don't, they just toss them in the trash,” he adds.

Though iLOQ may be fairly new to U.S. customers (entering the market in late 2023/early 2024), the company, based out of Finland, has been in business for 23 years. With a presence at major trade shows like ISC West and GSX and two distribution partners, the company is making inroads in the U.S. market.

A notable installation is the iconic Empire State Building, where it wasn’t feasible to run wires and drill into a historic building. “We are retrofitting the Empire State Building right now, and it's taking three minutes per door. And the main reason is not just because of the functionality of what we offer, but the Empire State Building is considered a historic building. … We didn't have to touch the doors,” Mancuso says.

The product is ideal for a wide range of vertical markets. “Well, the mindset has always been penetrate, then saturate, right? I believe that once someone puts it on one or two doors, they see the benefit, they see the flexibility, the simplicity of it, and then they start to find other locations to install. It's multifamily, it's a great fit. Data centers, great fit. Student housing, we've had a huge amount of success in the student housing market. And on the commercial side, quick-serve restaurants and retail. Anywhere where there's high key turnover, we're an ideal solution because they don't ever have to worry about re-keying again, they just do it digitally.”

There’s also a lot of potential for Security as a Service /recurring revenue. We're trying to show that by working smarter, security pros can get more done and make more money. Now they have an opportunity to sign with a service level agreement and expand their offerings. It's a total paradigm shift for people, he adds.

Watch Mike Singer, President of Protection Technologies, demonstrate the cylinder at ALOA: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nFStdIvFShw

iLOX cylinders are available through two distributors in the United States: Protection Technologies on the East Coast, and South Bay Hardware on the West Coast. For more information, visit www.iloq.com