The 2015 International Security Conference (ISC) was just presented April 15th to April 17th. This convention is billed as "The Largest Physical Security Trade Show in North America" and is presented each year in sunny, lively Las Vegas, Nevada. One would think that a large group from the locksmith community would be interested in what the security industry had to offer and would also be attracted to Las Vegas, but during my travels from one end of the show to the other, I did not see one locksmith that I recognized.
At one time Walter Cronkite hosted a TV series called "You Are There." This series depicted historical events which the audience had not seen at the time the events actually happened. I am no Walter Cronkite but will try to describe some of the interesting products ISC had to offer.
During a presentation on Wednesday, a representative from ASSA ABLOY provided an insight into the present and future plans of his company. One of the slides in the presentation stated "No Keys." This was in reference to an electronic lock they are producing which will operate in conjunction with specific alarm companies which already have alarms installed for use by small commercial businesses. These alarm companies will enable credentials such as cell phones to turn off local alarms and also unlock business entrance doors.
Salto displayed a new residential lock. Door unlocking is accomplished with a fob. As the fob is held near the door sensor, a Cloud-based signal is sent to a security center thousands of miles away. If the fob signal is accepted, an opening signal is sent back by Cloud to the individual residence and the door will unlock. According to the manufacturer, the unlocking procedure only takes a few seconds.
A new startup company displayed battery-operated, keyless padlocks which are unlocked with a cell phone. If batteries fail, the shackle can be pushed in several times in a pre-set amount of long and short pushes. The padlock will then unlock and the batteries can be replaced. Large shackle bike locks, and heavy-duty padlocks are in the planning stage.
Every electric strike manufacturer at the ISC Conference had some type of new product either on display or to be available soon. Miniature motors are replacing electric strike solenoids as companies look for ways to increase options while decreasing power drain. Introductions of so many new electric strike designs and the need for less PoE power consumption are sure signs of how manufacturers see electronic access control as becoming their primary profit centers.
A March 2015 ALOA magazine article showed how to impression keys for 5-pin Ford car locks. Those locks were precluded 31 years ago when Ford introduced a 10-cut system. 20,000+ non-locksmiths attended the ISC convention to learn about the present and future of our security industry. What must happen before both our industry leaders plus rank and file members of the locksmith industry finally understand how quickly this security industry is changing?
