Increase Security for Gated Communities without Invading Privacy

A recent exposé broadcasted by CBS 12 (West Palm Beach affiliate) revealed that there are communities implementing access control systems that allow for some questionable procedures. The investigative piece raised concerns about the practice of scanning and swiping visitors’ driver’s licenses. Legal experts recommend that HOAs should not rely on these practices as most states (including Florida and California) have strict rules concerning data collected on individuals, including information on Driver's licenses. Violations can result in hefty fines for the community.

Tap2Open provides an innovative solution that gives communities an access control system that provides security and convenience without the need to scan or swipe visitors’ IDs for security. The key to that is the realization that smartphones can be used to invite and identify visitors.

What makes Tap2Open more secure?

Guests are invited directly by residents and the invitations can be tied to their smartphones, which means that an invitation forwarded to another person will not work. When visitors approach the gate, they can tap a button to the corresponding gate right from their smartphone which will trigger a request to Tap2Open's cloud-based system. Within milliseconds, this request is authenticated by the Tap2Open service which will in turn securely send a signal to the gate controller for it to open. Key security features of the Tap2Open solution:

• Guests receive a unique invitation tied to their smartphones

• Requests to open gates and doors are encrypted

• No information is stored in the gate controller or local hardware

• Smartphones do not interact directly with the gate controller preventing data interception

How does Security staff interact with the Tap2Open solution?

Tap2Open’s SmartGuard provides an easy-to-use dashboard for security personnel, giving them access to all the invitations generated by residents thus allowing communities to implement an additional layer of security to their access control process. With SmartGuard, Security Personnel can:

• Quickly search through any scheduled visits using name, phone number, address, or unique PIN code

• Check for special instructions (Ex.: "Invitation for Amazon Prime delivery"; "Driver is expected to be wearing blue shirt and needs to show company badge")

• If an unexpected visitor arrives, security personnel can collect visitor information, contact residents for visitor verification, then grant the visitor access all while preserving accountability and traceability

• Residents can receive notification of each entry transaction and view arrival history at the convenience of the Tap2Open app or desktop dashboard

You can read the original CBS 12 article as well as watch the original piece here: https://cbs12.com/news/cbs12-news-i-team/i-team-gated-communities-storing-visitors-personal-information

If you want to learn more about the Tap2Open solution, please contact us at sales@Tap2Open.com or 561-740-6736 ext. 1.