How Bluetooth Enhances Security For Self-Storage Operators

PTI Security Systems^™ is thrilled to bring advanced Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to the self-storage industry with the launch of the HELOX smart padlock coming in quarter two of 2023. Since its beginnings in the 1990s, Bluetooth has evolved into a sophisticated application that is the backbone of many access control technologies. But how does BLE work, and how does it impact self-storage owners, operators, and tenants?

Bluetooth Low Energy Versus Bluetooth​

Before diving into how BLE affects the self-storage industry, we must explain the difference between the standard Bluetooth technology in our daily lives and Bluetooth Low Energy. One of the disadvantages of standard Bluetooth is that it consumes a lot of battery power. BLE consumes power much more efficiently than the standard Bluetooth technology, making BLE the ideal option for applications that only need to exchange small amounts of data periodically. When used for access control purposes, BLE helps extend the battery life of users' smartphones compared to the standard Bluetooth transmission. Since cell phones are crucial to many of our routine tasks, including storage unit access, these seemingly micro-improvements in efficiency lead to massive energy savings over time.

How Bluetooth Low Energy Improves Self-Storage Security 

Since BLE utilizes the tenant’s smartphone as the authentication device, there are no costs involved in supplying or replacing access control cards or key fobs. Additionally, since BLE only periodically exchanges a small amount of data (the tenant’s security credentials), BLE is more secure than traditional key cards.

BLE’s reading range is adjustable, so self-storage owners and operators can modify it for different applications. Storage facility managers can adjust the range as needed for the various access points on their site to maximize convenience and security simultaneously. For instance, a BLE-enabled padlock could require tenants to be two feet from their units to unlock them, but a BLE-enabled keypad on the same storage site could open the main gate when tenants are up to ten feet away.

Bluetooth Low Energy in Action - HELOX

Let’s say you put the BLE-enabled HELOX on a unit. When the tenant is in front of his unit, a wireless transmission is sent via BLE to the padlock. Once the tenant presses the unlock button in the EasyCode app, the phone communicates with the lock and exchanges the tenant’s security credentials. If authenticated, HELOX opens the unit, allowing the tenant to access their valuables quickly.

Additionally, the BLE-equipped HELOX enables storage owners and operators to provide fully automated web-to-unit rentals. Tenants can rent a unit anytime on the facility’s website. After receiving their credentials and downloading the EasyCode app, tenants can enter the facility and unlock the unit.

Storage facility operators can also use HELOX to automate the overlocking process. Just as BLE technology allows tenants to have easy, contactless rentals, BLE enables storage operators to use StorLogix Cloud and StorLogix Mobile to overlock units remotely and deny access to unauthorized individuals. Thus, store owners can save on human resources costs and focus their limited resources on revenue-driving activities.

For more information about PTI’s new padlock HELOX, visit the HELOX web page or contact your sales representative.