Technology tracks the keys

Luther College in the small northeast town of Decorah, Iowa, has installed an active RFID-enabled security system to help it track key rings containing a number of master keys. These keys are used to lock and unlock 56 buildings and more than a dozen other key-access facilities on the colleges 800-acre campus.

The college is utilising a Realtime Locator System, (RTLS) which includes active 418 MHz RFID tags encased in black plastic and fixed to around 75 key rings. Each ring contains several master keys welded to it to prevent removal; these are stored in lock boxes.

Ten lock boxes are located throughout the campus, and RFID readers will be installed in the ceiling above the cabinets containing the boxes. Each reader includes a Power over Ethernet (POE) connection. Strategic entrances and exits across campus have readers to gain greater tracking capabilities for the movement of keys.The readers throughout the campus record when the key ring passes within range, providing a record of the rings movement.

Whenever a tagged key ring is removed from a lock box, the RFID system records when that key ring was removed from the box. The system also sends a text message or e-mail to alert designated Luther staff members of the key rings removal.

The tags have a battery life of up to seven years. The receivers can detect tag signals from as far away as 300 feet, and the system calculates the location of the tag to within a few feet of its actual position.

Supplier: Headwater Systems
Product: Watchdog Realtime Locator System