Multifamily housing means a lot of things to a lot of people, and that’s important to keep in mind.
Multifamily, or multitenant, housing could mean a single high-rise building or a spread-out complex of low-rise buildings. It could mean tenants who are owners (condominiums) or those who are renters (apartments). Increasingly these days, it could mean mixed-use buildings that have retail or offices on lower floors and living spaces on upper floors.
Of course, each unit might have different amenities, such as laundry rooms, gyms and parking garages, that have to be secured. High rises also might bring elevators into the mix. Swimming pools might be indoor, outdoor or both.
That’s important to remember, because given the varieties of demands by property owners, managers and tenants, no one-size-fits-all solution exists for securing today’s multifamily housing.
“Using the right product for the right situation is really important,” says Glenn Younger, owner and president of Grah Security in San Diego. “We’ll see this perfectly good lock on an apartment pool: It’s a great lock; it’s a terrible application for this lock.”
Such inappropriate applications can lead to problems down the road, so it’s vital that locksmiths who work in the rapidly changing multifamily market take appropriate action to serve their customers.
The System’s the Solution
The first thing to note is that, unsurprisingly, electronic locking solutions have charged into the multifamily sector. In fact, some suggest that that’s why multifamily has become such a large market in recent years.
“Having the ability to change things more easily than you can with mechanical locks and keys has sort of revolutionized multifamily,” Younger says. Grah, he says, works on high rises as well as complexes.
When it comes to changing things, at the top of the priority list is keys. Tenants, regardless of the type, come and go. New tenants require access, not only to their residences (or retail spaces) but to shared spaces.
Naturally, that means that keys have to be managed, because, of course, keys will be lost. It’s bad enough when it’s the key to a person’s residence, but if it’s also keys to the building’s front door or a swimming pool gate, that could put other tenants or property owners at risk.
Electronic access control (EAC) not only bolsters security, but it also helps with key control by replacing keys with cards, fobs or, increasingly, mobile credentials. Now, in addition to making sure that the right person can enter a shared space, EAC can limit access to certain doors by certain people at certain times and days. And it all can be changed by a few keystrokes miles or even time zones away.
That raises an interesting question with regard to electronic locks in multifamily settings: What’s more important, the hardware that goes on the door or gate or the software that manages it?
“It’s a little bit of a trick question, because they can’t be separated,” Bryan Lieberman insists. He’s director of business development for multifamily solutions at ASSA ABLOY. “It’s important to make decisions about the hardware and the software simultaneously.”
Bob Welliver, national sales manager for multifamily with dormakaba, agrees.
“I don’t care if you put the best locks on a door. If the software is not set up right and it doesn't fulfill what [customers] want, they’re never going to like it,” he says. Conversely, if the software is great but the door doesn’t lock properly, “they don’t like it.”
With regards to the software, two primary considerations are in play:
- That it performs essential functions, with audit trails and the capability to issue and schedule credentials being the most important.
- That it’s part of a single system, so, for example, the doors and laundry room aren’t managed by one system and the pool and garage by another.
As long as those two conditions are met, the lock then becomes the paramount consideration. Younger points out a primary difference between an apartment complex and a hotel, which is multifamily housing of a sort.
“It’s one thing when [a lock] doesn’t work in a hotel,” he says. “You go back to the front desk, and you figure it out. It’s a whole other thing when it’s your apartment.”
That’s because in many cases, particularly suburban complexes compared with urban high rises, staff might not be on site to help in case of a lockout.
“If I rent an apartment or buy a condominium and I’m using a card or a fob or my phone as the credential to get in, it needs to work every time I go up,” Younger says.
Wired Out
If EAC is the wave of the future in multifamily, then it’s necessary to consider how to get power to the locks in all the various locations. Wired solutions remain the go-to choice when it comes to ensuring that the lock works every time, but the cost can be budget-breaking.
Battery power has gained ground in security as a lower cost solution. Locksmiths, of course, love battery-powered locks, because the locks eliminate the necessity of pulling wires or hiring an electrician to do the heavy lifting.
But battery power has its drawbacks in multifamily applications, the most obvious being that batteries have to be changed every so often, and battery-powered locks that are used on high-traffic doors will require more-frequent replacement.
Batteries also can present problems depending on the climate if they’re used on outside applications, such as swimming pool gates, says Joey Dalessio, president of Keyincode. Batteries are affected by extreme heat or cold temperatures.
“If you have a battery-powered lock on a pool in, say, New England, you take the batteries out in the winter,” he says. The lock will stay locked, preventing access, and few people would want access anyway. Leaving the batteries in would drain them of power. “If people have outbuildings and they put [battery-powered] access control on it, they have to be mindful that it’s not going to work in the winter.”
Of course, an even bigger hurdle to exterior electronic locks is moisture. That means rain and snow, for the most part, but it also could be salt spray from the ocean where applicable or even the moisture from a complex’s pool or hot tub. The latter even can apply to interior applications as well as mechanical hardware.
“That alkalinity in the air is pretty brutal on anything that’s metal,” Welliver says. “You’ll see it on hinges. Doors rot from the bottom up.”
Another challenge for nonwired locks in multifamily applications: Not all locations have good Wi-Fi reception. This might be a problem particularly at sprawling complexes, not only because of their size, but also because property owners might limit coverage only to certain buildings.
This is where a key-on-card or mobile solution, assuming cell reception is sufficient, might be appropriate, because it creates a scenario where the only connection that’s necessary is between the lock and the credential. Younger uses the old-school term “sneakerware” to describe this type of connectivity.
“The individual is taking the programming to the lock as opposed to a bit of wire or a wireless signal taking the information to the lock,” he says. “The lock is reading the credential, and the credential is telling it what to do. That concept is what has allowed multifamily housing to change pretty dramatically.”
Ask the Expert
Every multifamily housing job has its own requirements, demands and challenges. In other words, one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to security solutions.
But the reverse is true when it comes to providing solutions. Property managers and owners don’t want to deal with multiple service providers. They’re looking for “one throat to choke” if something goes wrong, according to Welliver, and, thus, one person to install the locks, wire up the system as necessary and set up the management software.
In other words, they’re looking for the security pro to be the expert. One way of accomplishing that is through product certification.
“When you become certified, you become the expert, and it makes your time and your experience more valuable and more marketable,” says Rickey Green, vice president of sales, multihousing for TownSteel.
Product certification also is desirable from a manufacturer’s standpoint to make sure that the products are installed properly and that the end user is happy, says Preston Grutzmacher, vertical business leader, residential for SALTO Systems. “Only a certified installer can deliver that for us.”
Younger agrees that certification is a good idea for the manufacturer and security pro and, thus, for the customer. He says Grah technicians receive certification monthly on different products from different manufacturers, and he particularly appreciates when manufacturers say not only what their products do but what they don’t do. He says that’s particularly important when it comes to electronics.
“If you have somebody out there saying, ‘well, I think it should do this,’ if that’s an uneducated observation, that hurts all locksmiths,” he says. “It hurts the [manufacturer], and it doesn’t help the customer.”
But more important than what you know ahead of time with respect to multifamily solutions is what you learn when you get on site. In addition to taking note of the layout of the building or complex and the strength of Wi-Fi service where available, also make sure to ask the right questions. Prime considerations:
- How will keys or credentials be managed?
- What has to be locked and when?
- What’s the traffic flow for each location?
- What are the local laws and codes for that location?
The answers will guide your recommendations. And make sure that you get answers from those who will administer the system, Welliver stresses, because they’re the ones who will deal with the tenants.
“Instead of focusing on selling the locks and focusing on the software, ask, ‘what are you trying to accomplish?’” Dalessio says. That’s how you make the solution fit the situation.
Below is a roundup of possible options at nonresidential doors.
Keyincode KIC4510, KIC5510, KIC6510
Keyincode’s locks have the same functionality but in different ANSI grades (and in slightly different designs). This is meant to provide the right amount of security based on demand and foot traffic but also work within a customer’s budget, Dalessio says.
For example, the Grade 1 lock (KIC6510) would be aimed at a garage door where tenants would open the door multiple times throughout a day. The KIC5510 is meant for medium-duty doors, and the KIC4510 is for lighter duty, such as storage doors.
“There’s no sacrifice in functionality, but you can save money,” he says.
The locks are battery-powered and Wi-Fi-capable with the addition of an optional dongle. Each one is capable of a 2,000-record audit trail, supports key-on-card or mobile credentials and includes a 12-button keypad.
The only difference is that the KIC6510 has a cylindrical latch, while the other two are mortise tubular latches. Otherwise, they come with field-reversible handing. (Different models fit on different door sizes.)
KeyInCloud access control software allows Wi-Fi-equipped versions to be controlled and monitored remotely and integrates with locks from other manufacturers, including Kwikset, Schlage and Yale.
More info: keyincode.com
Yale nexTouch Series
The nexTouch Series is part of a larger multifamily solution by ASSA ABLOY company Yale that has Accentra management software at the center. nexTouch locks come in cylindrical, sectional mortise and exit trim designs. The latter is aimed at stairwells and compatible with a range of exit devices.
The locks, all Grade 1 rated, can be accessed by card or fob, and they come with a capacitive touchscreen or push-buttons, in a variety of finishes and lever options. The sectional mortise and exit trim locks have field-reversible handing.
Although they’re part of an EAC system, Lieberman notes that the locks can be adapted if demands at a multifamily facility change — for example, the ability to manage thermostats in the same system as door locks — thus necessitating a move to a different software package.
“The locks accommodate for that technology migration with only the change of a module or a chip in the back of the lock,” he points out. “There’s no need to completely remove or replace the hardware.”
Accentra’s latest capability is to allow for scheduling the credential updater (reader) to accept credentials at certain times on certain days and lock or unlock a connected strike at, say, a pool clubhouse. Lieberman alluded to further significant upgrades without indicating specifics. Stay tuned.
More info: www.yalecommercial.com
dormakaba Saffire LX Series
The Saffire LX Series is dormakaba’s latest multifamily platform. It includes mortise, latch, deadbolt, interconnected and perimeter (exit trim) models, all of which allow for mobile credentials.
This makes for efficient lock management, according to Thomas Bowles, global multihousing project lead at dormakaba Americas, which is necessary in any type of multifamily scenario.
“When you’re talking about back-of-house offices, fitness centers, amenity centers and things like that, you can’t really talk about them as a singular point of interest,” he says.
Saffire LX locks are Grade 2 certified, except the mortise (LX-M), which is Grade 1, and Bowles notes the line’s 3-hour fire rating. Although that’s aimed at more code-driven applications, such as high rises, he says it’s still beneficial at a spread-out garden-style complex.
The locks are battery-powered, and dormakaba says the locks can get 2 years of normal use on a set of batteries. The locks also have battery-change indicators.
Access control is managed through dormakaba Community software (providing an audit trail of up to 4,000 events), and Welliver stresses the locks’ use of no-tour technology, which builds access into the credential that the lock accepts or rejects.
More info: www.dormakaba.com/us-en
TownSteel e-Genius 5000
The e-Genius 5000 is a keyless interconnected deadlatch and deadbolt that can be locked or unlocked with a lift of the lever on the inside or outside of the door. It’s accessed by card or sticker, with a mobile option through TownSteel’s app (although it has a manual key override). More important, Green says, the e-Genius 5000 is Grade 1-rated, which makes it suitable for shared spaces. Such recognition by property managers allowed TownSteel to move into the multifamily arena.
“For years, an interconnected lock was just going to be used on a residential door,” he says. “But we’re finding more [multitenant] properties, especially with renovations, are moving to the interconnected lock. They get two pieces of hardware for one price, and they also get to match the aesthetics.” Green adds that having the look of a mortise lock is important for those who seek a “big city feel,” particularly in high rises.
TownSteel’s Maxx Access software delivers the necessary features, including audit trails (2,000 events) and passage schedules, but Green notes that the localized nature of TownSteel’s system is a security advantage.
“Properties are telling us, ‘hey, we want to have everything connected,’” he says. “‘We want the Internet of Things, but we want it to be property by property.’”
More info: townsteel.com
SALTO XS4 ONE DL
The XS4 ONE DL is the latest addition to SALTO’s XS4 platform. The XS4 ONE DL is aimed at perimeter access control for smaller multifamily complexes that can’t afford wired solutions or for aluminum storefront doors in mixed-use buildings.
In addition to its capability to be managed through SALTO’s SPACE or KS software, depending on how the property is managed, the XS4 ONE DL is notable for how locksmith-friendly it is, Grutzmacher says.
“It’s a quick installation that reuses the existing deadlatch and paddle on the inside,” he says, and “it’s compatible with most existing deadlatches.”
The XS4 ONE DL’s built-in reader accepts MIFARE and iCLASS card credentials as well as mobile through its BLE connectivity.
Green notes that SALTO’s use of battery power in its XS4 locks, including the ONE DL, makes any installation easily expandable.
“To add one more wired door is a huge expense,” he says, noting that most customers expand within two years. “At SALTO, to add one more electronic lock is adding one more electronic lock.”
This allows facilities to put access control in areas that might not be immediately apparent, such as connected locker locks in a multitenant gym or padlocks for exterior gates or roof hatches.
More info: www.saltosystems.com/en-us
Will Christensen | Senior Editor
Will Christensen is senior editor at Locksmith Ledger International. He has been an editor and reporter at magazines and newspapers for more than 30 years.
