Surveillance Technology, Inc. was recently asked to replace an older telephone entry system for another Gaspar Properties location. The Ritz on Davis Island is a multi-story historical building now providing modern residential luxury. It wasn’t difficult to decide how to upgrade their door entry system for these apartments, as they have worked successfully with STI on other properties. To help Gaspar create more access control on existing doors, a Watchman WXL system was installed to add video technology to the Ritz’s entry system.
Residents can now arrive home hassle-free with integrated Bluetooth and HID card readers. One notable upgrade from their existing phone system is the ability to see and speak with arriving guests. The new Cellgate system allows residents to view live streaming video of their visitors, speak with them by voice, and grant access from the resident’s smartphone or landline. Though many entry systems call only a single number per listing, the Watchman can automatically call up to 6 contacts via video app and 3 voice-only numbers, even detecting voicemail and moving to the next number on the list.
To further optimize the visitation experience, residents can proactively provide a QR code to grant their guests easy access on demand. A guest’s entry pass can be generated ahead of their visit and is time sensitive. For example, if your guest’s arrival time is known, you could set a tight window of time to prevent them from accessing the building at other times of day. Or you can grant all day access for a period as long as 24 hours. These QR codes are specific to the assigned guest, marrying the code to that visitor’s unique device, so the entry permission cannot be transferred or shared. In addition to guest & resident access, the Cellgate Watchman WXL, with a color touchscreen resembling a large tablet, is equipped with a hard copy postal key, which can be used by mail carriers to facilitate daily deliveries.
A consideration most entry system shoppers – and even installers – may not consider up front is the aesthetic appeal and integration of new equipment with the physical building. For example, the old and new call boxes were different sizes, creating a need to extend the wall’s finish to areas previously covered by equipment. In particular, the Ritz’s exterior is not a smooth, simple texture. It had been stuccoed by hand, similar to other Spanish-inspired buildings in the area. As a result, STI installers had to carefully cut in around the new equipment and refinish the surrounding areas to match the rest of the wall. This level of finesse is something buyers should keep in mind when looking to replace surveillance equipment that doesn’t match the size and shape of their current system.
With CellGate products, property owners can manage all of their locations on a unified, cloud-based system, from anywhere in the world. TrueCloud web-based portal administration offers stability, scalability, and redundancy to keep your properties safe around the clock. Their system upgrades are available in real time, without the need to manage updates locally.
