Anker Foundation
Secure, sustainable and smart solution for student housing
About the customer
The Anker Foundation’s (Anker STI) purpose is to own and manage the operation of residential facilities for apprentices and pupils at vocational schools and students at colleges and universities. Also to provide good and affordable housing for students studying in Oslo, Norway. The foundation also engages in hotel activities, and other activities aimed at making operations financially sound. Their portfolio includes a hotel, a bunk-bed concept, business premises and 2700 student apartments spread over seven locations in the city center of Oslo in Norway.
About the project
Being based in the city center, garbage bins reserved for residents were frequently used by unauthorized people. Anker wanted to find a good way to secure the bins so that only the residents could use them. At the same time, they were planning to update an old locking system used in about 500 apartments due to problems with delivering keys that were no longer being produced. Their first thought was to install the same battery-powered digital locks that had been installed in other properties ten years ago so that all apartments would be under one system. But those locks and the batteries in them had difficulties with Oslo’s cold winters, and the technical team had to spend a lot of time keeping them working. Therefore Anker was searching for an alternative.
The solution
Anker was in contact with a company regarding the issue with the garbage bins who told them about iLOQ. Impressed by iLOQ’s battery-free solution, Anker also discussed the possibility of using iLOQ with their student housing portfolio. As Anker was aiming to streamline the entire key management process to empower students to be more self-sufficient, iLOQ strongly recommended using the mobile locking solution alongside GuestCompass to create a good user experience for the student community.
Changing the locking system affects many parts of Anker’s organization; especially when switching from using physical keys, tags, or tokens to a mobile-key solution. In the past, decisions about the locking system were made by the finance, maintenance, and property management departments. When switching to mobile keys, operations also becomes important.
Anker visited a location in Amsterdam to see an example of this change in action. The location included buildings that were 300 years old, 50 years old, and only 3 months old, but all were equipped with iLOQ. This helped to convince Anker’s maintenance team and property management staff that this was a solid solution. They also got to chat with students who were happy and expressed that everything was working smoothly. This helped assure the housing administration that the solution was functioning well.
The Anker Foundation decided to update their access system to iLOQ’s battery-free smartphone-based solution. To date, iLOQ cylinders have been installed to 1000 apartments with 2000 iLOQ phone key licenses in use.
Anker’s slogan is ‘with a heart for the students’. iLOQ and GuestCompass help us put the students’ needs first. Installation was super smooth, and day-to-day administration is minimal. To sum up in one word, iLOQ’s locking system is magical.
How student life in Norway became more secure, simple and smart.
Sustainable solution
Digital locks that don’t need batteries aligned perfectly with Anker’s environmental goals. The power needed to recognize access rights and open locks comes from the NFC induction of the student’s smartphone when it is held against the lock. This removes the need to purchase batteries and pay for the maintenance to continually change them and eliminates unrecyclable battery waste.
Simple installation
iLOQ’s cylinders are easily programmed and quickly inserted into the existing doors. No wiring or extra equipment is needed, which saves time for multiple other projects.
Easy integration
iLOQ’s solution can be easily integrated with other existing systems to further enhance security and the user experience. To streamline the entire key management process and empower students to be more self-sufficient, iLOQ’s smartphone-based locking solution is integrated with the GuestCompass communication platform.
The combination of iLOQ + GuestCompass – a key app alongside an ‘Anker’ app with communication features – solved the issue.
Smart living
Students are more self-sufficient. When they have signed their housing contract, they receive an email which explains how to download the app and receive their phone key. They can then check in when they want. This gives administrators more time to help students that need more assistance. Students take more care of their smartphone than they do physical keys eliminating administration to do with lost keys.
Anker’s journey with iLOQ and GuestCompass signifies a successful embrace of technology, ensuring a seamless living experience for their students in Oslo.
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