The future of access is already here, but it is not what you think, says George Martinez, Director of Development at Accessia, as he explores how ultra-wideband (UWB) technology will shape the mobile credentials of tomorrow.

The mobile credentials of tomorrow

The future of access control is here and it is coming to a workplace near you much sooner than you might think.

So, what is it? It is not mobile NFC (Near Field Communication) wallets or opening an app for Bluetooth access.

It is the next generation of mobile access technology, ultra-wideband (UWB), and it delivers on all the benefits traditionally associated with mobile credentials, plus so much more.

According to recent research from HID in the company’s ‘The Industry Report: 2024 State of Security and Identity’, two-thirds of organizations surveyed have some form of mobile ID in place, with that figure expected to rise to 79% in the next five years.

With mobile IDs delivering so many benefits over traditional credentials such as cards and fobs, coupled with the ubiquity of smartphones, it is easy to understand why adoption has been so successful and widespread.

However, that is not to say that the most prolific of mobile access technologies, such as NFC or Bluetooth alone, are not without their pitfalls.

Enter ultra-wideband, or UWB, the next-generation mobile access control technology that enables true hands-free access.

Mobile credential UWB uses capabilities already present in modern smartphones to unlock at close range, with no need to tap, swipe or wave.

It is the instant, secure and seamless access experience users expect, but that other mobile access technologies do not quite deliver.

What sets mobile credential UWB apart in terms of experience is that a user’s phone can remain in their pocket or bag.

There is no need to tap a phone to the reader, meaning the door unlock is completely touch-free and frictionless and the user just walks straight through, delivering a far superior experience to traditional access tokens and indeed other mobile access technologies.

It is a familiar experience for users too.

One that has already been proven in the home with the likes of Apple’s UWB-powered Home Key, part of the company’s Apple Home smart home platform.

UWB technology is also increasingly prevalent in vehicles, powering innovations such as Tesla’s keyless car entry experience.

Consumers are always quicker to adopt innovative technology, with businesses quickly following suit as expectations for flawless and safe access experiences rise among users to match those that they regularly have outside of the workplace.

Broader benefits

When it comes to life safety, because UWB can provide more accurate badging in (and, importantly here, also badging out) data without requiring any user effort, it can also provide more precise mustering and roll call information than other methods.

Most importantly, mobile credential UWB is more secure than other mobile access control technologies.

This is because it operates at a much more precise range than Bluetooth alone so there is a lower risk of granting access to the wrong people and a reduced risk of Man in the Middle (MITM) attacks.

Because UWB can understand the distance a user is from a door and the direction from which they are approaching, it also ensures doors only unlock as users approach with intent to open them.

One of the major advantages of mobile IDs over traditional physical access tokens is the ability to provision them rapidly and at scale.

For some large organizations and institutions such as universities, there is a regular need to deploy credentials to thousands of people at once.

Doing so with traditional credentials is time, cost and labor intensive, not to mention logistically challenging and a far from ideal user experience.

And when it comes to managing and using mobile credentials, they present a more secure option given a number of factors.

Perhaps the most often touted security benefit of mobile IDs for access is that users are far less likely to misplace their smartphone and are much more motivated to do something about it if they do lose it, reducing the risk of active credentials falling into the wrong hands.

Another security advantage of mobile credentials over cards and fobs is that they are much more difficult to clone and because users are very unlikely to share them with visitors or other employees, they can deliver a more precise picture of who is onsite at any given time.

What is more, mobile credentials can unlock more value in terms of life safety and insights when paired with technology such as Bluetooth-powered location services which enables more accurate digital roll calls, including last-seen information, as well as a wealth of utilization data.

Higher security, higher efficiency

It is clear then, that mobile access credentials are more secure than their traditional counterparts and they are often easier to deploy.

Among their other advantages, they also offer an improved (and far more modern) user experience.

NFC and Bluetooth technologies are now familiar to most users with a smartphone, and people expect the same simple experiences and tech interactions they have outside the workplace to be replicated once they get to work.

Mobile access credentials meet that expectation and mean that users have one less thing to remember, or do not have to waste time at the building entrance, searching for a badge or card in their bag.

The advantages of mobile access technologies, such as NFC or Apple Wallet-based credentials and Bluetooth, over traditional access control tokens such as cards, fobs and badges are manifold and, as we have seen, are consequently being rapidly adopted in workplaces.

But are they always the best choice and do they represent the future of mobile access control technology?

Ultra-wideband is cutting-edge mobile access control that will future proof an organization’s physical security set up.

It is the ultra-convenient and ultra-secure future of access control, available now.

About the author

George Martinez has 21 years of experience in the Encrypted Communications field.

He started his career managing government classified voice networks, expanding into the world of unified communications before focusing on cybersecurity and physical security.

George is the Director of Development for Accessia, an innovative end-to-end access company with a fresh perspective on frictionless access, powered by the cloud.

This article was originally published in the special February Influencers Edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.