Security suppliers in race to upgrade

COMPETITION is keen in the locking systems industry, and many of the suppliers to the hotel sector were cheek by jowl in the Technology Centre.

A recurring theme around their stands was of upgrading to newer technology, without having to replace complete systems.

Compart Engineering, which took over the Yaletronics portfolio when Yale pulled out of the hotels sector, launched its "Intellikey" product at the show.

This is an electronic lock cylinder and smart key, to replace the cylinder of a mechanical lock. The cylinder contains a microprocessor, which recognises the smart key. There is another step to come: a networked version, controlled from a central computer.

Compart has also updated the Yaletronics CL10 Optic system - which verifies keycards by reading the series of holes punched in them.

The new CL10M lock reads a magnetic-stripe card, which can hold the identity of the booking and the hotel room number, and which can also be used to post charges to the guest folio. The upgrade costs about £10,000 to replace the hole-punch equipment and software with a system for making mag-stripe keycards, plus about £90 per lock.

Peter Ferstendik, who had been running Nukey Systems since last autumn, is now managing director of Smartlock, which has recently acquired Nukey from the receivers.

The company is developing a device for interrogating its electronic locks, operated either with mag-stripe keycards or with smart-cards. A prototype of the system was being demonstrated at the show.