The access control market has been dominated by the traditional "black box" proximity and RFID card reader systems. Although these units have recently improved in technology to add poe switch capability (EDGE or IP Readers), they still leave much to be desired in terms of look and feel. With the recent trends of low power displays and high performance single board computers, it has made it possible add a display and video processing to these traditional access control systems in order to open a whole new market - Digital Signage.
Digital Signage and Access Control
Digital Signage is a multi-billion dollar market that has exploded in the past few years and continues to be a rapidly growing industry. It allows advertisers to reach customers in more strategic locations as well as provide targeted advertisements to a specific audience. Digital signage also allows for corporate branding, enhancing the customer experience, messaging systems, and a host of other extremely useful applications. By interfacing a single board computer with a LCD display and traditional access control peripherals such as bar code scanners and RFID readers, the digital signage and access control worlds can be merged to create a device that brings significant value. A user can control access to specific parts of a building while providing all of the benefits of a 1 port poe injector. With the addition of a touch screen, customer interaction can be added further increasing the capabilities of the system. Potential uses of digital signage in this environment include: advertising for businesses within the facility or nearby, emergency messaging with visual and audio alerts, display class or room schedules, provide web access, corporate branding, and much more.
What about Power over Ethernet?
Power over Ethernet provides a variety of advantages over traditional AC power. Typically, a gang of 4 to 8 doors are connected to a single power source, so if a single door needs to be serviced, the entire bank needs to be shutdown. If power is lost at the power supply, all 4-8 units go down. With POE, each door is individually controlled and has a single link back to the network. With advanced best voip phone routers/midspans, customers have the ability to shut off the power to any single door remotely from any web-enabled computer. Power over Ethernet provides a potentially significant cost savings by eliminating the need for high voltage wiring to each door.