Smart Door Access Control
The Problem with Physical Keys
A mechanical key cannot be taken back from one holder. Recovering from a lost or unreturned key means rekeying the lock and reissuing every key.
UniFi Access ties each credential to a named person, so a departed employee is removed once and stops at every door.
Flexible and Secure Credentials
Credentials include NFC cards and fobs, a PIN, the free Endpoint phone app, Touch Pass in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, a face, a fingerprint, and a licence plate.
Ubiquiti's cards and key fobs use AES-128 and ECDSA encryption to resist copying.
Each person has one PIN. The PIN length can be fixed at 4, 6, or 8 digits or left variable. Readers with a built-in camera can show a randomised keypad layout, so a PIN cannot be read from worn keys or someone's hand movements.
Access Policies and Schedules
Access policies set which doors a person or group may open, on which days, and between which hours, with holiday exceptions. There is no limit on the number of access policies and schedules, and a user needs at least one policy to unlock any door.
A door can stay unlocked on a schedule during opening hours and lock itself at close. A door can also require two methods together, such as a card and a PIN, or require a second approved person to badge within a short window.
Revocations reach a door hub when it is connected to the console. Credentials already synced keep working if the console goes offline.
Managing Visitors and Auditing Access
Visitors such as cleaners, suppliers, and contractors get a one-time or recurring visit limited to chosen doors, gates, or elevators, invited by email or SMS. A visitor's credentials stop working at the end of the visit, and a Cancel Visit command revokes them immediately.
Every unlock and refused attempt is logged with the person, the door, and the time. You can use Alarm Manager to alert you on a door unlocked out of hours or when a new user is added.
Industry Applications
In restaurants, the opening and closing crews get door access by shift, so no closing manager has to hand over a key. The produce or linen supplier can get a recurring visitor PIN for the delivery door only, valid in its delivery window. An alert can fire when the back door opens after close, providing the camera clip of who opened it.
In medical offices, the records room or drug store can require a second person to approve entry, and every entry is logged by name. Evening cleaners can get a recurring schedule limited to the suite and the hours they work. Ubiquiti makes no HIPAA compliance claim for Access, and none is made here.
In retail shops, the stock room can use a randomised PIN pad, and the store can be locked down from the app.
For offices, every new hire can receive a default policy automatically. Users can be imported from Microsoft Entra ID or Okta on the paid UID Enterprise plan. An iPad kiosk can check visitors in with an ID scan and photo, ask the host to approve, and print a badge that works only for that visit.
Software Licensing
Touch Pass wallet credentials are the paid part of the system. Each console gets 10 free passes in a one-year trial, and then passes are bought per user per year. Cards, fobs, PINs, faces, and the Endpoint app carry no per-user fee on Ubiquiti's pages.
Implementation by CloudCentric
CloudCentric is a managed IT provider in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, serving businesses across Charleston and the Lowcountry. You can reach us at (844) 422-7000.
We start from a list of the doors, who needs through each and when, and which keys and codes are in circulation now. Readers often mount on the existing frame and drive the existing strike or maglock, so much of the door hardware stays in place.