Emka outdoor lock management intelligent control

Fast internet and interference-free telephony is the purpose of many outdoor control cabinets or telecommunications enclosures. Their outdoor installation at the roadside sometimes makes them a target for vandals and hackers. In order to protect the sensitive electronics and only allow access to authorised persons, Emka has developed an outdoor lock solution: the low power outdoor handle forms an intelligent system with a wireless cabinet that transmits data to a central management unit with real-time monitoring.

Locking solutions from Emka are used in order to control access. Two and a half years ago, Emka started cooperating with a major security technology distributor and other large independent companies from the telecommunications sector wishing to develop intelligent outdoor lock solutions. This initially resulted in a project of around 500 switch cabinets which were fitted with about 1,500 Emka electronic swinghandles from the 1307 program. This concept has now undergone further development, and the result is the low power outdoor handle.

Andy Billingham, managing director of Emka UK, said: “It is the next step in outdoor lock management – a passive, wireless mechanism without power connection and an intelligent lock with an integrated card reader which form a completely new solution certified according to RC2 for burglary protection.”

Real-time monitoring with the Emka system saves time and costs: a LoRa/NB-IoT connection transmits data to the central network operations centre (NOC) so the responsible employee can monitor all locker status via real-time monitoring on the display. This includes how long the lock and door have been open, the temperature inside the enclosure, whether water is penetrating into the cabinet, or whether the cabinet is tilted by more than eight degrees, for example by vandals.

After receiving an automatic message in the event of a malfunction, the NOC can send a technician specifically to the site in order to check on things. The completely de-energised, battery-operated cabinet can be opened with a compatible key or smartphone – but only if access has been granted in advance. The result is that the operator benefits from efficient maintenance and has complete control over the status, while saving time and costs.