Specifying an access control system for a building is not a product decision. It is a design decision. The hardware comes last. The questions come first.
This is the sequence we follow with every project enquiry — from a single-door apartment to a 200-room hotel. The answers determine which combination of devices, connectivity, and cloud licensing is right for the installation.
1. How many doors need to be secured?
This is the first question because it determines almost everything else: hardware quantity, gateway configuration, iBlue Cloud licensing tier, and the level of installation effort involved.
A project with one to five doors is straightforward. A project with 100 or more doors requires a different approach to gateway placement, network planning, and access-rights management.
Be precise about your count. A common mistake is specifying only primary entry doors and discovering mid-installation that service entrances, fire escapes, and internal access points also need to be secured.
2. What types of access points are involved?
Not all access points are the same.
- Single doors — a standard Smart Lock covers most cases. The device handles one access point, one Bluetooth connection.
- Gates and garage doors — these require a Smart Gate, which is designed for motorised gate operators and relay-controlled barriers.
- Mixed deployments — most commercial projects involve both. A hotel might have 80 room doors on Smart Locks and two car park gates on Smart Gates.
Identify every access type before you request a specification. A mixed deployment affects both hardware cost and installation complexity.
3. What is the connectivity requirement?
Bluetooth access control operates on proximity: a user’s smartphone communicates directly with the device. No network connection is required for basic open/close operation.
However, cloud-connected features — remote access sharing, real-time access logs, firmware updates, and remote revocation of credentials — require each device or zone to have a network connection via an iBlue Gateway.
The question to answer: does this installation require remote management? If the answer is yes, plan for Gateway placement at the outset. Retrofitting connectivity after installation is always more expensive than designing for it from the beginning.
4. Who manages access rights, and how?
For a private residence, one person manages one lock. For a hotel, the property management team needs to issue, modify, and revoke hundreds of virtual keys across multiple staff and guest categories — from daily.
iBlue Cloud provides a web-based dashboard for exactly this. But the deployment needs to be configured to match the operational structure of the organisation:
- How many user roles are needed? (e.g., guest, housekeeper, maintenance, manager)
- Are time-limited access windows required? (e.g., guest check-in to check-out only)
- Does access need to be shared remotely? (e.g., to a contractor who arrives while no one is on site)
- Is an audit trail required? (Many commercial and hospitality installations require a record of every entry event for liability or compliance purposes.)
These requirements determine the iBlue Cloud licence tier and the configuration work required before go-live.
5. What is the physical environment?
Access control hardware operates in a range of conditions. Before specifying, consider:
- Indoor vs. outdoor — exterior-facing installations require weather-resistant hardware. Not every smart lock is rated for outdoor use.
- Door type and thickness — Smart Lock compatibility depends on the door construction. Thin hollow-core doors, metal fire doors, and thick timber doors all have different requirements.
- Power source — iBlue Smart Locks are battery-powered. High-traffic doors cycle batteries faster. Establish expected replacement intervals before installation.
- Existing hardware — can the existing lock cylinder be retained, or does the door require new hardware throughout?
A site visit or detailed door schedule resolves these questions early. Discovering incompatibilities after hardware has been ordered is expensive.
6. What is the timeline?
Access control is not a commodity item. Lead time for hardware, installation scheduling, and cloud account configuration all affect the project programme.
If you are planning for a hotel opening, a building handover, or a phased fit-out, the access control specification needs to enter the programme early — not as a late-stage addition.
Start with a conversation
If you have a building and a door count, that is enough to begin. Submit your project brief using the link below and a member of the iBlue Projects team will respond within one business day (Mon–Fri, 09:00–17:00 CET).
We do not quote prices by email. For current hardware pricing, visit iblue.eu.