Apartment Access Technology Must Fit the Resident Type
Integration, age demographics and communications lead to better outcomes, OpTech panel said.
Apartment operators have plenty of options to choose from to create connected, smart buildings and selecting the appropriate access solution and connectivity network will go a long way toward making the right investment.
A panel spoke to potential trouble spots and creating better outcomes on Monday at National Multifamily Housing Council’s OpTech Conference at National Harbor, Md.
Lisa Moore, Director of Design Innovation for JPI; Jeff Morrison, Senior Director, Brivo; and Blake Miller, CEO, Homebase shared their thoughts with moderator Amy Chien, Director of Strategic Innovations, BH Properties.
“Instead of thinking about access control as being something that keeps people out, you should think of it as something that lets people in,” Morrison said, citing the proliferation of deliveries, dog-walkers and other community visitors.
Moore currently is working on 24 properties that are either in the design stage or are under construction. She said that proper advance planning will save a lot of headaches for developers and site teams.
Moore said, “The first question I ask is about integration and the ‘smart building OS,’ ” she likes to call it. “What property management software will work with this? You also need to think about what you might need 18 months from now, given technology innovation. And you can’t just come in and switch out hardware during a project.”
Ultimately, Moore said, ROI will drive decisions. “If you are going to be charging an extra $7 to $10 per door, you better know that it will work,” she said.
Moore said decisions are also based on the type of community. “If you are working on a seniors housing community, the average age of the residents is going to be in the 70s,” she said. “A lot of the residents are going to be non-smartphone users; and you can’t just give them a QR code or a smart code. Use a key fob. I know there are many who want to move on from that, but it’s what will work best for that type of resident.”
Most important, Miller said, is for the vendors and the developers to be talking to each other as much as possible and as soon as possible.