Categories: Case Studies

E-Padlock

Safety is of the utmost importance to all people everywhere. Whether you are indoors or outdoors, it is essential that you feel unworried and relaxed. As people are increasingly becoming aware of their surroundings and belongings, there has been a rise in the demand for safety services and solutions.
The most basic and effective way of ensuring your home and your belongings are safe is by keeping them locked. The influence of technology has transformed the functionality of locks and given a more secure outcome with the introduction of e-locks.

Overview

One of our clients is a trusted brand for locking solutions in India for the last century. They have one of the most sophisticated manufacturing facilities in the country. They provide comprehensive locking solutions and systems not only to homes but also to offices and industries.
The company provided locking solutions to vehicles carrying goods to keep them secure till they reached their destination. While their existing padlocks were competent and good enough to execute the job, they needed to be more efficient and aligned with the company’s requirements.
The current padlocking solution did not track the vehicle moving from the distributor to the retail outlet, which was one of the prime requirements of the client. The padlocks also featured keys that could be duplicated easily and the goods, i.e., fuel that the vehicles were carrying could be removed without any trouble.
Here is how we revamped the existing product and delivered an e-padlock that met all of the client’s requirements.

Approach

Our team conducted an in-depth analysis of the existing padlocks and recognized the areas that offered the most scope for improvement. Firstly, we decided to drastically alter the traditional padlocks that our clients were currently using. Instead, we identified the need to add electronic features to increase the authentication level of the locking system.

To better monitor the location of the vehicle when it is en route, we decided to add a real-time tracking system to offer increased convenience to our clients. Our experienced team also recognized the importance of location-based authentication, to prevent unlawful access by unauthorized personnel. We also identified the need to store the power in the lock to prevent the security from being compromised.

Results

At Alpha ICT, we are highly adept at providing an exhaustive range of services including, but not limited to hardware, software, and designing solutions with the help of a skilled team of experts. We were able to design a highly competent multi-tier security system. We used power line communication for enhanced access control and lock and key authentication. Deploying GPS and GSM on vehicles enabled our clients to track their vehicles in real-time and facilitate global communication.

As featuring the power within the padlock components was one of our top priorities, we utilized the easily available ‘coin cells’ to power the key. This feature made its ground maintenance as well as operations very efficient.

Once these modifications were done, the end product was able to achieve the following results that met our client’s requirements –

Mechanical and electronic validation for access control via the designed solution for increased security
Maintenance of records in the locking system regarding the locking and unlocking of vehicles
Configuring the locks, keys, and key programming unity from a central server
All padlocks and keys are programmable and reusable

These modifications required the inclusion of a wide range of technologies like GPS, GSM, Wi-Fi, Smart Card Reader (RFID), DC brushed Motor Driver and Powerline Communication.

Conclusion

Making the E-Padlocks required our team to use hardware, firmware as well as software solutions to achieve desired results. By completely transforming our client’s existing locks, we were successful in ensuring that their vehicles and goods stayed secure while being transported.

Alpha ICT LLP