Condition one: the phone's radio
For a phone to talk to a lock it needs Bluetooth or NFC. In the browser, Chrome on Android offers Bluetooth; Safari on iPhone stays on the web.
In a hotel, what counts is that it works on every phone. Outside the browser, the phone talks to the lock in two ways: a native app the guest installs, or a key in the phone's Wallet (Apple Wallet or Google Wallet). Our product is a link precisely so that opening it is all the guest has to do.
Condition two: the lock's manufacturer signs the credential
With the radio sorted, through an app or the Wallet, a lock of one brand opens with the credential that brand issues and signs.
It is cryptography and it is contract. Whoever tells you their app opens any lock has an agreement with each manufacturer: ask them which.
A Wallet key works the same way: the manufacturer signs it, it reaches the phone through a provider Apple and Google have certified, and today some lock systems offer it. Where it exists, an iPhone opens by being held near the door, with the screen locked and offline, and depending on the model up to five hours after the battery runs out. On Android, Google Wallet needs NFC or Bluetooth on and, usually, the phone unlocked.
What works on every phone
The typed code. The guest receives a code and types it on the lock. The code is generated by your lock's manufacturer.
And it has a property a hotel manager cares about more than elegance: the lock validates the code on its own, without the network. With codes and cards, Vesia stays off the critical path: if our system goes down at three in the morning, the codes already issued keep opening.
Also, with the cloud locks we already have integrated, and if the hotel switches it on, the guest can open the door from their link: with check-in completed and between arrival and departure. For anything unexpected, they have the card or reception.
The rule that follows
With codes and cards, the door opens on its own: we stay off the critical path. Your reception opens as always, and the lock works by itself.
And the lock licence always belongs to the hotel. We set it up and the hotel can forget about it, but the door is yours.
What to ask when someone promises you the key on the phone
- Does it work on iPhone and Android with just a link? With the phone's Wallet it may: ask whether your lock system supports it.
- Who issues the credential: you, or my lock's manufacturer?
- If your system goes down, does my door keep opening?
- What does it cost per door and per month, on top of your fee?
Frequently asked questions
When does a phone open a hotel door? When the phone talks to the lock over Bluetooth or NFC and carries a credential signed by the lock's manufacturer, in an app or in the Wallet.
What works on every phone? The code generated by the lock's manufacturer: the guest types it and the lock validates it on its own, independently of the network.
Who holds the lock licence? Always the hotel.