RFID-based Security Solution for Smart, Gated, High-End Community
The Town Square in Dubai is a gated community residential complex covering an area of around 11 football pitches in Dubai with various apartment complexes and extensive leisure facilities – from a skate park to the facility's own roller coaster. Among these facilities are community gardens, playgrounds, shops, cafés, and restaurants. Around 400 residents live on this luxury residential complex.
The 'One Card For All' project was initiated together with the property developer Nshama. It currently comprises the following areas: Physical and vehicle access control at a total of 14 entrances and exits to the complex, as well as access control to the leisure facilities, and payment at the attractions.
Hybrid Smart Cards for Vehicle Access and Entry
The main requirement for the implementation of an RFID-based security solution in the residential project was the focus on user comfort. The vehicle access and entry controls differentiate between residents and (temporary) visitors. In order to make vehicle access for residents as simple and yet as secure as possible, a hybrid card combining UHF and HF technology in one identification medium is used.
The ID LRU500i UHF RFID long-range readers from Feig Electronic are used for vehicle access to the approximately 1,000 parking lots on the entire site.
OGTech is the local distributor and project executor. The compact readers with an integrated antenna and traffic light function capture the drivers' smart cards within a reading range of up to ten meters. It is not necessary to pull over for authentication when passing through the entrance. In principle, the card can be placed anywhere in the vehicle – ideally near the windshield.
The decision to use a card as an ID medium rather than a wind shield label, for example, was based on the idea of convenience. Residents can use the total of 14 entrances with several vehicles and do not have to carry different ID mediums with them.
Hands-Free-Access to Leisure Facilities
For physical access control at designated areas on the site itself, Feig Electronic 's ID CPR50.10 HF RFID card readers, which are suitable for IP-based physical access control systems, were integrated. There are a total of five leisure facilities, including skate or water parks that are located throughout the Town Square area, accessible to both residents and visitors.
Residents can use their card to gain either limited or unlimited access, depending on the category purchased. Residents who are authorized to use the parking lot also use their hybrid smart card for leisure activities on the premises. For this purpose a software from OGTech is used.
Visitors and day guests are issued with rental cards that can be topped up with credit at the entrances. Three of the five entertainment facilities each have two payment terminals with integrated HF RFID readers. An interactive communication interface for the users is created via tablets at the terminals. The monitors display welcome messages, information on current offers and the maximum length of stay, for example.
Extensive HF and UHF Security Features Integrated
Currently, payment in the leisure facilities is made by topping up credit. When entering and leaving the park facilities, the terminals are used to identify visitors. The exact length of stay is calculated. Billing is based on hours spent. In order to ensure the highest possible level of security for payment transactions, a closed-loop solution has been integrated. When authenticating the payment, the system uses a combination of security functions that comply with the HF standard, such as embedded security keys, secure access passwords and codes exchanged between tag and reader.
UHF communication is secured with a special combination of TID code, EPC and user memory data. Forgery attempts are thus rendered extremely difficult in this way. Specially programmed algorithms minimize the risk of the smart cards being illegally duplicated.
Outlook: Online Portal for Payments via Smartphone
At all facilities in the Town Square, a further expansion stage could include the implementation of an online portal that offers users – residents and visitors – additional payment options, for example via smartphone in a closed-loop application. The integrated HF reader hardware supports transponders of the ISO14443-A, ISO14443-B, ISO15693 and NFC Forum Type 1, 2, and 4 Standards.
