Fobs for most shops, phones for offices where everyone already carries one, cards where you want a photo ID on it. Many systems take all three, so you can mix them on the same doors.
What is the difference between them?
All three do the same job. You hold the credential up to a reader, the door checks whether you are allowed in right now, and it unlocks or stays locked. Every entry goes into a searchable log.
The difference is what people carry:
- A fob is a small tag on a key ring.
- A card is the size of a bank card and can be printed with a photo and name.
- A phone credential is an app on the person's own phone.
With any of them, you can remove a person's access in minutes and set access by day and hour.
When does a fob make sense?
Fobs suit shops, warehouses and yards. They are tough, they ride on the key ring people already carry, and they work with gloves on. Nothing needs charging.
A fob fits a shop in Winkler where staff come and go through an overhead door with dirty hands, or a seasonal crew that changes every spring.
Where fobs fall short: they look alike, so one can be lent to a friend and nobody notices. They get lost with the truck keys. A fob shows nothing about who is holding it.
When does a phone credential make sense?
Phones suit offices where everyone already carries a smartphone. There is nothing to hand out or collect. You can send access to a new hire before their first day and remove it the minute they leave.
People also tend to notice a missing phone faster than a missing fob.
Where phones fall short:
- A dead battery can mean no way in.
- Some staff don't want a work app on a personal phone, and you can't force that.
- Not everyone has a phone that runs the app, especially on a mixed crew.
- Visitors, cleaners and contractors may still need a fob or card.
When does a card make sense?
Cards suit places where people need to show who they are. You can print a photo, a name and a role on the card and wear it on a lanyard. That helps in a clinic, a municipal office or a building with visitors who need to tell staff from the public.
Where cards fall short: they crack and bend in a back pocket. Printing them takes a printer or an outside order. Like fobs, a lost card works for whoever finds it until you switch it off.
Can a fob or card be copied?
Some older, low-security types can be. Newer encrypted credentials are much harder to copy. If you are keeping an existing system, ask what type of credential it uses. We check this on the site walk.
What does Foresight usually recommend?
We usually start shops on fobs and offices on phones, with a few fobs or cards kept for people who can't use the app, because that covers everyone without making anyone change how they work.
A business with a shop in Morden and a front office could run fobs at the shop doors and phones at the office, on one system.