Proptech and smart home technology are becoming increasingly popular for landlords of commercial buildings and residential properties. Landlords must keep their tenants safe, and the recent energy crisis has highlighted a need for landlords to ensure energy efficiency.

Here we will look into how landlords are achieving better security and more energy efficiency with proptech and smart home technology. We will also explore the top IoT-connected property technologies helping to improve the landlord experience.

Cloud-Based Access Control To Cut Key Replacement Costs

Landlords must implement access control key fob systems to reduce the potential for lockpicking. However, by implementing keycard and fob systems, they must face the cost of replacing them.

Keycards and fobs can quickly become lost since they are so small, and tenants may even leave on bad terms and refuse to return their access cards. The keycard and fob replacement costs can become quite significant for these reasons.

To help reduce these costs, landlords are turning to cloud-based access control systems that offer the benefit of mobile-first technology. With mobile-first technology, landlords can replace keycards and fobs with mobile access credentials – like digital access cards – which users download and store on their mobile devices.

When tenants need to enter the building, they can enter more conveniently by simply waving their hand over the access control reader. Once they do this, the reader will initiate remote communication with their mobile device to detect their credentials. Contactless entry methods make building operations vastly more hygienic.

The reader uses three communication methods (Bluetooth, WiFi, cellular) to ensure no failure and allow the user to enter on their first attempt. They do not need to search in their pockets and bags to find and withdraw their devices; users can enter instantly and conveniently.

With a cloud-based access control system also comes the benefit of remote management for landlords and building security staff. They can check door lock status to ensure the building’s perimeter is always secure, and they can lock doors remotely. They can also view access logs from anywhere to verify who is inside the building. And they can do all of this using a mobile application or browser-based control centre.

Cloud-Based Surveillance Systems

On-premise surveillance systems are quickly becoming the less preferred security option. Opting for on-premise surveillance systems can present many issues and inconveniences for a landlord’s security strategy for the following reasons:

• Maintenance – with a cloud-based surveillance system, a landlord must devote time and energy to managing their security hardware and servers. And if they encounter an issue with their servers, they must call a service engineer to resolve it. Waiting for a service engineer can take days, leaving the building vulnerable if the system is down.

• Wiring – cloud-based surveillance systems require complex wiring systems which connect camera hardware around the building to the server room. This complex wiring can make it challenging to plan, install, and scale your security system according to any changes in your needs.

• Storage – any on-premise security system requires servers to store security data. However, the storage of these servers can reduce the ROI landlords receive on their space.

With a cloud-based system, landlords can avoid these disadvantages, opting for smoother and more streamlined security management. Here’s why landlords are switching to cloud-based surveillance systems:

• Over-the-air maintenance – with cloud-based security systems, landlords gain access to over-the-air updates that allow their service provider to install updates and perform troubleshooting remotely without needing to schedule a visit to the location.

• Wireless connectivity – cloud-based security hardware communicates using WiFi, BlueTooth, and cellular communication, meaning there is no need to design and install complex wiring infrastructure to connect cameras to servers.

• Cloud data storage – in a cloud-based security camera system, camera information is stored in the cloud, reducing the reliance on servers and the need to allocate server storage space.

For these reasons, cloud-based camera systems resolve many issues with on-premise systems. Additionally, cloud-based camera systems enable remote viewing of surveillance feed from a mobile device, allowing for more visibility in security processes. They also offer the advantage of open API integrations, allowing landlords to install facial recognition and video analytics software to automate surveillance operations.

Smart Building Management

With cloud-based access control, landlords gain access to open API integrations. Many landlords use these open API integrations to automate building management processes, saving energy and cutting monthly overhead costs.

They integrate smart building management features, such as HVAC, heating, and lighting systems, with access control. When an access control event is triggered, this notifies the system that space is occupied, and the building management systems will activate. When there are no users in the room, the systems will deactivate.

By automating building management, landlords can ensure they are using energy effectively, which can be extremely costly in the current energy climate.

Summary

Cloud-based technologies are revolutionising landlords’ management of security and energy expenditure for commercial and residential properties. The open API integrations of cloud-based security systems present numerous additional benefits, ensuring that landlords receive maximum ROI on their security hardware investments. To improve security and energy management, consider switching to cloud-based security for commercial or residential properties.