Viscount patents QR code-powered mobile access control solution

Viscount Systems has been awarded U.S. Patent 8941465 B2, outlining a system and method for physical access control using QR codes and mobile devices, as part of its Freedom Access Control Solution.

Physical access control has traditionally required a card reader and a hard-wired access control panel to allow individuals to use access cards to pass through a controlled door/barrier. While highly effective and typically secure, this approach typically costs approximately $2,000 per barrier. The high-cost therefore limits the number of locations a company can protect. The newly-patented technology replaces expensive card readers and supporting hardware with a QR Code at the door, allowing individuals to simply scan the code with their smart mobile device to gain entry.

“Our customers demand a high level of security, but often have myriad IT needs that require their attention and resources,” Dennis Raefield, President and CEO of Viscount, said in a statement. “Our QR Code innovation dramatically lowers the cost of deploying traditional access controlled doors, while also offering an unprecedented level of flexibility, security and convenience to IT and Security leaders across both the government and private sectors.”

QR codes can be placed in a number of locations, providing an inexpensive, easy-to-deploy alternative to traditional hardwired card readers that require power and are typically limited by cost to only “high security only” locations.

Viscount’s patented QR Code technology is part of its Freedom Access Control Solution (“Freedom”), a software-centric, IT-empowered physical access control system. One of the only solutions that is fully compliant with the U.S. Government’s FIPS-201 standard and HSPD-12 initiative, Freedom is part of Viscount’s full suite of security solutions and services that address today’s physical security, regulatory and risk management challenges.