HID Mobile Access from HID Global

In step with the prevalence of smartphone and other mobile devices in everyday life, HID Global released this week its HID Mobile Access® solution. The new offering includes all the tools necessary for organizations to begin using Bluetooth Smart and NFC-enabled smartphones and other mobile devices as an alternative to keys and smart cards in an increasingly popular BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) environment. The solution also makes it possible for users to unlock doors and open gates from a distance using the company’s patented “Twist and Go” gesture technology.logo-new-product-flash

The robust nature of Bluetooth technology and maturation in NFC technology are an important factor in the strength of this new offering. HID Mobile Access is used with the company’s mobile-enabled iCLASS SE® and/or multiCLASS SE® readers, and includes Mobile IDs, HID Mobile Access Apps, and access to the HID Secure Identity Services™ portal for managing users and issuing or revoking Mobile IDs. The mobile-enabled readers are also interoperable with 125 kHz HID Prox and high-frequency technologies including iCLASS Seos®, iCLASS SE, standard iCLASS®, MIFARE®, and MIFARE® DESFire® EV1, which allows for the use of both cards and mobile devices.

Facility management professionals can deploy and manage this access solution via the HID Secure Identity Service portal. Administrators send their users an invitation to download an HID Mobile Access App directly to their Bluetooth- or NFC-enabled phones. After download and registration of the App, Mobile IDs can be issued, provisioned or revoked. The portal allows administrators to manage individual or a batch of users for speedy provisioning and ongoing management.

After the Mobile ID has been issued, the user can open a door or gate by either tapping their handset to a mobile-enabled reader or, using their Bluetooth connection and HID Global “Twist and Go” gesture technology, they rotate the device to initiate the transaction as they drive or walk up to it.

access-control-with-mobile-devicesThe bundled HID Mobile Access solution is powered by Seos technology, which turns smartphones and other mobile devices into trusted credentials. Seos technology also preserves privacy by enabling Mobile IDs to be issued, delivered and revoked with end-to-end encryption as part of a transaction that protects personal data. With Seos technology at its core, the solution makes it possible to use smartphones and other smart devices for future applications such as PC login, time and attendance, biometrics, and EV charging in a unified secure identity system.

At Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, a pilot program was recently completed using HID Mobile Access. Approximately 15 participants used their smartphones to open doors at one or more of six possible campus entry points, including one parking garage. Entry points were equipped with mobile-enabled iCLASS SE readers that were configured to work with existing iCLASS smart cards as well as HID Global’s Mobile IDs. Participants used their own smartphones in the pilot to include Apple iPhone 4S, 5, 5C, and 5S devices and Android-based Samsung Galaxy S4 and Mini 3S handsets. 


The university provided positive feedback on the Mobile ID issuance process, citing that the portal made it fairly straightforward and provisioning was fast and easy. The university’s system administrators appreciated that they could see the status of the invitation and each device all the way through the registration and provisioning process.


In a survey of Vanderbilt pilot participants, respondents cited convenience as the top attribute of HID Mobile Access, since their smartphones are always with them and they are less likely to lose them as compared to an access card. Respondents further pointed out the benefit of using their phone as a backup in cases where their cards were lost or stolen. Pilot participants also noted the convenience of the “Twist and Go” gesture technology to open the garage parking gate as they drove up to the reader.