Jenny Lytle, General Manager of LiftMaster Access Controls, offers tips on how multifamily dwellings can keep their access points safe and move forward in today’s world myQ connected.
In 2020, multifamily dwellings and communities where residents share common space and live in close proximity faced a unique set of challenges. Residential communities are often bustling places, but with more people staying home and relying on food and package delivery services to get what they needed, community access points as well as shared amenities were busier than ever before. Owners and managers were left seeking new ways to manage the increase in delivery traffic at access points and to regulate resident access in communal areas, while continuing to provide day-to-day security and convenience to residents.
The challenges multi-family dwellings face will not be going away soon and the desire for technology that helps residents feel secure continues to grow. As General Manager of LiftMaster Access Controls, I’m committed to providing access solutions that promote the health and safety of residents and staff while enhancing security. Here are five tips on how multifamily dwellings can improve safety and security.
1) Residential community health and safety initiatives are evolving. A smart access system can help.
Since safety and security starts with the front gate and/or door, smart access systems provide ways for community managers to easily control and monitor who and how people are entering the building or property. Smart access systems provide cloud-based solutions like touchless access, remotely verifying guests through live video app vs face-to-face interactions and being able to tie access to resident wellness so that only residents who are approved can access common areas at certain times, like the pool or gym. As a leader in access control solutions, LiftMaster has consistently been at the forefront of innovations that address access safety and believe in offering a scalable access management solution that enhances security and reduces liability for any size or type of property.
2) Find a solution that fits your property’s needs.
Managing the entry of staff, guests, deliveries, and service providers, while satisfying basic security needs can present a significant hurdle on its own. When you add health and safety to the mix, it can get even more challenging. Understanding who is entering the property on a daily basis is extremely important in today’s environment. You want to implement a scalable access solution with video monitoring capabilities that lets you manage and control multiple entry points and helps you easily mitigate any security and health risks to residents, while allowing them to safely grant access to visitors.
3) Build on your existing access system to make your property safer.
I recommend that you first assess your existing access systems and identify any gaps you need to fill-in or upgrade. Having a system in place that allows you to streamline the management of buildings, residents and community access points is key. For example, many residential communities will need a way to easily manage and control staff, service personnel and guests who have access to the property during specified days and hours. Implement touchless access wherever possible and limit face-to face interactions by providing a way for property managers to easily grant or revoke access, change user schedules, and edit permission levels from anywhere, at any time. Look for a reliable partner to help you address any gaps in your access system. At LiftMaster, we partner with communities to understand their access needs and provide them with a combination of reliable hardware and innovative myQ technology that helps them advance their access control from a standalone function to a connected, scalable solution.
4) Identify the tools and technologies that will have biggest impact when it comes to protecting residents and safety
I believe cloud-based, smart access systems have had the biggest impact on protecting the safety of both residential community staff and residents. Solutions provided by a cloud-based access system like myQ Community Control and Community by myQ app can be limitless and provide much more than the ability to manage access at the most basic level. myQ Community Control and Community by myQ app are smart features within LiftMaster Access Control Systems designed for any size or type of property. LiftMaster’s powerful combination of innovative myQ technology and reliable hardware provide residential community managers with a scalable cloud-based solution to control multiple entry points and manage several communities from a single dashboard. The systems’ video monitoring capabilities provide enhanced insight/security. Realtime video notifications keeps property managers ahead of issues and the video app allows residents to safely grant access for package deliveries, dog walkers and guests. Advantages like receiving real-time activity alerts and remote diagnostics can allow you to detect and address issues in real-time from anywhere. And, when you add video capabilities to the mix you know exactly who is entering and live video streaming and recorded events can provide you with clear traceability around property damage, vandalism and other nuisances at entry and exit points.
5) Touchless access is the future
I have no doubt that touchless access is here to stay and that the need for it has been accelerated by our current environment. Being able to secure and/or access an entry point or door without actually having to touch it has become the new normal. Instead of requiring a resident to physically open a door for guest access, residents can use their smart phone to safely identify guests through the Community by myQ app’s one-way video calling and two-way voice communication and grant or deny access remotely. Yet, the benefits of touchless access control go beyond health and safety, it also provides a more secure and streamlined way to provide access to residents, staff, visitors, deliveries, and service providers. Plus, as a multifamily dwelling owner or manager, having the ability to conveniently manage and control multiple access points across all communities within a portfolio from a single dashboard and to securely oversee how and when residents and visitors can access each entrance remotely also plays into the touchless safety aspect of smart access control.
For more information on LiftMaster’s Smart Access solutions for residential communities go to:https://www.myq.com/community/smart-community-access
