As multi-family properties grow in size and complexity, property managers face a variety of challenges, particularly when it comes to apartment gate security and entry management. This was the case for the Vanguard Crossing Apartments, a large multi-family property located in St. Louis, MO. They needed to upgrade their legacy access control system, and it presented several pain points that are common across the industry:
- Limited visibility of access events
- Shared access risks
- Slower response when issues arise
In this case study, we explore the challenges Vanguard Crossing faced, and we see how CellGate’s modern visitor management systems, using wireless, cloud-based access control, can streamline day-to-day operations.
View from above, over the Vanguard Crossing Apartments in St. Louis, MO
Property Layout and Existing Technology
The two resident 4-story buildings at Vanguard Crossing, a “b”-shaped (Building 1) and an “L”-shaped (Building 2), have multiple access points. This creates a need for round-the-clock gate security and visitor entry management. There is a connected four-story parking garage between the buildings. Three of the four levels of the parking garage are covered. All levels of the garage have secured entrances to the residential buildings on each floor. This makes reliable access control and activity tracking important for resident safety.
Residents are able to park in the garage, then walk directly into the correct floor of their apartment building via a connected walkway. This makes secure garage-to-building entry essential.
A shared indoor hallway in each of the two resident buildings leads to residents’ front door(s).
The access control system originally in use at Vanguard Crossing was a self-contained keypad with a strike lock. It was utilized at:
- 8 ground-level building entrances
- 2 gates at the community fenced pool
- 12 resident building entrances from the parking garage
None of the entrances was connected to a central access control system. Thus, there was no assignment of unique credentials per resident and/or for centralized monitoring. This also meant that one primary code was utilized for all residents. And that code was, unfortunately, regularly shared with non-residents. In addition, because each entry was not wired to a centralized access control box, property management had no historical records/logs of activity at each entrance, and/or by whom.
Upgrading the Current Access Control System Presented These Challenges:
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The Parking Garage Construction
Securing the large parking garage was a significant challenge for Vanguard Crossing. Their legacy system lacked visibility and control, which created gaps in entry management security at one of the property’s busiest access areas. It was difficult to monitor who entered and exited the apartments through the garage. Unauthorized access had become a growing concern among residents because there was no consistent way to verify and log who was coming through each entry point. Implementing a wired solution was not seriously considered because it would require breaking into the garage’s concrete walls. Most wireless access control solutions were not viable because they required line of sight in order to work. This was not possible due to the numerous garage-to-apartment-building entry points.
CellGate Solution: Vanguard Crossing implemented CellGate’s OmniPoint wireless access control system. One key factor in its selection is that it is wireless and uses LoRa technology.
Concrete parking garages create a particular challenge when it comes to apartment gate security entry management. Many wireless access control systems struggle in concrete garages because the dense structural materials block the direct, unobstructed path required for radio frequency signals to travel between the tag and the reader.
LoRa technology does not require line of site in order to work, making wireless access control possible in locations with dense, opaque concrete parking structures. Its outstanding building penetration is ideal for locations like the Vanguard Crossing’s garage. It is also ideal for securing outdoor areas where the installation of wiring is not possible, helping properties expand access control to such areas without undertaking major construction.
Powered by the TrueCloud Connect™ platform, CellGate’s OmniPoint is a cloud-based access control solution that assigns unique credentials for all users and tracks each access attempt. Vanguard Crossing’s property management team now monitors exactly who accessed specific entry points and parking areas, and when. With enhanced visibility and control of entry point usage, unauthorized access incidents dropped significantly, and the audit trail made it easier to review events when residents reported concerns.
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Limited Visibility with Legacy Systems
The property’s previous access control system provided limited data on who was entering and exiting the buildings. This made resolving complaints and identifying wrongdoers difficult because there was no clear record tied to an individual user. The management team lacked the tools needed to effectively monitor and track access across multiple entry points and shared areas.
CellGate Solution: By upgrading to CellGate’s OmniPoint system, managed by TrueCloud Connect, Vanguard Crossing gained full control and visibility over access points across the property. The system’s cloud-based platform provides real-time monitoring to support apartment gate security and entry management with centralized oversight. It also stores detailed audit trails accessible from any browser, anywhere so staff can quickly review who accessed a door and when. It also has the option to send notifications to designated personnel when doors are left open, or when access attempts are made outside of the time and day windows granted so issues can be addressed faster, even after hours.
This gave the property management team the visibility they needed to ensure that only authorized users were accessing secure areas and to reduce repeat incidents caused by shared or untracked access.
TrueCloud Connect’s easy-to-use interface also offers varied permission levels, so property managers have only the access level they need to do their specific job(s). TrueCloud Connect also works across multiple properties from a single login, making it an ideal option for the apartment’s property management company to potentially implement on other properties while keeping policies consistent. The future scalability and ability to access TrueCloud Connect from anywhere made the OmniPoint implementation appealing for the property and reinforced its value as a cloud-based access control solution for growing multi-family property management companies.
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Minimizing Resident Disruption
Upgrading access control systems often leads to disruptive construction work and inconveniences for residents especially when teams have to install new wiring, take doors offline or restrict access during installation. Vanguard Crossing Apartments wanted to avoid a long, disruptive installation process that would negatively impact residents’ daily lives. Activities like trenching, running wires through hallways and via ceiling tiles and rekeying doors was not ideal because it adds unwanted noise and inconvenience in occupied buildings.
CellGate Solution: Vanguard Crossing Apartments opted for CellGate’s OmniPoint wireless access control solution to modernize apartment gate security and entry management while keeping the property operational. This meant the property upgraded without the need for extensive construction or rekeying which reduced disruption and helped the team move faster.
OmniPoint uses cellular LTE to communicate to CellGate’s TrueCloud Connect cloud-based platform, and via LoRa technology from the OmniPoint Gateway installed at the property to the individual entry points. This meant no long-distance data wires were required.
The only wiring needed was for power to the OmniPoint EPMs (entry point modules) at each property entry point, and local wires to the card reader and lock. Existing resident credentials (fobs) did not need to be replaced. They were simply reprogrammed to work with the new OmniPoint system which saved time and avoided resident inconvenience and confusion.
The system was installed with minimal disruption to residents. Because they now have cloud-based access control, the team can manage permissions and view logs remotely – in addition to issuing and revoking credentials from anywhere. All of this was due to the technology chosen and its ability for seamless integration with existing fobs, doors and infrastructure. This approach kept residents happy and the project on track.
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Lack of Internet Connectivity In All Property Areas
Vanguard Crossing considered implementing several other internet-centric cloud-based access control systems. They decided against those options because it required reliable internet connectivity across all property buildings and areas, which can be difficult to maintain in large multi-family sites with mixed construction types. They were concerned about the physical requirements and financial cost of providing stable internet across such a vast property. In their case, this included multiple buildings that were logistically widespread, a multi-level concrete garage & outdoor areas, all of which can create dead zones and inconsistent performance for always-online systems.
CellGate Solution: The OmniPoint system used by the Vanguard Crossing Apartments operates on either cellular or internet based connectivity. The option chosen depends on the property’s needs and engineering or logistics factors, allowing for consistent cloud-based access control even when site-wide internet is not practical. This provides flexibility for properties’ varying applications and challenges. In Vanguard Crossing’s case, they did not have strong internet bandwidth already in all parts of the property and running new network lines would be costly and disruptive. Thus they chose to use a cellular OmniPoint solution to fortify property security.
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Cost-Prohibitive Access Control for Multiple Buildings
The final challenge Vanguard Crossing Apartments faced was the lack of a visitor management system. This was sorely needed at key entry points to the property where they needed a clear process to verify and grant access to guests, vendors, and deliveries.
Traditional wired visitor management solutions require extensive wiring and trenching. Such a system would be expensive to install and disruptive to implement, particularly with Vanguard Crossing at near capacity with residents, since construction work can interrupt traffic flow and daily routines.
The OmniPoint® solution had already solved the biggest security challenges the property had. Thus, it made sense to consider a live streaming video visitor management system that integrated with OmniPoint. Ideally, both would be managed on the same administrative platform, TrueCloud Connect, to avoid juggling two separate systems and logins. This addition would incorporate both resident access and visitor verification into a complete, unified apartment gate security/entry management solution.
CellGate Solution: Vanguard Crossing chose to install two of CellGate’s cellular LTE Watchman WXL systems for their visitor management needs. Because they chose a cellular option, which eliminated the potential need for costly and disruptive trenching for a hard-wired internet installation. The Watchman WXL integrated seamlessly with the OmniPoint solution, & utilized TrueCloud Connect for administration so staff could manage permissions, users, and view activity logs with a single login The WXL also worked with the existing Wiegand-based credentials issued to residents, after they were reprogrammed, which reduced waste and avoided a full credential replacement project. The combined OmniPoint/Watchman WXL wireless solution helped Vanguard Crossing save significantly on installation costs while also maximizing the use of credentials that were already in use, delivering wireless access control for residents, visitors, and managers. Both were financial and logistical victories for the property.
Conclusion
The Vanguard Crossing Apartments in St. Louis, MO showcased how multi-family properties can overcome common access control challenges by strengthening apartment gate security and entry management with technology that fits the property layout. With CellGate’s Watchman WXL and OmniPoint systems, Vanguard Crossing improved security, increased visibility of activity on its property, and minimized resident disruption, all while saving significantly on installation costs.
The property saw significant cost savings through these updates. However the real value lies in the increased security, visibility, and convenience for both residents and property managers on an ongoing basis thanks to cloud-based access control and integrated visitor management systems that support day-to-day accountability. For multi-family properties facing similar challenges, CellGate provides scalable, cost-effective solutions that make access control simpler, more efficient, and more secure without requiring disruptive construction or property-wide internet upgrades.
FAQs
1) What is apartment gate security/entry management?
Apartment gate security/entry management is how a community controls access at gates, garages, and secured doors while keeping clear records of who entered, where, and when.
2) How does wireless access control help in a concrete parking garage?
Wireless access control reduces the need for trenching and drilling into concrete, making it a practical option for garages and multi-building sites where running wires is expensive and disruptive.
3) What does cloud-based access control improve for property managers?
Cloud-based access control lets teams manage users, credentials, schedules, and audit logs from a web platform, which improves visibility and makes it faster to investigate issues. All of this oversight can happen from anywhere with a cloud-based solution.
4) Why do visitor management systems matter in multi-family properties?
Visitor management systems help staff verify guests, vendors, and deliveries at key entry points, creating a consistent process and a log of visitor access activity. In addition, for safety reasons, most properties want to limit access to their property only to people who should be there vs. giving unlimited access to the property for anyyone.
5) Can an access control upgrade be done without major resident disruption?
Yes, a well-planned upgrade can avoid large construction work and often keeps existing resident fobs by reprogramming them, which reduces downtime and resident frustration.