HID Global: University of Dundee Selects HID’s Innovative Access Control Solutions

To modernize its campus and improve the student experience, the University of Dundee has adopted HID’s advanced mobile access technology. With a focus on safety, sustainability, and future-proof scalability, the university is replacing plastic cards with smartphone credentials — making access faster, easier, and touchless across its facilities.

By: Sam Cherif, Senior Director & Regional Business Head, HID PACS MEA, HID Global

The University of Dundee is a public research university in Scotland, renowned for its academic excellence in dentistry, medicine, engineering, and life sciences. Based in the heart of the city, it is home to over 16,000 students, 3,300 staff, and is ranked 33rd in the Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024. A thriving institution with ambitious plans for growth, it is currently building a new £40 million facility called the Innovation Hub. This will offer commercial organizations flexible laboratory, meeting, and office space, and it is anticipated that the Hub will create up to 280 new high-quality jobs over the next 10 years.

Overhauling Campus Access Amid Rising Security Demands

 “We wanted a modern access control system which is safe, secure, and easy for everyone to use,” says Colin Stebbing, the University’s Head of Precinct Services. “Complying with forthcoming legislation was also another important project requirement. With bills like Martyn’s Law soon to be enacted, ensuring the university is ready for this was important given that we have a duty to protect, to ensure everyone is safe.”

Martyn’s Law will be introduced to improve protective security and organizational preparedness across the UK by mandating, for the first time, those responsible for certain premises and events to consider the terrorist risk and how they would respond to an attack. The University also sought a solution that would enable it to lock down buildings immediately and scale over time, ensuring the chosen equipment’s long-term effectiveness.

Furthermore, the University previously used a system that involved printing and issuing plastic RFID cards for staff and students to access buildings. This process was laborious and time-consuming, especially during peak times like Freshers Week, when some 2,500 – 3,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students enroll. Issuing cards was logistically complex due to the high demand and the need for thorough identity checks, which could take up to 10 minutes per card. These challenges prompted the University to seek a more efficient solution for issuing access credentials.

“We wanted a modern system which is safe, secure, and easy for everyone to use. The HID solution also has built-in functionality which we can leverage over time, meaning we’ve invested in ‘future-proof’ equipment which will last us long term.” Colin Stebbing, Head of Precinct Services, University of Dundee

Seamless Mobile and RFID Access Across 40 Buildings

With more staff and students returning to the site since the pandemic, the University of Dundee recognized the significant benefits of implementing HID Mobile Access and signature HID Signo readers throughout its city campus to guarantee modern, secure, and reliable access control — allowing staff and students to enter using both RFID cards and smartphones.

The project involves buying and installing new mobile-ready HID Signo readers at approximately 40 buildings in a staged rollout over a two-year period by specialist security installer, Scottish Communications Group. In addition, the university has purchased 10,000 HID Mobile Access licenses to offer its academic community the option to use their Apple and Android smartphones for touchless entry into its facilities.

The university has purchased 10,000 HID Mobile Access licenses to offer its academic community the option to use their Apple and Android smartphones for touchless entry into its facilities.

The new HID Signo readers integrate with the University’s existing AEOS access control software from Nedap. Supporting both native Bluetooth and Near Field Communication (NFC) connectivity, they allow touchless smartphone entry. They are quick to install as the wiring uses common protocols like OSDP [Open Supervised Device Protocol] and Wiegand.

Shifting to HID Mobile Access — which utilizes HID Origo management software running in the cloud — also delivers wireless credentialing. This significantly simplifies all the licensing, allocation of credentials, setting of building access rights, validating or revoking of IDs — all of which is now done virtually and remotely, saving both time and money.

In addition, Scottish Communication Group is supplying Motorola MOTORTRBO Ion smart radios to the university’s security staff. The radios will be configured to run HID Mobile Access, enabling them to open doors fitted with the new HID Signo readers. Because these smart radios also link to the university’s CCTV and alarm systems as well as the CriticalArc Safezone App, security staff need to carry only a single device to fulfill their duties.

Faster, Smarter, and Future-Proofed Student Access

“Once registered by Student Services in AEOS, students simply receive an email to their phone, they tap on a link, the app automatically uploads, and a mobile credential is granted,” says Paul Brady, HID’s End User Business Manager for Physical Access Control. “Not only does this improve the overall student experience because it’s substantially quicker and more efficient, but it’s far more sustainable as you’re not issuing PVC cards anymore. I’m confident students will embrace this technology and it will become an important consideration when students are choosing which university to attend.”

While the strategy and aspiration are for the university population to shift wholesale to mobile access, its approach today is to operate a dual system. “We recognize that some visitors and staff still want to use a physical pass and not all employees have a university-issued mobile,” explains Stebbing. “HID Signo readers allow us to run both credential types in tandem, with HID Mobile Access giving us the option to scale up to include digital wallets from Apple and Google, as well as integrate with digital campus cards should we decide to go down this route in the future.”

Paul Brady adds, “The sky really is the limit with mobile technology as new possibilities are emerging all the time, such as smart building integration, ROI opportunities, health & safety features, and time & attendance monitoring. Any investment made now is future-proofed as the technology can be built on as the years go by.”

Given that RFID cards are still required today, the University of Dundee utilizes its reliable FARGO DTC4500e printers, backing up this transition to digital transformation. The FARGO range of ID card printers integrates easily with the AEOS software, enabling Student Services staff to issue physical IDs themselves.

“HID Signo readers are going in now across the main buildings, including the new Innovation Hub site,” says Stuart Leslie, Scottish Communications Group’s director. “HID’s reputation is built on reliability and security, with its solutions supporting the latest encryption, communications, and authentication standards. Their devices have an open architecture, so they’re easy to install and integrate, which reduces the cost for the university and makes time to value that much quicker.”

“I have every confidence in the HID solution. The rollout is going nicely and there are no hiccups,” Stebbing concludes. “We’re enthusiastic about HID Mobile Access and once they register and download the HID app, we have every confidence that students will be too, given they live on their mobile phones.”