Le Bourget Sports Park will host the climbing event of the Paris 2024 Olympics. For the occasion, the French city of le Bourget, close to Paris, has chosen to secure access to these facilities using French company Pollux’s electronic locks and software management Iwa. We contacted Béatrice Decosse, Pollux’s CEO, to learn more about their wireless and mobile solution.
Le Bourget Sports Park will host the climbing event of the Paris Olympic Games this summer. The park features six climbing walls, three of which are dedicated to training and warm-up, and three for competition, located outdoors. On this occasion, the Park will be completely renovated and reconfigured, including a new permanent gymnasium, a reception area, changing rooms, and offices for local clubs and sports associations. These facilities need to be secured, both during and after the Olympics. The city has therefore chosen the French family-owned company Pollux, which specializes in electronic locks. Béatrice Decosse, Pollux’s CEO, tells us more about the technology.
Allowing Athletes to Enjoy Facilities Safely and Easily
Le Bourget’s challenge is to secure access to these facilities, both during the Olympics and afterward when they will be returned to its residents. It also simplifies access for users.
Municipalities face regular problems in key management: multiple stakeholders – the city hall, associations, and external service providers – all need quick access to various facilities, and there are far too many lost keys.
For Béatrice, securing sports facilities can be challenging:
“Sports facilities need to be secure yet accessible, providing smooth circulation for athletes. Iwa addresses these challenges by using the iwakey application for users, ensuring up-to-date access control without the drawbacks of wired installations.”
The city has chosen Pollux’s solution which combines robust electronic locks and a 100% mobile autonomous access control solution called Iwa. Their solution avoids the hassle of large bunches of keys while issuing badges for high-level athletes, associations, or families.
An Overview of Pollux’s Iwa Solution
We contacted Béatrice Decosse, Pollux’s CEO to get some answers to our questions.
Are Pollux’s cylinders compatible with all types of doors?
“Yes, the cylinders are compatible with all doors equipped with a European cylinder. We utilize a single European cylinder. We also offer adaptations. For instance, we have replaced tubular locks with our iwa solution.”
What are the access methods?
“Doors can be opened using badges (Mifare Classic, DESFire, Ultralight) or a smartphone application, providing users with convenient and secure access.”
Is there a special type of installation work required to install the locks?
“Installation of the locks requires no work. The iwa European cylinder replaces the existing cylinder in just 2 minutes. Electronic handles are installed on traditional handle fixing points, eliminating the need to drill new holes.”
What communication technology do you use?
“Our iwa products feature both RFID and Bluetooth Low Energy technology. RFID supports physical badges, leveraging existing credentials, while BLE enables direct communication between smartphones and locks, facilitating configuration and access for both administrators and users. Iwa products operate without the need for antennas, streamlining deployment.”
What is the battery life and durability?
“With a battery life of 3 years or 60,000 cycles, Pollux’s cylinders are designed for longevity and reliability. Clients can easily replace batteries independently, minimizing downtime and maintenance costs.”
How different is your solution from others on the market?
Our solution distinguishes itself from other options available in the market in several ways:
- Dual Functionality: The solution operates simultaneously in whitelist mode (where user rights are registered directly on the product) and in a virtual network mode (where user rights are registered on their badge). This combination optimizes site updates.
- Access Decision Logic: The autonomous product makes access decisions based on two elements: the data it possesses and the data registered on the presented badge. If at least one of these elements is up-to-date (compared to the management software), the access decision aligns with its definition in the management software.
- Smartphone Integration: Leveraging both user and manager smartphones, the solution operates almost in real-time.
- Virtual Badges: When accessing, the application retrieves a virtual badge, ensuring it is up-to-date.
- Software as a Service (SAAS): Hosted in France on the cloud, the software takes the form of a web interface accessible across all platforms (Linux, Windows, Apple) and mobile apps (iOS, Android). No installation on the client’s server is required, and backups are guaranteed.
- Permanence and Transparent Updates: The solution is durable, and software updates (functional or improvement-related) are transparent for the client. They automatically benefit from new features.
- Embedded Software Updates: The embedded software in autonomous products is updated via the manager’s application.
- User-Friendly: The software is ergonomic, and product configuration is swift using the manager’s smartphone.
- Access Mechanism: Products open using both a badge and a smartphone.
- No need for a hub: The solution can be 100% smartphone: badge encoding (in read and read/write mode) is done via the mobile application of the manager directly on a product.
- Maintenance: For cost and environmental reasons, the company offers repair of the products whenever repair is possible. The after-sales service provides an exchange or repair solution within a maximum of 72 hours upon receipt of the product.
How many accesses per door does the Iwa software manage?
“The cloud-based software can be accessed from anywhere. The administrator manages the software via a web interface or a dedicated application. Alerts include access events, errors, battery status, and door controller alarms, with up to 3000 alerts per door.”
Can you give us more info on the security and cybersecurity features?
“Pollux cylinders are assembled with stainless steel reinforcement bars, ensuring robustness and resistance to tampering.
The Iwa software enables remote access management, allowing administrators to monitor and control access levels efficiently.
Alerts provided by the software include access events, errors, battery status, and door controller alarms, ensuring proactive security management.
The Iwa software is a hosted and backed-up ergonomic solution, accompanied by a mobile application for the manager, benefiting from AES encryption and with the hotline located in Palaiseau.”
Have you developed a special solution for the Olympics?
“No special solution was necessary for the Olympics.”
What is the cost of the solution?
“This information is confidential.”
