Residential strata access control · Sydney & Australia-wide
Prox Access replaces copyable fobs in apartment buildings with STid Mobile ID virtual cards (vCards) on residents’ phones. The owners corporation holds the system and decides who gets a credential. Residents open doors hands-free, use biometric checks in lifts and open the car park from their car. Selling vCards can also earn money for the strata fund.
The short answer
STid mobile access is an access control system that stores a resident’s building credential as an encrypted virtual card in the free STid Mobile ID app on iPhone, Android or Apple Watch. STid Architect Blue Bluetooth readers on doors, lifts and car park gates check the card. The strata committee or building manager issues and cancels vCards from an online portal. Nobody has to collect or copy a physical fob.
It works with existing wiring and door hardware in most buildings, so the upgrade usually means replacing readers, not the whole system. Physical cards and vCards can run side by side during the changeover.
The problem with fobs
In many Australian apartment buildings, the installer or integrator holds the system’s encryption keys and programming. That keeps the strata dependent on one supplier for every new fob, at that supplier’s price, and the building has no reliable record of how many working fobs exist.
01 · DUPLICATION
Many older 125 kHz and some 13.56 MHz fobs can be copied with cheap tools. Copies make overcrowding and unauthorised short-term letting hard to stop. How fob cloning works.
02 · LOCK-IN
If the integrator keeps the encryption secret, the strata must buy every credential from them and cannot easily change provider. Why strata should own its supply.
03 · NO VISIBILITY
When residents move out, fobs often leave with them. The committee cannot see how many working credentials are in circulation or who has them.
What changes with STid vCards
Issue, suspend or revoke any resident’s vCard from the portal in minutes, without anyone visiting the building. Every vCard is linked to a named person.
vCards are encrypted on the phone and cannot be copied the way fobs are. STid Mobile ID is certified under EN 17640, and its readers use an EAL5+ secure chip. STid source.
The building’s configuration and credentials belong to the owners corporation, so the strata can buy vCards and service without being locked to one integrator.
With STid’s hands-free mode, residents walk up and the door opens. They do not need to take the phone out of a pocket or bag.
Lift readers can be set to STid’s highest security level, which needs Face ID or a fingerprint before the vCard works. A stolen phone alone cannot call the lift to a resident’s floor.
Use remote mode or long-range hands-free mode to open the car park gate from the driver’s seat. Remotes that get lost, copied or replaced are no longer needed. Car park access.
Right security at each door
STid lets each Bluetooth reader require a different level of proof. A building can make the lobby door convenient and the lifts strict:
Source: STid, “Digitalizing Access Control”. Levels are set when the building is commissioned.
Side by side
| Question | Typical fob system | STid vCard system |
|---|---|---|
| Can the credential be copied? | Often, with low-cost tools (older 125 kHz and some 13.56 MHz technologies) | Encrypted vCard on the phone, certified under EN 17640 |
| Who controls supply? | Usually the installer, who holds the encryption | The owners corporation, through the STid portal |
| Resident moves out | Fob often not returned, so access continues | vCard revoked in minutes and the credit reassigned |
| Lift security | Anyone holding the fob can use the lift | Can require Face ID or a fingerprint |
| Car park | Remotes that can be lost, copied or replaced | Opens from the car using the phone |
| Ongoing cost | A new fob purchase every time | Pay once per vCard and reuse it for new residents |
A new income stream for the strata fund
STid vCards are bought once, with no annual or subscription fees (STid). The owners corporation sets the price it charges residents for a vCard, as it does for fobs today, and the money goes to the strata fund rather than to an installer.
When a resident moves out, their vCard is revoked and the credit goes back to the building. It can then be issued to the next resident, who pays for it. Each credit can earn income many times over.
Payback period: upgrade cost ÷ monthly vCard income. In buildings with regular resident turnover, the upgrade often pays for itself in less than a year. Ask us for a calculation using your building’s numbers.
Included for Prox Access STid buildings
Watchdog Strata is an Australian building management app for apartment buildings. In buildings with a Prox Access STid upgrade, executive committee (EC) members get it free and can see:
Watchdog Strata manages requests and records. Door and lift hardware is controlled by the STid system.
EC members: vCard sales and income, building issues, decisions.
Building manager: approvals, maintenance, residents.
Owners and tenants: requests, notices, parcels, bookings.
The upgrade
Key facts
FAQ
No. A STid vCard is encrypted and stored in the STid Mobile ID app, protected by the phone’s own security. STid Mobile ID is certified under EN 17640. Many older 125 kHz and some 13.56 MHz fobs can be copied with cheap tools.
Yes. The building’s STid configuration and portal account are set up for the owners corporation, so the strata controls who receives a vCard and can buy credentials without going through one integrator.
No. With STid’s hands-free mode, the door opens as the resident walks up, and the phone can stay in a pocket or bag. Other modes include badge, slide, tap tap, remote and voice.
Lift and sensitive-area readers can require Face ID or a fingerprint, so a stolen phone alone will not work there. The building manager can also revoke the vCard in the portal straight away.
Yes. STid readers at car park gates support remote mode and long-range hands-free mode, so drivers can open the gate from inside the car without a separate remote.
No. According to STid, vCards are bought once, with no annual or subscription fees, and maintenance and updates are included.
The building manager revokes it in the portal and the credit goes back to the building. It can then be issued to the next resident, and the strata can charge that resident for it.
It depends on the upgrade cost, the vCard price the strata charges and how often residents change. In buildings with regular turnover, vCard income often covers the cost in less than a year. Prox Access calculates this for your building during the free review.
Usually not. Most upgrades replace the readers and keep existing wiring, locks and much of the controller hardware. Fobs and vCards can run side by side during the changeover.
Watchdog Strata is an Australian building management app. Buildings that upgrade to STid with Prox Access get it free, and EC members can see vCard sales, maintenance issues, tenant records and decisions in one place.
Book a free review. We’ll identify your current fob technology and who holds its keys, and estimate the payback period for your strata.