Electronic Fob entry

dambarude

I'd be very grateful if someone here could shed some light on my predicament.

The apartment I'm living in needs to be accessed using electronic fob. I've been renting there for about four months. Upon returning last weekend, after a month away, my fob would not work, meaning I couldn't get in. Luckily my housemate was home at the time. Her fob had stopped working a few weeks previous to this. I'm still waiting to get my fob back from the management company after three days (it's been left in for reprogramming). Now the whole system seems to be down, meaning nobody's fob will work, and none of the buzzers for ringing different apartments are working.

So I'm wondering, what exactly is one supposed to do if they cannot enter their apartment block in the middle of the night due to a gammy fob or gammy system? Is there no emergency way of entering? I basically can't leave the place now because I won't be able to get back in.

Loopie

Is there not a keypad to override it? Or can the gate be disconnected and then left open? Appreciate that's not great for insurance but mightn't be any other choice.

Lord ButterSlip

Thats annoying. Generally these systems have a keypad next to the fob system to open the doors should what happened to you happen.

EDIT: Beaten to it

dambarude

Loopie wrote: »

Is there not a keypad to override it? Or can the gate be disconnected and then left open? Appreciate that's not great for insurance but mightn't be any other choice.

No, there's no keypad. The fob is for a door to actually enter the building, and it seems that the whole thing is broken- there are no lights on the doorbells, there's no sound when you pick up the phone for talking to someone outside, pressing the fob against the receiver does nothing- no red light/blue light/green light or anything like there would be usually.

I'm at a complete loss- I don't know what to do! Obviously the management co. will be hearing from me in the morning, but the whole system seems to be seriously flawed.

Lord ButterSlip

dambarude wrote: »

No, there's no keypad. The fob is for a door to actually enter the building, and it seems that the whole thing is broken- there are no lights on the doorbells, there's no sound when you pick up the phone for talking to someone outside, pressing the fob against the receiver does nothing- no red light/blue light/green light or anything like there would be usually.

I'm at a complete loss- I don't know what to do! Obviously the management co. will be hearing from me in the morning, but the whole system seems to be seriously flawed.

MAYBE you should check the fuse for the system since there is no power even in the handsets, it could have tripped. It (the fuse) probably would be in a common area of the flats as opposed to your app.

athtrasna

dambarude wrote: »

I'm at a complete loss- I don't know what to do! Obviously the management co. will be hearing from me in the morning, but the whole system seems to be seriously flawed.

As you're renting your issue is with your landlord, they then have an issue with the Management Agent and Company. The management company and agent do not have to deal with you, the relationship is with the apartment owner.

You need to contact your landlord immediately and point out that not being guaranteed access to your home means they are not delivering on their side of the lease/rental agreement. They then need to get it sorted asap. Check with Threshold for information on your rights re refund of a portion of your rent.

You should not take the previous poster's advice and check fuses etc in the common area. Any interference with electrics in common areas could be construed as vandalism.

dambarude

Lord ButterSlip wrote: »

MAYBE you should check the fuse for the system since there is no power even in the handsets, it could have tripped. It (the fuse) probably would be in a common area of the flats as opposed to your app.

Good idea, but I wouldn't have a clue where to look. Thanks for your advice though.

edit: Just saw athtrasna's post.

dambarude

athtrasna wrote: »

You need to contact your landlord immediately and point out that not being guaranteed access to your home means they are not delivering on their side of the lease/rental agreement. They then need to get it sorted asap. Check with Threshold for information on your rights re refund of a portion of your rent.

I'm sure you're right. I don't see what the landlord would be able to do if I had been locked out though, especially at night time, or the weekend- it seems that no fob will work. I don't see what's wrong with a good old fashioned key, or at least some way of actually getting into the block when the fob system is down.

athtrasna

dambarude wrote: »

I'm sure you're right. I don't see what the landlord would be able to do if I had been locked out though, especially at night time, or the weekend- it seems that no fob will work. I don't see what's wrong with a good old fashioned key, or at least some way of actually getting into the block when the fob system is down.

Keys can be cut...which is a security issue on a common front door.

My point re the landlord is you are renting an apartment accessible through a common front door. If you have issues accessing the apartment due to a faulty entrance system, they are responsible and it's up to them to pursue the issue with the management agent. If they don't get it sorted, you may be entitled to withold part of your rent, or break your lease. Check this with Threshold.

dambarude

athtrasna wrote: »

Keys can be cut...which is a security issue on a common front door.

My point re the landlord is you are renting an apartment accessible through a common front door. If you have issues accessing the apartment due to a faulty entrance system, they are responsible and it's up to them to pursue the issue with the management agent. If they don't get it sorted, you may be entitled to withold part of your rent, or break your lease. Check this with Threshold.

Yes, but what can the landlord actually do? I can complain to him until I'm blue in the face, and he pass it on to management, but he can't actually fix the system. I don't see how anyone would want to live longterm in an apartment that could potentially leave you locked out in the middle of the night/weekend/public holidays. It's the landlord I have to inform, but it's not actually his fault.

athtrasna

dambarude wrote: »

Yes, but what can the landlord actually do? I can complain to him until I'm blue in the face, and he pass it on to management, but he can't actually fix the system. I don't see how anyone would want to live longterm in an apartment that could potentially leave you locked out in the middle of the night/weekend/public holidays. It's the landlord I have to inform, but it's not actually his fault.

It's up to the landlord to find a solution. You are paying for a facility that you cannot be guaranteed. How the landlord sorts it out is their problem. You have a right to access your apartment, the equipment provided to you is faulty.

In the long term your landlord can raise the issue of access at the next AGM to try and find a more reliable alternative to the current fob system but for now, they can put pressure on the Management Agent to get the system up and working.

GAAman

Just for future reference if the fob your talking about is something like where you just swipe it in front of a specific part of the door (with a key symbol on it) these fobs take less then ten minutes to program/reprogram

dambarude

GAAman wrote: »

Just for future reference if the fob your talking about is something like where you just swipe it in front of a specific part of the door (with a key symbol on it) these fobs take less then ten minutes to program/reprogram

That's what I thought... Thanks.

How Strange

GAAman wrote: »

Just for future reference if the fob your talking about is something like where you just swipe it in front of a specific part of the door (with a key symbol on it) these fobs take less then ten minutes to program/reprogram

+1
I programme fobs all the time in my job and it's quite simple, straightforward and takes a couple of mins.

They're not complicated pieces of hardware. It works or it doesn't. If a fob doesn't work most likely there is a problem with the reader at the door and not the fob. It may need to be serviced.

IMO you should get your fob back asap and if not you should be given a replacement. You should speak to your landlord about this and get him to put pressure on the managing agent.

Paulw

GAAman wrote: »

Just for future reference if the fob your talking about is something like where you just swipe it in front of a specific part of the door (with a key symbol on it) these fobs take less then ten minutes to program/reprogram

Yes, while it may only take 10 mins, there are a number of other factors - having the fobs, having the access to the control system, having the ability to reprogramme, having access to site, having a person capable of doing it, etc.

It's never as simple as 1 fob, 10 mins, working system.

Lord ButterSlip

athtrasna wrote: »

You should not take the previous poster's advice and check fuses etc in the common area. Any interference with electrics in common areas could be construed as vandalism.

My point is that if this person cant get get in or out then switching on the fuse would save them a lot of messing, they could still contact the landlord with this issue; as if this problem happened when noone is there then everyone would be locked out.

Paulw

If there is a power outage, then for safety reasons, the gates should automatically open and not lock. The locks generally require power to work.

It would really depend on the configuration of the fob system and gate lock mechanism.

GAAman

Paulw wrote: »

Yes, while it may only take 10 mins, there are a number of other factors - having the fobs, having the access to the control system, having the ability to reprogramme, having access to site, having a person capable of doing it, etc.

It's never as simple as 1 fob, 10 mins, working system.

Well on the accommodation site i worked on there was two maintenance people there myself and another guy, one from 8:30 am until 6:00 pm and 6:00pm until 8:30 am so there was 24 hour "support" if you will

Also there were 50 fobs in a bag with 5 bags per box, i personally stacked some 20 of these boxes at one time

And i should point out this was run of the mill student accommodation so if there was this much effort for cheap student accommodation surely there should be more offered to proper rent paying tenants no?

Paulw

I live in a residential development (normal owned/rented apts). We have no on-site support people, and no on-site spare fobs. Any new fobs needed have to be ordered/bought. We then need to schedule our security/gate maintenance company to come and programme fobs. This can take a few days.

dambarude

I just thought I'd check back in to tell you what happened with the whole fob debacle in the end. Thanks for all you replies, this certainly turned into a longer thread than I imagined.

Regarding the length of time it took to get my fob reprogrammed, apparently the woman who does it wasn't in until this morning, meaning it couldn't be done until then. I rang management this morning, and one of them came out to me with the reprogrammed fob, at last. It took four days in all to get it done, even though it usually takes five minutes.

The fob system had an electrical fault, which is why it wasn't working. Apparently there's no backup power, and apparently there's no way of getting in without the fob. Seems a bit ridiculous. Everything's sorted now though, I can get in and out again.

irishproduce

How Strange wrote: »

+1
I programme fobs all the time in my job and it's quite simple, straightforward and takes a couple of mins.

They're not complicated pieces of hardware. It works or it doesn't. If a fob doesn't work most likely there is a problem with the reader at the door and not the fob. It may need to be serviced.

IMO you should get your fob back asap and if not you should be given a replacement. You should speak to your landlord about this and get him to put pressure on the managing agent.

To How Strange or anyone else who may be able to answer. do you know where I could buy one of these fobs?
I ask because I had 2 for the apartment I am in but I lost one last week. Now I or my wife have to share the key :-(

Se picture below of what it looks like.



Thanks
irish

dambarude

I'd say contact your management company. That's where we get ours. They have to program it to allow you access, so there's no point trying to buy one anywhere else (even if you could).

Paulw

irishproduce wrote: »

do you know where I could buy one of these fobs?

Se picture below of what it looks like.

It's not a matter of what it looks like, it's more important how it's configured inside.

Contact your management agent.

irishproduce

Thanks for your replies. Sorry lads, I should have made myself clearer. I can go to the management agency and get one but it'll be €50 for their trouble. Whereas if I have my own one, it can be reprogrammed no problem. The one I have now stopped working about a year ago and they reprogrammed again no hassle.
So, could anyone point me in the direction of an outlet where I might get one?

Faolchu

irishproduce wrote: »

Thanks for your replies. Sorry lads, I should have made myself clearer. I can go to the management agency and get one but it'll be €50 for their trouble. Whereas if I have my own one, it can be reprogrammed no problem. The one I have now stopped working about a year ago and they reprogrammed again no hassle.
So, could anyone point me in the direction of an outlet where I might get one?

i doubt its that simple, these things are usually linked to a central system where the serial number of the fob is recorded and given certain levels of access. if the serial is not on the list of allowed fobs then it wont open the door. the management agent or security company will have spares that are already provisioned on the security system and simply enable the settings for it to open dors A,B & C. When tehy run out they buy more enter the serials, leave them disabled and enable them and assign them to owners when required. its not much of a security system if its a one fits all fob

irishproduce

The one I currently have, I got from a friend of mine over a year ago.
When I moved to the apartment I am in now, I got one fob as I lived there alone. I am no longer there alone though.
The fob I lost was the one they gave to me.
The fob we are using now is the one that I got from a friend that he had from when he left his apartment (which is another place completely).

The fob my friend gave me, I just called the agency and said the fob stopped working, any chance you could reprogram, I went to the computer with the guy and he reprogrammed it. Voila. The fob I got from my friend was working on all doors.

So again, is there an outlet where these fobs are available?
Thanks
irish

Faolchu

irishproduce wrote: »

I went to the computer with the guy and he reprogrammed it. Voila. The fob I got from my friend was working on all doors.

he didn't magically make it work you know, he most set the new serial number up thinking it had been deleted or something liek that. if you by one in a specialist store it will have to be set up on the system just like the one above. any good agent keeps a record of teh serial number and owner so should be asking for yoru serial number on the fob when you call so they may notice all these new fobs

Or your agent may be concerned of you having all these fobs that "keep failing" think theres an issue with the security system and pay someone to look at something that doesnt need doing and wasteing the company more money that you'll have to pay a protion to anyway.

if you were not responsible enough to keep a hold of your fob why not just pay the agent €50 to get a new one? each time a guy goes out to reporgram the system for your new fobs it costs money but the agent may have a selection already programed, its not like they're profiting off that €50 running down the pub with it for a few jars, thats the cost of replacement and reprogramming fobs

irishproduce

I understand what you are saying Faolchu but it does not cost anywhere near €50 to program a fob.
It is the agent who comes down, he lives a few minutes away from me. This is the guy who does the tour of a prospective apartment etc. He takes the fob to the computer in the basement of the complex and sticks it in a hole, clicks the mouse on the computer and it comes up on the screen "Complete".
Off I go with my fob, in full working order.
I am of the impression that the fob I have shown in my picture is a standard fob that can be programmed to any encryption once it is plugged into the right building's computer.
I would compare it to when you go to a hotel desk, they scan a plastic card to allow you access to any room in the hotel, that does not cost €50. The metal headed fob is the same system.

Faolchu

i dint say it cost €50 to reprogram teh fob i said it cost that to replace and reprogram the fob. in general you cant buy things liek this or as you mention hotel room swipe cards as single units they are usually purchased in batches.

the agent isnt make a killing on these, the €50 tag is there to cover the cost of replacing any lost, stolen or damaged fobs, the time and cost of someone getting to the site (themselves or someone from a security company) and teh time sitting at the computer doing what needs to be done etc. depending on the management company there may also be a small markup on them to encourage people to be more careful with them. but from what i've read €50 - 60 tends to be the normal replacement cost

The only place i can think you might get a single one is online, like i said i doubt you could walk into an electronic hobby store like maplins and pick one up. check the back of it for labels or manufactures markings and try trace a source that way with with the time and effort involved €50 might just be the best option at least you're guaranteed after paying you'll have a working fob

irishproduce

Thanks Faolchu. Fair enough.
I know the back of the fob says Salto on it.
When you hold the metal piece into the light, there is also ibutton.com written into the metal too if any of that helps.
I did a bit of a search online but turning up nothing really.
Ibutton.com site doesn't look like they sell them direct off the site.