woman grinning at camera as she stands inside an office in front of the entrance door holding a mobile phone in her hands

How mobile access works

Three practical use cases

Have you ever considered how convenient it would be to completely eliminate physical access cards?
What if access rights could be delivered remotely, directly to your customers’ or employees’ smartphones?

It’s no coincidence that smartphones are rapidly becoming a standard access credential in access control systems.

 

Why a smartphone is an excellent access credential

  • A smartphone is almost always carried and is a natural tool for identification.
  • Access rights can be delivered remotely, without physical visits.
  • Physical access cards and tokens can be eliminated.
  • Smartphones provide a highly secure method of identification.
  • You save time—for both your organization and your users.

Below are three different use cases showing how mobile identification can be implemented using the Idesco ID service.

In all examples, the organization already uses Idesco access control readers that support mobile credentials, together with a compatible access control system.

Access credential data always remains in the organization’s own system. Idesco ID does not store credential data; it only delivers the mobile credential securely.
The Idesco ID service has no fixed license fees. Pricing is based solely on the number of credentials in use, even if there are only a few dozen per year.

 

Example 1: Holiday cottage company – short-term customer stays

In a holiday cottage business, customers typically stay only for a few days. The company has a reception where guests check in.

How it works:

  1. The customer downloads the Idesco ID app to their smartphone.
  2. The app creates a unique device identifier, which acts as the access credential.
  3. At reception, the credential is read from the customer’s phone into the system using an Enrollment Station reader connected to a computer.
  4. The credential is added to the access control system, and access rights are assigned for the duration of the stay.

The customer can access their cottage using their smartphone—without a physical key or access card.

 

Example 2: Gym chain – remote access from an online store

A gym chain operates multiple locations and an online store. Previously, customers had to collect a physical access card from a gym during opening hours.

The gym chain now wants to:

  • sell memberships online
  • deliver access rights directly to customers’ smartphones.

The chosen solution is a REST API integration of the Idesco ID service, connected to the gym’s own customer management system.

How it works:

  1. The customer purchases a membership online.
  2. Access rights are automatically sent to the customer’s smartphone via SMS.
  3. The customer downloads the Idesco ID app and registers the received access rights.
  4. Access works immediately—no visit to the reception required.

Idesco ID delivers the access right securely but does not store customer data and is not part of the gym’s internal system.

 

Example 3: Companies with multiple sites and visitors

A company operates multiple sites and. The company wants to:

  • deploy mobile access across the entire organization
  • issue new mobile access credentials to all employees at once
  • manage access for short-term visitors
  • use Idesco ID mobile credentials service without REST API integration to their own system.

The company implements:

  • the Idesco ID service
  • a company account in the Idesco Portal, a browser-based web service.

Through the portal, the organization can:

  • manage its mobile credentials
  • send access rights to employees’ and visitors’ smartphones.

Process:

  1. The user receives an SMS to register the access credential.
  2. The credential is activated in the Idesco ID app.,
  3. The user can now access company premises using their smartphone.

If desired, mobile credentials can be used alongside traditional physical access cards.

 

Summary: Deploying mobile identification with Idesco ID

 

When you want to send access rights remotely to smartphones

You need:

  • An access control system with Idesco mobile-compatible readers. (Cardea, 8 CD 2.0 MI, or 8 CD 2.0 MI D)
  • The free Idesco ID app for end users.
  • The Idesco ID service, used either via
    • the Idesco Portal, or
    • a REST API integration with your own system.

 

When you want to enroll credentials on site, one by one

You need:

  • An access control system and mobile-compatible Idesco readers.
  • The free Idesco ID app.
  • An Enrollment Station reader, connected via USB to a computer, to read the credential from the smartphone into the system.,

 

Who is mobile identification best suited for?

  • Organizations with many users or frequent turnover.
  • Companies looking to reduce manual administrative work.
  • Services where speed and customer experience are critical.
  • Organizations that value information security and full ownership of their data.

 

Learn more about mobile access

Mobile compatible readers

8 CD 2.0 MI

8 CD 2.0 D Pin

Cardea