What's in it for the students?
The system uses the students own card so that we can provide free of charge access. Authorised students can now gain entry into the building and student areas on a 24 hour, 7 day per week basis.

Can the system be used for other purposes? (eg. To monitor class attendance?)
The system allows full monitoring and logging of all activity. The way the information is used is the responsibility of the department controlling the system. In Computer Systems Engineering our policy does not allow the detailed disclosure of any access control information to any member of staff except in the following cases:

1. The laboratory has been left in an unacceptable state.
2. The computers or equipment have been misused.
3. Any of the published regulations have been breached.
4. For statistical analysis of usage patterns. (No individual information is published.)

How can students be sure that their card data is secure?
The Card Readers each have an encryption algorithm built-in to the main controller IC. The data is encrypted while the card is being swiped and the original data is never transmitted or stored in memory or on hard disk. During card registration the data is encrypted in the same fashion and when the system makes a comparison of the card data it compares only the encrypted data.

What happens if the system fails?
If there is a power outage the system will operate for at least 8 hours on back-up. If this back-up fails then access is no longer possible. All the doors will fail in the locked state from the entry side however the exit side of ALL doors will always be configured to fail-safe. This ensures that no matter what happens you can always exit.

What happens in an emergency? (eg. Fire.)
In a fire or other emergency situation the doors will always be configured with a free handle to exit. This means that it is always possible to exit regardless of the state of the security system.

Who decides on the amount of access individual students should have? (CSE only)
The Head of Department Advisory Committee has approved a policy controlling all student access. For more detailed information please see How do I get access?

Under what circumstances can a student be denied access? (CSE only)
Access privileges to all areas will be revoked immediately if any of the published laboratory regulations are breached. You may appeal to the Head of Department if you disagree with any decision made. Also note that any illegal activity will be reported immediately to the police.

This list is of course in no way complete. If there are other questions or concerns you have about the system please send mail to: labaccess@cse.rmit.edu.au.