Access Control for Utilities – Electricity, Water, Heat, and Gas

Utility companies in electricity, water, heat, and gas work with critical infrastructure spread across large geographic areas. Many access points are without power, without internet, and often difficult to access.

SnapKey combined with iLOQ S5 makes it possible to manage access centrally, offline, and without batteries.

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Challenges in the Utility Sector

❌ Thousands of locations: substations, pump stations, transformer stations ❌ Off-grid requirements: no power or network ❌ Complex key management: many technicians, both internal and external ❌ Operating costs: replacement of keys, mechanical locks, and access systems ❌ Compliance: requirements for traceability, logging, and documentation (NIS2 and CER)

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SnapKey + iLOQ: The Complete Solution

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How Battery-free Technology Works

iLOQ S5 process:

1. Technician holds smartphone to the lock └ NFC delivers power directly to the lock

2. Lock activates without battery

3. Cryptographic validation: ├ The key on the phone is digitally signed ├ The lock validates the signature offline └ Revocation lists are cached in the lock

4. Decision: ├ Valid → Open └ Invalid → Reject

5. Logging: └ Events are stored in the lock

6. Synchronization: └ Logs upload to SnapKey Cloud when phone is online

Offline validity: Can be unlimited (with reduced security level) Lifespan: 20+ years Environment: -40°C to +85°C (IP68)

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Use Cases in the Utility Sector

Electricity Supply – Transformer Stations

Challenges:

• Locations without power or internet
• Traceability and control requirements
• Many external technicians

SnapKey + iLOQ:

• Digital key on technician's phone
• Access even without network – the cylinder validates the key itself
• Logs stored in lock and synced later

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Water Supply – Pump Stations

Typical scenario:

• 100+ locations
• Many technicians with different responsibilities
• Mechanical keys are impractical and insecure

SnapKey:

• One digital key per technician
• Access only to relevant locations
• Revocation from the SnapKey dashboard
• Keys via QR code for ad-hoc access

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District Heating – Substations

Traditional approach:

• Code boxes with shared codes
• No traceability
• Codes rarely changed

SnapKey:

• Unique QR code on each cabinet
• Personal digital keys for technicians and externals
• Traceability: who opened what and when, as reported by the lock system
• Automatic expiration on temporary access

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Offline/Online Hybrid Model

SnapKey is optimized for environments with low or no connectivity:

• Offline access: iLOQ handles validation locally
• Revocation lists: stored locally in lock, updated on sync
• Logs: stored in lock, uploaded via technician's phone
• Keys: can be valid indefinitely in offline mode if needed (lower security level)

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NIS2 & CER Compliance

SnapKey supports the central requirements from NIS2 and CER:

Requirement	SnapKey Supports
Traceability	Yes – audit trail
Access documentation	Yes – detailed logs
Time-limited access	Yes
Offline access	Yes
Central administration	Yes
Revocation	Yes – from the SnapKey dashboard
Audit reports	Yes – automatic generation

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FAQ

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Contact Us

Is your utility company ready to modernize access control — without batteries and without insecure mechanical keys?