Facility Update - Common Area Access Upgrade

An Important Upgrade for Your Community Access

Good morning, everyone!

We are excited to share some great news about an upcoming upgrade to the system you use every day to access our common areas, like the pool, sports courts, and gym. This is the system that uses your key cards or key fobs to let you in.

Why Are We Making This Change?

While our current system (Cobra Controls) has served us well, it’s simply time for an important change. It’s now outdated and will become very expensive to maintain. Think of it like an iPhone from 2010. Yeah, it still works, however, it's a legacy product, unsupported by basically everything, and it doesn't get security updates anymore—it’s a risk we need to eliminate.

Our key concerns were:

• Obsolete and Risky: The hardware is officially discontinued, and replacement parts will become harder to find and cost more. As it gets older, the potential for failure increases.

  
  

• Insecure: The current key fobs use old technology (RFID) that can be easily duplicated, which is a significant security concern for our community.

  
  

• High Cost & Single Vendor Sourcing: We are stuck buying expensive replacement cards only from one vendor, and we can’t easily upgrade just a part of the system—we'd have to replace the entire thing at once.

Our Solution: A Secure and Modern System

Following the Board’s approval in October, we are moving forward with the Unifi Access system. This upgrade is a smart, confident step into the future for Kingswood:

• Enhanced Security: The new system uses NFC technology—the same secure technology found in Apple Pay and Google Wallet—making cards much harder to duplicate.

  
  

• Better Integration: It works seamlessly with our existing camera, WiFi, and phone systems, giving us one easy-to-manage portal for all infrastructure.

  
  

• Cost Savings & Flexibility: We can now use third-party key cards, break free from a single vendor, and the system can be upgraded in small, manageable steps as our needs change.

What This Means For You: Project Phases & New Cards

To keep disruption to a minimum, the project will be completed in two phases.

Phase	Location	Timeline & Impact
Phase One (Immediate)	Pool, Gym, Sports Courts	This is a direct replacement of the old system.
Phase Two (Upcoming)	New installation in the Office Building (Operations, Superintendent, Clubhouse, Break Room)	This will not affect homeowner access as the office will use physical locks until completed.

Action Required: Your Current Cards Will Stop Working

Please be aware of the following during the transition:

• Current key cards and fobs will NO LONGER WORK after the system switch.

  
  

• Every unit will receive two (2) brand new NFC access cards FREE OF CHARGE.

  
  

• These new cards will be available for pickup at the office soon. We will announce the start date for pickup shortly. (We unfortunately cannot offer refunds for any RFID cards recently purchased.)

Potential Short-Term Access Disruption (Phase One)

We will do our best to minimize inconvenience:

• Gym / Restroom access may be affected during the hardware swap.

  
  

• During this time, the doors will be manually unlocked during business hours (8:00 am - 4:00 pm).

  
  

• There will be a two-week grace period after the switch where the doors will be manually unlocked each day until owners can pick up their replacement cards.

Simple to Use, Powerful Features Later

Our main goal is to make sure this new system is just as easy to use as the old one. For most residents, the only difference will be a new, more secure card! We are introducing some great advanced features soon, like using your phone as a key and owner-managed visitor passes, but we are focused on a smooth and stable transition first. We will roll out those extra tools once the core system is fully operational.

Conclusion

This upgrade is a significant investment in the security, stability, and future of our community. While we anticipate some minor, temporary disruptions, we are confident this move to a secure, modern, and flexible system will be well worth the effort.

Feel free to reach out to the office at (office@kvpoa.org) with any questions!