Because the Gantner system includes the locking mechanisms in addition to the physical locker banks, the ideal deployment is one that starts from scratch rather than trying to apply a facelift to existing hardware.

“It is better to deliver new lockers rather than retrofitting old ones. New lockers are mounted with electronic locks from the factory and provide a much better finish,” explains Jensen. “Retrofitting old lockers is possible, but achieving the same final quality is difficult and really depends on the state of the old lockers and the materials they’re made of.”

It's better to deliver new lockers rather than retrofitting old ones. New lockers come mounted with electronic locks from the factory and provide a much better finish.

The entire process starts by placing a custom order where the quantity and type of locker is decided upon by the campus. The university then receives a locker layout, wiring diagram and a drawing of the install base if needed.

“These drawings can be handed to the electrician and construction company who will work according to this schematic,” explains Jensen. “The lockers communicate via the local network and server, which enables the admin to control the locks remotely from the network or via a smartphone should the campus choose that feature. For bigger universities, we recommend all locks be on the same network.”

Contactless locker case study at DTU

The project at DTU initially consisted of approximately 1,000 lockers to be installed in the university’s Lyngby building. The winning locker solution needed to be flexible enough for deployment in a variety of locations on campus, but there were a host of other demands that needed to be met, as well.

“The lockers had to support rental via a holiday visa from the university service center and had to support rentals on a timestamped basis – both daily and on a semester basis,” explains Mikkelsen. “We also wanted our chosen locker solution to have USB ports for charging devices during storage.”

With regards to payment, DTU wanted to support locker rentals via standard credit/debit cards, says Mikkelsen. “However, access to the lockers had to be supported by our student ID card, so integration with the MIFARE credential and a keyless system was a must.”

“We also wanted electronic monitoring and control over the locker banks and the admin system,” Mikkelsen explains. “The lockers had to integrate with DTU's existing Building Management System.”