From the rising popularity of Mobil Speedpass to mega-highway readers like Fast Lane and EZ-Pass, everyone is trying to get somewhere quicker. Even the Dowling Hall parking garage gates have a wireless access system for faculty and commuter students.
Now, "Proximity technology" has found its way into campus dorms.
This semester, South Hall became the site of a wireless entry pilot program dubbed JumboFob by the Department of Public Safety, the initiative's main sponsor. The access devices, which resemble small gray key chains and contain an internal antenna and microchip, have replaced the residents' building entry keys.
To gain access to the building's perimeter doors - bedroom doors were not included in the pilot program - the students wave the device in front of a JumboFob receiver and the doors automatically unlock and relock after closing.
While the possibility of keyless dorm access has been discussed for years - South Hall was wired for the system when it was built in 1991 - the Class of 2005 was the first to test the limits of the system during last week's Freshmen Orientation. So far, everything has gone smoothly.
"It's as close to flawless as you could hope for," said John King, director of Public Safety.
According to Public Safety Technical Services Specialist Geoff Bartlett, JumboFob was created to address safety and convenience concerns. The devices are clearly safer - they cannot be copied like regular keys, and can be deactivated immediately if lost or stolen. And the University will no longer physically change door locks each year - those equipped with JumboFob can be reprogrammed from the mainframe computer at Dowling Hall.
There have also been some unexpected benefits to JumboFob. The key ring is a non-contact device, so it's extremely durable and will not easily wear out, as a swipecard would. Singing the device's praises, Bartlett told a Daily reporter that the device floats.
The system, moreover, records the time each outer door is unlocked and relocked, helping campus police learn when doors are propped open.
Although King said he expects any problems with the system to surface in the first few months, he said the test program will run through the spring semester. A JumboFob committee, which includes the Department of Residential Life, the Department of Public Safety, and the Dean of Students Office was created last year to review feedback from South Hall residents and recommend future expansion of the system.
Bartlett says that feedback from last year's residents prompted the department to change its plans from a swipecard access device, which would require a Tufts ID for access, to the keyfob. Students already must have their keys in hand to check their mail or get into their rooms, department officials said, so it would be easier for the entry device to be on a key ring. "Students didn't want to use two pieces of technology," Bartlett explained.
Although JumboFob has not experienced problems yet, building power outages - a fixture of downhill living in recent years - could cripple the system. Battery backups are currently in place, but the perimeter doors consume a significant amount of power while locking and unlocking.
While it is yet undetermined how long the auxiliary power could last (it depends on the amount of traffic through the doors during a power outage), King says that an officer will be stationed at the dorm long before the JumboFobs ceases to function.
As for South Hall students, most seem satisfied with JumboFob. Sophomore Tara Heumann said she appreciates the increased security that JumboFob provides. "I like the fact that you can instantly deactivate [the keyfob], and you can't duplicate them," she said.
Tufts Community Union Senate President Eric Greenberg, a member of the evaluation committee for the access system and a resident assistant at South Hall, said an expansion of the project to other dorms is likely, given its popularity. "A lot of people want their dorms to be equipped with the JumboFob," Greenberg said.
But campus-wide wireless dorm access may not be around for at least a few years. Recent renovations have included the necessary wiring for keyless access, many dorms would need to be updated.
Most students, however, say they are willing to wait. "It doesn't make a huge difference," said Tom Dionne, a junior living in South Hall. But, he said, "I think it's really cool."
