Mobile App for Waste Container Access Control — iCober Key
A phone instead of a card. One app for the resident, the administrator and the technician.
iCober Key turns a smartphone into a digital access credential. The user presents the phone to the access control reader exactly as they would a card or fob, and the system checks their permissions and opens the right container or fraction.
One app can serve residents, administrators, technicians and other users of the system. What is available depends on the role and permissions assigned.
The app is also used for local administration, configuration and diagnostics of iCober devices — over NFC, with no separate terminal.
For the user
A phone can replace a physical card or fob and become the access credential. The user carries no separate identifier — access is tied to their phone.
Depending on the configuration, the app allows:
- using the phone as an access credential
- access to the containers and fractions assigned to them
- a view of their own history and usage statistics
- handling several permissions in one place
Usage history and statistics
The app shows how often the user opens each container and fraction — for the current day, the month and the whole time they have used the system.
From the number of openings the app can also work out an estimate of the CO₂ emissions avoided. It is an indicative figure, based on accepted coefficients and an assumption of roughly 4 kg of waste per opening.
The user can see, among other things:
- the share of each fraction and the average separation rate
- a monthly chart showing container use day by day
- a history of openings with the time and the fraction chosen
The data can be kept locally on the phone, and in the Online variant it is also sent to the user's account in iCober Cloud.
Sorting guide
The app helps the user sort their waste correctly. For each fraction it shows the icon and the name — the same ones as on the container labels at that point — along with guidance on what belongs in it.
As standard the system can handle the fractions: paper, glass, bio, plastics, metals and mixed waste.
The list of fractions is not fixed. They can be configured for a particular point, and custom kinds of waste can be added if the system covers other materials.
Device Configuration and Diagnostics over NFC
iCober Key can also serve for local operation, configuration and diagnostics of the devices, without needing a separate terminal.
The technician holds the phone to the reader and can read information about the device's state without opening its housing. Depending on the configuration that includes:
- the battery level and the voltage measured under load
- the reading from the fill-level sensor
- the number of openings performed and the estimated time the device has left
- statistics and the event history stored locally in the device
- granting and revoking permissions, in Offline mode too
Basic operation and diagnostics can therefore be done with no cellular coverage and no extra equipment. The device can work on its own, and the technician reaches the information they need straight from their phone.
Card management
In administrator mode iCober Key lets you manage the cards stored in the device, including when the device has no connection to the cloud.
You can, among other things:
- fetch the card list straight from the device
- add single cards
- import a larger set of cards from a CSV file
- make changes and synchronise them with the device
Card management is therefore possible locally, with no cellular coverage.
Offline mode
On devices running in Offline mode the basic operations can be carried out locally, during a visit to the site.
The phone talks to the device over NFC, so an administrator or technician can manage permissions, read data and run diagnostics with no connection to the cloud.
Basic administration and diagnostics of an Offline device need no LTE-M or NB-IoT coverage and no connection to iCober Cloud. There is therefore no need to build extra network infrastructure just to carry out basic administrative and service tasks.
App availability
iCober Key is currently available for Android devices with NFC.
Which functions are available depends on the configuration of the system and on the role and permissions assigned to the user.
Want to replace the card with a phone?
Tell us how you issue and manage user permissions today. We will see how that process can move into iCober Key and what changes for the administrator, the service team and the resident.