Mobile identifiers “U-Prox ID” – Use of QR codes, etc.

General information:

An electronic key—also known as a mobile identifier—is held within the U-Prox ID app and can be presented to our readers:

• Over Bluetooth (10 cm–10 m, depending on reader settings) on Android and iOS smartphones
• Over NFC (up to 10 cm) only on Android smartphones; iOS NFC support in U-Prox ID is not yet available

You must purchase an electronic key (mobile identifier) before registering it in the U-Prox ID app on your smartphone and then enrolling it in the ACS software to grant access.

– logo of the old application (it can only contain 1 key of the same type)

– logo of the updated application (may have more than one key of the same type)

• Supports 1 piece (of one type) for a smartphone – for the old application;
• more than 1 item (of the same type) per smartphone – for the new version of the app with the Ū logo.

To register the key on your smartphone using a QR code, it is recommended to be connected to a 3G/4G(LTE)/5G network. If you’re on a Wi-Fi network that may restrict access to the licensing server, switch to your mobile operator’s internet and retry scanning the QR code; or use a Wi-Fi network without access restrictions.

With the current technology, the key is registered in the “U-Prox ID” app on your smartphone and can be used in compatible systems—where U-Prox SL/SE readers are deployed.

Once removed from the smartphone, it cannot be re-exported—only deleted in the app (or by uninstalling the app), but then the key is lost and cannot be registered again.
 
 
For older versions of the app:
– If one key is already registered in “U-Prox ID” on your smartphone, the next one of the same type will NOT be added there; you must first delete the previous one.
 
For new versions of the application:
– You can register more than one key of the same type.
– If one key is already registered in “U-Prox ID” on a smartphone, then another key of the same type can be registered as well.

Using the “mobile identifier” in the U-Prox ID app

In our ACS, you can use:

• Physical identifiers – ASK/FSK/Mifare cards or chip-enabled bank cards
• Keypad codes
• Electronic keys – mobile identifiers in the U-Prox ID app on Android/iOS

Any identifier must be registered in the ACS by the user or administrator, regardless of its type, how it was issued, or the delivery method to the client.

Mobile identifiers (“U-Prox ID” keys) can be provided for registration in three forms:

1. QR codes (graphical files) – sent manually (e-mail, messenger) for scanning in the app; you can then manually enter their code into the ACS database or scan them from the smartphone just like a card.
2. QR links – generated in the ACS web interface (already present in the database) and emailed to the client; scanning the link in the app requires prior ACS e-mail setup.
3. Special file for the U-Prox Desktop USB reader – issued locally on-site and then imported into the ACS.

“QR codes” are simply URLs pointing to our cloud server for downloading/validating mobile identifiers into the U-Prox ID (“Mobile ID”) app—one of two possible delivery methods.

Once activated on the smartphone, mobile identifiers can be read by our readers over:

• Bluetooth (Android and iOS)
• NFC (Android only for now; iOS support is coming later), provided NFC is enabled in the app

Currently all U-Prox ID mobile identifiers are one-time registration (“persistent/network” type): once a key is deleted from the app, it is lost and cannot be re-registered.

• In the old U-Prox ID app, if a key of a given type already exists, you must delete it before registering a new one.
• In the new U-Prox ID app, you can register multiple keys of the same type.

QR codes are provided for direct registration in the U-Prox ID app (scanned via camera or loaded as a “.png” file); their code is then entered into the ACS (we recommend the latest ACS version). Each QR contains all information needed to manually populate the ACS database, depending on the system and software used (identifier format and bit length).

Example:

If your U-Prox software version is 3.52.1 or higher, you can specify the full 16-character code, and the app will display it as a QR (similar to a smartphone icon). For other systems, or for earlier U-Prox software versions, it’s sufficient to specify the 5-byte code (it will appear like a regular card).

Verification of the validity (valid/written off) of QR codes for U-Prox ID mobile identifiers:

Performed on the page – http://mobileidorders.ddns.net/ml_validation

Detailed information about mobile identifiers and their use:

The identifier can be transmitted over Bluetooth (10 cm to 15 m) for Android and iOS smartphones, and over NFC (1–8 cm) only for Android smartphones.

Using a “mobile identifier” key that’s already registered on your smartphone works exactly like using a regular plastic card in the ACS software.

Mobile identifiers are compatible with ITV Ltd. readers that support BLE and were released from 2018 onward—excluding the U-Prox keypad and U-Prox mini 485 models, and the Smart Line reader series (marked SL or SE).

Additional information:

• on our website under “Blogs” – “Questions/Answers” – item No. 13.
• document from the page “Programs and instructions” – “Mobile IDs” – “U-Prox ID mobile identifier”
• page “Mobile identification” – “Mobile IDs”

Additional explanations and appearance of the “mobile identifier” in the “U-Prox ID” application:

When the “U-Prox ID” application is launched and the screen looks like this, it indicates that there is NO registered key – “mobile identifier”:

• for old and new versions of the application

For older versions of the U-Prox ID app:

If at least one of the possible keys (standalone, network, encrypted) is already registered on the smartphone, the screen will look like this:

If you tap the gear icon at the bottom left, a menu of registered keys will open, showing which types are already available on your smartphone/app:

In the “U-Prox ID” application for “screen on” operation, specify which key to use by default.

For new versions of the U-Prox ID application:

Swipe left/right – select from the different types of keys registered and available on this smartphone/app.
 
The keys will be displayed, including:

It is also possible to change the appearance and name of all keys.

You can initiate transmission of the mobile identifier in several ways:

1. Tap the “square”/“circle with a lock” button in the app interface, centered on the screen within reader range. Search-and-transmit time: 0.5–1.5 s. Range: 1 cm–15 m (depending on reader settings).

2. Short-press the “gear” icon (bottom-left or top-right of the screen), then enable “On screen wake”. The mobile identifier will transmit as soon as the phone’s screen turns on (from a locked device), within reader range. Search-and-transmit time: 0.5–1.5 s.

3. Short-press the “gear” icon (bottom-left), then enable “Use NFC”. (Available only on Android at this time.) The mobile identifier will transmit when you bring the phone’s NFC antenna to a reader that supports Mifare/NFC, with a transmit time of 0.25–1 s:

• Screen unlocked: within 1–8 cm of the reader
• Screen locked (on supported phone models): within 1–8 cm of the reader

You can also use the U-Prox ID app widgets and install them on your Apple Watch:

There is no difference in how a mobile key operates or is registered on Android versus iOS.
Using a “mobile identifier” that’s already registered on your smartphone works exactly the same as using a plastic card in the ACS software.

A “mobile identifier” key—stored in the U-Prox ID mobile app—can be obtained as follows:

• For standalone U-Prox IP550/IP560 systems:
  Use the U-Prox Config mobile app to generate offline keys. Those actions involve sending a messenger or e-mail invitation; the device produces fully autonomous keys (see the device documentation for the exact procedure).
• For all other scenarios, keys are paid:
  1. Via the U-Prox Desktop USB reader:
     Each reader contains five prepaid mobile-key slots. To use them, you must first register a “master card” on the U-Prox Desktop—without that, you cannot issue any mobile identifiers. In the U-Prox ID app, choose “Obtain from U-Prox Desktop”.
     • If the reader reports 0 available slots (because the five prepaid keys have all been used), you must purchase additional mobile-key licenses and specify that they are assigned to that reader’s GID.
  2. Via QR codes:
     Purchase QR-code licenses and deliver them to users (for example, by e-mail). In the U-Prox ID app, simply scan the QR code or open its image file to register the key.
     • If all available QR codes have been used, you must buy more QR-code licenses through your reseller.

Once issued and registered in the app, a mobile identifier behaves just like a standard card in your access system.

Keys are NOT re-registered.

Mobile ID keys must guarantee the uniqueness of their number, and therefore they are effectively one-time registrations—reuse is not possible!

If a smartphone with the app and registered keys is factory-reset, reflashed, or if the U-Prox ID app is simply deleted, allkeys on it (standalone, networked, encrypted) are lost. They cannot be re-registered.

The only way to preserve a key is to back up all smartphone data using the manufacturer’s backup tools and then restore it.

New smartphone → new key.

Additional information.

The U-Prox Desktop USB reader comes with five prepaid mobile identifiers. To use them, you must:

Create master cards on the U-Prox Desktop

• In the U-Prox Config mobile app (via Bluetooth), go to Next → Replace Master Card.
• You may register up to two master cards; we recommend using only Em-Marin–type cards. A third registration will replace the first master card, a fourth will replace the second, and so on in a cycle.
• A master card is required only to authorize access to the U-Prox Desktop and to issue mobile identifiers from it.
• You can replace a master card with another one, but you cannot delete master cards yourself. To remove or reset master cards, contact our technical support with the Desktop’s GID and your dealer information.

Issue a mobile identifier from the U-Prox Desktop

1. Place a master card on the Desktop reader to authorize—it will light up blue.
2. In the U-Prox ID app, select “Obtain mobile identifier from U-Prox Desktop” and hold your smartphone next to the reader.

Do not enter a value in the “BLE Password” field when configuring the Desktop reader, or it will issue encrypted mobile identifiers.
 

Regarding the U-Prox ID app’s use of GPS:

The requirement to enable GPS (geolocation) is tied to the BLE technology (Bluetooth Low Energy, part of Bluetooth 4.x) used for communication between the smartphone and reader.

This is mandated by the Android (from 6.0 onward) and iOS operating systems and by the BLE technology stack — it cannot be bypassed. Other vendors’ apps (e.g., Nedap and HID) that work with mobile tags impose the same GPS requirement.

On Android devices, you can use NFC as an alternative method to transmit the mobile token to the reader.

We do not use, store, or process any geolocation data.