Access control
Apple Wallet and Google Wallet keys open a door when a resident or employee holds an iPhone, Apple Watch, or Android phone to an NFC reader at the entry. Apple says Express Mode lets some keys work without waking or unlocking the device; Google's badge steps say wake it, no unlock needed. Elwin Security installs, configures, and supports the readers, controllers, wiring, power, and door hardware behind that tap for commercial and multifamily properties in Santa Clara and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Use case
A vendor sells the reader and the license. Elwin scopes the cable, power, controller port, and lock that release the door.
Apple's documentation says employee badges from the platforms it supports can be added to Apple Wallet on iPhone and Apple Watch. The employee needs multifactor authentication on the account used for the employer's app. Google's corporate badge needs an Android phone on Android 9.0 or higher with NFC turned on, plus the platform's app and the Google Wallet app.
Tenants and staff of supported partner facilities can use their home key in Apple Wallet to access their building and unit. Property managers on supporting platforms can send a provisioning link by email or SMS. Google's multi-family key has the same Android 9.0 and NFC requirement as its corporate badge, and Google says digital key sharing is not supported in Google Wallet.
Properties already on Kisi, Verkada, Brivo, Avigilon Alta, or Swiftlane that need to know which of their readers accept a wallet tap. Verkada, for example, lists Apple Wallet on its AD34 and AD64 reader datasheets and says Apple Wallet is not compatible with the AD31, AD32, or third-party reader hardware.
Service focus
Three questions set the scope: which reader accepts the tap, what the platform charges to issue the pass, and what that reader needs from the wall.
Kisi's documentation requires a Kisi Reader Pro 2.1 at each door that takes Apple passes. Avigilon Alta: only Video Readers manufactured after June of 2023 are compatible with Employee Badge in Apple Wallet; wireless locks are not supported.
Brivo requires an additional purchase of Brivo Wallet Pass, and the administrator enables it in Brivo Access and accepts the Apple terms. Kisi bills Apple Wallet badges as a recurring per-user software license.
A Verkada AD34 draws 12 V at 250 mA max and needs an RS-485 run to a Verkada controller or intercom.
Site walk
The site walk turns the manufacturers' published requirements into a door-by-door list of readers to keep, swap, or add.
Which reader is on the door now and whether the platform lists it for wallet keys. Verkada says Apple Wallet is not compatible with its AD31 and AD32 readers or third-party reader hardware, so those doors get a reader swap in the scope.
Whether the existing cable can carry the new reader.
The strike, maglock, or electrified lever the reader releases, and whether the opening is fire-rated or an exit. Elwin repairs and replaces door hardware; your fire marshal or AHJ determines compliance.
Who gets a wallet key, who keeps a card or fob, and how a lost phone is handled. Apple's program requires readers to accept mobile passes in addition to physical contactless cards and fobs. Google says a residential digital key is not a replacement for the physical key, and only the property manager can activate or deactivate it.
Scope details
Apple and Google set the phone side. The platform sets the reader and license side. The building sets the cable, the power, and the door hardware.
Apple stores the key in the device's Secure Element and turns Express Mode on by default. Apple says power reserve works for up to five hours with some keys that have Express Mode on when the iPhone needs charging. Google's corporate badge help page lists Android 9 and up with NFC on, a Wear OS 2 or later watch, and one phone and one watch per badge at the same time.
Apple's access program requires readers to support its Enhanced Contactless Polling protocol, ECP v2.3 or later. Google says workplaces need NFC-enabled readers compatible with Google Wallet and the Service Provider's protocol to support Corporate Badges.
Verkada's AD34 and AD64 use Secure Channel OSDP v2 over RS-485 to a Verkada controller or intercom. Elwin confirms the controller has the port and the reader power before a wallet reader is ordered.
Apple's program guide calls the party that owns or governs the access property the Participating Provider. When that is a different organization from the Credential Manager that integrates with Apple, Apple says it must sign a Participating Provider Agreement with Apple through the Credential Manager.
Process
The order is reader, cable, controller, then license and users, so each pass is issued against a door that already works.
Walk each door, record the reader model and controller port, and check it against the platform's wallet documentation. Doors on unsupported readers get a swap; doors with no cable get a cable path.
Result: A door-by-door list of readers to keep, swap, or add, with the license count the platform will need.
Mount the reader, land the OSDP, Wiegand, or PoE run, and connect the strike or maglock. Test a card or fob at each door before any wallet pass is issued.
Result: Each reader reads a physical credential and releases its door.
Field proof
Apple, Google, and the access platforms publish the reader, device, and license requirements. The site walk is where those requirements meet the door.
Apple's Express Mode page says power reserve works for up to five hours with some cards, passes, and keys that have Express Mode turned on. It also says the feature is not available if the iPhone is turned off.
Verkada's AD34 and AD64 datasheets say Verkada can only support Corporate Badges on Apple Wallet and cannot issue Resident Cards for Multi Family Units.
Kisi's documentation says Apple passes need an iPhone on iOS 17 or higher and that managed Apple IDs are currently not supported by Apple. Kisi's Apple Wallet guide says Kisi does not offer an equivalent badge in Google Wallet.
A badge reader on a lobby wall. Apple's program guide lists a requirement to guarantee that relevant access readers accept mobile passes in addition to physical contactless cards and fobs.
A reader being fastened at an exterior wall. A wallet-ready reader still needs its wired run.
Kisi, Verkada, Brivo, and Avigilon Alta each publish Apple Wallet support. Kisi requires a Reader Pro 2.1, and Verkada says Apple Wallet is not compatible with AD31, AD32, or third party reader hardware.
Site walk
Tell Elwin what is not working, what systems are already on site, and which access points matter most. The next step is a scope grounded in the building, not a generic product list.
