Log+Key

Key cabinet vs. software

Electronic key cabinet or software with NFC? An honest comparison: security, proof, cost.

Start for free, up to 10 keys or objects for good. Just an email address, no payment details.

An electronic key cabinet secures every key on its own. Log+Key proves who holds which key, even when it is out in the field. Which one fits depends on what you need to prevent and what you need to prove.

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In use at Deutsches Rotes Kreuz, NetAachen, Caritas and others.

Quick verdict

If individual keys must stay locked away, there is no way around a cabinet. If it is about proving who holds what, Log+Key is enough, with a terminal at the key board.

Your situation Our recommendation
Each key may only go to authorised people, around the clock with no staff present Electronic key cabinet
Prove who holds which key, on the road and across several sites Log+Key
A central issue point at the key board, without buying a cabinet Log+Key with terminal
Locking hardware in place, but no records Combine both, via an integration

In use at

“With Log+Key, all key movements are finally captured digitally. This means our documentation requirements are met with considerably less effort.”
Dimitrij Greckin Product Manager, Home Emergency Call District, Malteser Hilfsdienst e.V.
More about our customers and partners

In brief

An electronic key cabinet locks every key individually and releases it only to authorised people; it logs checkouts and returns itself. Software with NFC such as Log+Key locks nothing, but records every handover by scan, on a smartphone or at a terminal, even outside the cabinet.

Key box, key dispenser or software: three ways

Someone searching for a “key cabinet” means one of three very different solutions. All three have their place.

1. Mechanical key cabinet

A steel cabinet with numbered hooks and a cylinder or combination lock. It keeps keys tidy and locked away. Anyone who can open it reaches every key, and who took which key is at best in the key log. For a few fixed people that is enough. How a safe and software fit together is covered in Key safe vs. software.

2. Electronic key cabinet (key dispenser)

Every key hangs on a fob with an RFID chip and is locked in its slot. After login, for example by PIN, card or fingerprint, the cabinet releases only the keys that person may take and logs checkouts and returns. Suppliers include deister electronic (proxSafe) and Traka (ASSA ABLOY). It is the strongest option when individual keys must stay locked away, such as vehicle keys in shift work or master keys. The cabinet needs mounting, power and usually a network connection; ask the maker for the price.

3. Software with NFC tags

The keys stay where they hang today. Each key ring gets an NFC tag, and staff scan it on checkout, return or handover with a smartphone or at a terminal. Log+Key records who had the key when and who signed for it, even when it goes to a colleague or a contractor on the road. The software cannot lock anything.

Comparison

What does each kind of key cabinet do?

Where the electronic cabinet is stronger, we say so. The overview helps you choose by your needs, not ours.

Feature

Mechanical key cabinet

  • Keys physically secured Cabinet with a lock
  • Only authorised people can take keys Whoever opens it gets everything
  • Who had which key? Only with a key log
  • Keys outside the cabinet —
  • Handover to contractors with signature —
  • Several sites One cabinet per site
  • Capacity Number of hooks
  • Installation Screw it to the wall
  • Cost One-off, low

Feature

Electronic key cabinet

  • Keys physically secured Each key locked individually
  • Only authorised people can take keys Release per key
  • Who had which key? Log at the cabinet
  • Keys outside the cabinet All it sees: taken
  • Handover to contractors with signature Depends on the system
  • Several sites One cabinet per site
  • Capacity Number of slots in the cabinet
  • Installation Mounting, power, usually network
  • Cost Purchase, price on request from the maker

Feature

Log+Key with NFC

  • Keys physically secured Log+Key locks nothing
  • Only authorised people can take keys Roles and permissions, no lock
  • Who had which key? History per key
  • Keys outside the cabinet Passed on by smartphone scan
  • Handover to contractors with signature Signature on screen
  • Several sites One account for every site
  • Capacity By plan, no slot limit
  • Installation None; terminal optional
  • Cost Free for up to 10 keys or objects, then monthly

No cabinet to buy

Prove key movements from today

Free for up to 10 keys or objects, at your existing key board or cabinet. All you need to start is an email address.

Start for free

Where the electronic cabinet is stronger

  • It prevents the checkout. Without permission, nobody gets the key. Log+Key shows who took a key but stops no one from taking it.
  • It works without anyone's help. The log is written when the slot opens, even if nobody remembers to scan.
  • It suits keys that are costly to lose: master keys, vehicle keys, keys to plant rooms that are issued around the clock without supervision.

Where software with NFC is stronger

  • The key does not stay in the cabinet. Home care services, property managers and alarm services pass keys on in the field. The cabinet only sees “taken”; Log+Key sees every handover.
  • Several sites in one overview. One account for every key instead of one cabinet per site.
  • Handovers to contractors with a signature. Tradespeople or tenants sign on screen, without an account of their own.
  • No slot limit, no installation. New keys get a tag, and the plan grows with the number of keys. You can start today.

The middle way

The terminal at the key board

Many teams want a fixed issue point, like at a key cabinet, without buying one. That is what the Log+Key terminal is for: a wall-mounted device right at the key board. Enter your PIN, scan the NFC tag, done.

The hardware comes from our partner gekartel and is built for continuous use. The terminal costs €49 a month and is cancellable monthly. Smartphone, browser and terminal all work on the same data.

The terminal does not lock keys. If the key board hangs in a lockable room or cabinet, you get both: a protected place and proof of every checkout.

More about the terminal

Log+Key terminal for issuing keys at the key board

Cabinet + software

Connect your existing locking hardware

Already have locking hardware in the building? Through the Wiegand interface, common safe and locking systems such as SimonsVoss can be connected to Log+Key. An integration with Uhlmann & Zacher locking hardware is in progress.

We build further integrations to order. Tell us which system you use and we will clarify up front what is possible.

All integrations

Log+Key connected to existing locking hardware

Five questions before you decide

  1. Do you need to prevent a checkout or prove it?
  2. Do the keys stay in one place, or are they passed on in the field?
  3. At how many sites are keys kept?
  4. Do keys go to contractors who should sign for them?
  5. How many keys will be added over the next few years?

For a structured choice there is the key management requirements catalogue, with criteria where a cabinet can score too, and the business case with calculator.

Pricing

Start for free, add a terminal when needed

You start without hardware and decide later whether a terminal or an integration comes on top. No setup fees.

  • Free plan

    Get started right away

    10

    keys to manage

    free

    Every feature, unlimited users, free for up to 10 keys or objects for good.

    Start for free

  • At the key board

    +1

    Terminal

    €49/ month *

    Wall-mounted terminal by gekartel, rental including software module and shipping, cancellable monthly.

    See the terminal

  • With locking hardware

    ∞

    Custom

    Integration with existing locking hardware, roll-out across several sites, integrations built to order.

    Ask for advice

* All prices net, plus 19% VAT.

Frequently asked questions

Key cabinet or software: the key answers

  • What is an electronic key cabinet?

    An electronic key cabinet (also called a key dispenser or electronic key box) locks every key individually. The key hangs on a fob with an RFID chip in a fixed slot. Only once an authorised person logs in, for example with a PIN or card, does the cabinet release exactly the keys they may take. Checkouts and returns are logged automatically. Well-known makers are deister electronic and Traka.

  • How much does an electronic key cabinet cost?

    The makers publish no list prices; the price depends on the number of slots, the login method and the software, and is available on request from the maker. Add mounting, power and usually a network connection. For comparison: Log+Key costs nothing for up to 10 keys or objects, and the terminal is €49 a month. All prices.

  • How does an RFID key cabinet differ from software with NFC?

    Both use a chip on the key. The cabinet uses it to recognise the key and hold it: it secures the key in one place. Log+Key uses an NFC tag on the key ring that a smartphone or terminal scans: the software records every movement, even when the key is passed on out in the field. The cabinet prevents the checkout, the software proves it. More about the NFC tags.

  • Do I still need a key cabinet with Log+Key?

    You still need a place for the keys; a key board or a lockable cabinet will do. Log+Key does not lock keys. If what you mainly need is proof of who holds which key, that is usually enough. If certain keys may only be accessible to certain people, for instance at night with no staff present, an electronic cabinet is the safer choice.

  • Can Log+Key connect to a key cabinet or locking hardware?

    Through the Wiegand interface, common safe and locking systems such as SimonsVoss can be connected. An integration with Uhlmann & Zacher locking hardware is in progress. We build further integrations to order. Tell us which system you use and we will check it up front. Ask for advice.

  • What is the Log+Key terminal?

    A wall-mounted tablet terminal from our partner gekartel for the place where your keys hang. Checkouts and returns take seconds there: enter your PIN, scan the NFC tag, done. It costs €49 a month, cancellable monthly, and works on the same data as smartphone and browser. See the terminal.

  • How does it work across several sites?

    A cabinet secures exactly one place; every further site needs another cabinet. In Log+Key you set up locations and see every key in one account, including the ones currently out. A terminal can be added at individual sites.

Get started

Proof first, maybe a cabinet later.

Free for up to 10 keys or objects, no credit card and no time limit. If a terminal or an integration makes sense, we will talk about it.

Start for free