We compare the most hi-tech GSM controllers on the market. They allow you to control the executive device not only by dialing, but also using a free application for a mobile phone. In addition, both manufacturers offer a cloud service with their products that allows remote control and management of devices.
There are a large number of GSM controllers on the market with prices ranging from 5,330 rubles to 24,757 rubles . And in our blog there is an article about GSM modules for which there are even more applications. In this article, we will compare the Lithuanian GSM ESIM controllers and the Israeli Pal Es.
The company Eldes is based in Lithuania, founded in 2005. Specializes in the production of security and fire alarm equipment.
Company Pal Electronics Systems, (abbreviated as Pal Es) was founded in 2000 in Israel. The first time after its foundation, the company developed and produced equipment for the organization of telephone communications and intercoms. Since November 2004, the company has completely focused on the production of GSM equipment for controlling barriers.
Device management
ESIM
GSM ESIM controllers are controlled by dialer and mobile application. The memory stores a "white" list of numbers. If the call is made from one of these numbers, then the executive device is opened.
GSM controller ESIM320
Mobile application. An application was developed on iOS , only a widget on Android . For authorization, you must enter the phone number and password created when adding a user (you can change the password later). There are no additional administration functions in the mobile application.
Pal Es
GSM controllers Pal Es have 4 ways to open an executive device: dial-up, mobile application, remote control not copied, proximity card.
GSM controller Pal Es SG314GI-WR
Control using a mobile application
An application has been created on iOS , on Android there is both a mobile application and a widget, and one does not exclude the other. You can, for example, put the most popular access point in the form of a widget on the phone's home screen, and control the rest of the points from the application. The user is authorized (enters the phone number to which the secret code is received, which must later be entered into the application). After authorization, no settings need to be made.
Remote control
GSM controllers Pal Es support work with their own non-copying remotes.
All consoles are entered remotely without visiting the facility through a personal account. Each remote control has a unique serial number, which is entered through a personal account from any computer or tablet with Internet access. You do not need to go to the object to register the remote control. If the remote control is lost or, for example, a person does not pay for parking services, then it can also be deleted through your personal account. Adding a user in the Pal Es cloud All remote controls have statistics. In your personal account, you can always see who entered and left and what time it happened. Passage statistics for the control panel (the identifier “control panels” is selected in the log).
The remotes can be limited by the time of entry and exit to the object. You
can limit by dates, hours, days of the week. For example, if necessary, you can make, for example, that the control panel will open the barrier from November 1 to December 1 from 8 am to 8 pm on weekdays. Interface for adding an access group in the Pal Es cloud Decoding of remote control errors In the event that, for some reason, the opening after pressing the remote control button did not occur, an error decoding appears in the personal account with a description of what specifically did not interference, etc.). This allows you to determine whether this is a local problem (for example, if one remote control does not work, then perhaps a person is trying to open from afar through athermal glass) or global and solve it.
In addition, the Pal Es GSM controllers are controlled by dialing and proximity cards.
Administration and configuration
ESIM
Both vendors offer a cloud service that allows you to remotely manage and control the installed GSM controllers. ESIM allows you to connect to the server, both using a computer and using the cloud. Working with the cloud is possible only after preliminary settings through the configurator program. Configuration tool application interface for ESIM programming with a wired connection At the same time, after enabling the Eldes Cloud Services (cloud service) function, remote connection via the Eldes Configuration Tool software becomes unavailable.
Also, when entering users through the cloud interface and through a wired connection, there are problems with the Russian font (if you configure the module via the cloud, then when connecting via the web interface, the Russian language is not recognized) and vice versa (if you configure ESIM through the web interface and connect to it laptop). The manufacturer himself suggests using the Latin alphabet when entering users. At the same time, 16 characters are allocated under the name, which is not very much.
ESIM equipment allows to appoint 5 administrators who can program the GSM controller using SMS. In this case, the administrator himself cannot be a user of the GSM controller. At the same time, ESIM allows you to record the same user several times, which means that if, for example, a user was recorded using SMS 2 times, and deleted 1 time, then he will still have the ability to access.
GSM controllers support schedulers - the ability to limit the user by dates, hours and days of the week. There is also a call counter option - after a specified number of calls to the system phone number, the user is automatically deleted from the database.
Pal Es
GSM controllers Pal Es are configured only through the cloud. Configuration and control is possible from any computer, tablet or phone with Internet access; no configuration software or preliminary settings are required. GSM controllers are added to your personal account by serial number. There is no limit to their number in each account. GSM controllers can be configured without even turning it on. We configure the controller in advance and just turn it on at the site. The server sees that the GSM controller with a certain serial number has "appeared" and sends all the information to it. Since the Pal Es equipment has a 3G module, the import takes place in a matter of seconds (commands from the server are not interpreted in SMS form, but are sent to the GSM controller as Data via the mobile Internet).
GSM controllers can be grouped into “place”, thus, they have a single user base and access log. You can park in the parking lot, etc. This is convenient at large facilities where there are several entry groups through which users can enter or exit. With the help of "place", adding and removing users occurs only once, you do not need to work with each controller separately. It is also much easier to analyze user movements, because finding information in a single access log is much easier than analyzing the access log of each GSM controllers separately.
Users can be entered through the form in the web interface, or using an Excel file, which is prepared in advance and then uploaded through the cloud service.
When entering a user, the system checks whether there is such a user in the memory of the GSM controller, and if there is, it does not enter it again, but overwrites its data. This feature prevents two users from being entered by mistake. The "Users" tab in the Pal Es cloud service There is an access log in your personal account that allows you to see who, when and with the help of what type of identifier (dial-up, application, remote control, card) opened the executive device. Information in real time goes to the servers and is stored there for an unlimited time, the memory of the event log is not limited. If for some reason the server is unavailable (coverage problems, negative SIM card balance, etc.), the GSM controller has a memory for 15000 events. The appearance of the event log in the Pal Es cloud
There is also a check log that allows you to determine which of the administrators performed any actions with the GSM controller, including adding and removing users. The appearance of the check log in the Pal Es cloud In the Pal Es cloud there are graphs of voltages, the level of the cellular network, registered on the GSM controllers, as well as a graph of the interference immunity of the GSM line. This allows you to diagnose the causes of faults. But of particular interest is the Connection graph, which shows when the GSM controller was in contact with the server and when not. All charts can be scaled in time, select the period (hour, 4 hours, 8 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, week), and also shift them in time. Tables tab
There is also an easier way to configure the GSM controller. Customization is also possible using a mobile application. To do this, the GSM controller can be added by its serial number directly to the mobile application, after which this application receives the administrator function. Also, any user of the mobile application can be made an administrator, the number of administrators is not limited.
The administrator can add / delete / change user settings, view the event log in the mobile application and close or open the relay for a long time, in which case the GSM controller relay will close or open until the next command. This command has the highest priority, therefore, it can be used to block the GSM controller, as well as to emergency open the executive device for any period of time. All administrator options are flexible. One administrator can be given the right to manage users, another - to view the access log, the third - all rights, etc. Entering users using a mobile application is more visual and technologically advanced than using SMS.
In addition, in the cloud-based personal account there is a check log, with which you can determine which administrator has deleted or added a specific user, which allows you to avoid exceeding the administrator's authority. When entering a user, the system checks whether there is such a user in the memory of the GSM controller, and if there is, then it does not enter it again, but overwrites its data. This feature prevents two users from being entered by mistake. Administrator options in Pal Es app
Specifications
For clarity, the characteristics of the controllers are given in a tabular form (the table is clickable): The following controllers are presented in the Pal Es line:
- SG303GAL — 12 075
, 50 - SG303GA — 17 457
, - SG303GB — 17 457
, - SG303GI — 19 182
, , - SG303GA — WR — 19 872
, , - SG303GB — WR — 20 631
, , - SG303GI — WR — 20 631
, , , - SG314-GI-WR — 21 666
, , Wiegand 26, , - SG303GA — WRL — 10 557
, ( 5 ) - SG333GA — 145 935
GSM- ( GSM-+).
The memory on all GSM controllers Pal Es for each type of identifier, regardless of the functionality, does not change. That is, 6500 remote controls can be stored in the memory of both a GSM controller that works only with remotes, and a controller that works with dial-up and mobile applications.
Information about remotes, proximity cards and telephones that can control the GSM controller by dialing is stored both in the cloud and locally. Thus, if there is no connection with the server for some reason (for example, the balance on the SIM card has run out), then the remotes will work. If the balance of the SIM card is negative, as well as if there are problems with the mobile Internet at the base station, but the voice communication works, then opening the GSM controller by dialing will work.
ESIM controllers are installed on GSMmechanical relays . GSM controllers Pal Es are equipped with an optocoupler , controllers with Bluetooth are equipped with a NEC mechanical relay with a lifespan of 500,000 - 700,000 operations. With a stable power supply, the optocoupler resource is not limited. The use of an optocoupler also allows you to organize the operation of Pal Es controllers according to a schedule (the relay closes according to a schedule for a configurable time according to the calendar), as well as to close / open the controller relay from the administrator application for a long time (the relay closes or opens until the next command for an arbitrary time). The optocoupler does not stick together, the terminals do not burn, so it is not afraid of a long-term short circuit.
Configuring timers on controllers via the Pal Es cloud interface
Information about remotes, cards and telephones that the GSM controllers Pal Es can open is stored both on the server and locally on the controller. When opening with these identifiers, the decision to open is made by the controller without the participation of the server. Information about opening or attempting to open the GSM controller is transmitted to the server, therefore the access log is not limited (all records are stored on the server with no storage time limit). GSM controllers have a local memory for 15000 events, it is used if the server is not available. When opening with the help of a mobile application, the command to open is first sent to the server, then from the server it is already transmitted to the controller, that is, the server participates in the decision to open. For this reason, information about applications that the GSM controller can open,is not stored locally and therefore the number of applications that the GSM controller can open is practically unlimited.
Since the information about all the settings of the Pal Es GSM controllers is stored in the cloud, there is always access to it. If the controller fails or, for example, was stolen, then all information can be easily copied to a new device (in the Pal Es personal account there is even an option "Duplicate device", which allows you to do this in one action).
The ESIM user base is stored on the GSM controller itself. At the same time, backup can only be done using a wired connection (Eldes cloud does not yet allow downloading the database from the controller remotely) Thus, if the controller suddenly fails or was stolen, then all information will remain on it.
GSM controllers Pal Es use 3G mobile communication, and ESIM GPRScommunication. This applies to both the settings via the cloud - recording / deleting users / changing the parameters of the GSM controller, and the opening time via the mobile application. That can affect the speed and stability of work, since 3G is a more modern technology.
Cybersecurity
ESIM
According to information from the manufacturer, the ESIM mobile application uses cryptography, while the manufacturer does not disclose the algorithm.
Pal Es
At Pal Es, a mobile application is protected by cryptography, a radio channel communication between a controller and a remote control, as well as an Internet traffic controller and a server. Everywhere uses 128-bit encryption based on AES 128 .
This encryption is especially interesting when applied to remotes. AES 128 is a cryptographically stronger and newer algorithm than KeeLoq (based on this algorithm, most remotes for automation are encrypted). Keeloq was developed in the eighties, it has already been analyzed, at the moment there are 4 ways to attack it. AES 128 encryption is newer and more secure. It is not hacked by standard equipment: code grabbers, even professional and expensive ones, not to mention Chinese remote control copiers.
Price
On the Russian market of GSM controllers, devices from these manufacturers are perhaps the most expensive. ESIM has 2 models of GSM controllers, which represent different generations of the same controller (2G and 3G). GSM ESIM controllers work with mobile application and dialer.
For a price comparison, we will consider a more technologically advanced controller ESIM 320, the price of which is 15,900 rubles . Bluetooth controller Pal Es BT SG-BT10 , controller SG303GA - WRL (working only with consoles), as well as controller for a private house for 50 subscribers SG303GAL , about 15% cheaper than 3G controller ESIM 320 .
Pal Es controllers working with mobile app and dialerSG303GA and SG303GB are slightly (about 15%) more expensive than the 3G ESIM 320 controller .
Pal Es equipment supporting work with remotes, application and dialer ( SG303GA - WR , SG303GB - WR and SG303GI - WR ) is more expensive than ESIM 320 by about 30%.
The SG314-GI-WR Pal Es controller, which , in addition to the mobile application and dialing, also works with non-copyable remotes and proximity cards, is about 1.5 times more expensive than ESIM 320 .