THE CUSTOMER

Nine at Mary Brickell Village (Nine) is a 34-story luxury condominium in Miami’s financial district with 390 units. The property serves a resident base largely made up of young professionals and medical students and includes multiple amenity areas and a multi-level garage that all require controlled access.

THE CHALLENGE

Nine’s previous fob-based access model was vulnerable to duplication and credential sharing. For as little as $40, residents could duplicate an access fob at a local hardware store in minutes, weakening access integrity and eroding the sense of luxury and exclusivity the property is meant to provide. In a high foot-traffic area, management needed tighter ingress control across common entrances, amenities, elevators, and parking, plus a stronger audit trail than fob logs alone could provide. 

THE SOLUTION

Nine deployed a site-wide biometric access control solution centered on facial authentication, while keeping alternatives available for residents who preferred mobile credentials or high-security encrypted fobs. The system was implemented by Miami-based integrator IT Works using Suprema’s BioStation 3 readers and BioStar access control management software to deliver stronger security, cleaner auditing, and a faster resident experience. 

[How it works]

• Baseline migration Resident and permission data was migrated from the legacy system into BioStar to preserve access rules during cutover (amenities, entrances, elevators/stairwells by floor, time schedules).
   
• Enrollment and adoption Residents enrolled either during scheduled sessions (typically under a minute per person) or via smartphone self-enrollment by submitting a simple selfie after receiving the enrollment link. This approach resonated with tech-savvy residents who preferred to register immediately rather than wait in line. Residents could choose facial authentication, mobile credentials, or encrypted fobs on the same readers.
   
• Phased deployment Readers were rolled out progressively, starting with lower-traffic amenity areas (e.g., pool) before main entrances to reduce disruption and increase enrollment rates before the highest-use doors.
   
• Built-in intercom for continuity During transition, the reader’s video intercom capability enabled non-enrolled users to contact the 24/7 lobby security officer for remote access decisions.
   
• Garage and elevator controls Existing vehicle RFID transponder data was imported and tied to individual user profiles for better visibility and control. Elevator reader range/positioning was tuned to ensure accurate floor-specific access (avoiding unintended multi-floor unlocks).
   

KEY BENEFITS

Credential duplication risk removed Facial authentication eliminates the “duplicate a fob for $40” loophole and significantly reduces credential sharing, supporting the residence’s security standards and premium brand image.

Clear, visual audit trail Each access event is logged with a corresponding image snapshot, improving investigations and accountability. 

Reduced abuse from short-term rentals Access can’t be “shared” with temporary guests in the same way as a fob, helping management shut down unauthorized short-term access patterns.

Faster resident experience, lower admin burden Smartphone self-enrollment reduces scheduling overhead and improves adoption, especially for mobile-first residents.

Consolidated entry experience Video intercom built into readers reduces the need for separate intercom hardware and supports remote access decisions by security staff.