UK-based access control manufacturer Paxton has launched Solo, a phone-centric access control system in which the smartphone functions as both the credential and the complete management interface. The system is designed for small to medium-sized commercial, retail, and light industrial premises where the cost and complexity of traditional server-based access control represents a barrier to adoption.
Solo uses the smartphone’s built-in biometric authentication, fingerprint reader or face unlock depending on the device, as the user verification layer before a credential is presented to a reader. This ensures a lost or stolen phone cannot be used to gain unauthorized access without the owner’s biometric. The credential itself is a mobile key stored on the smartphone and presented to compatible readers over Bluetooth or NFC.
The management interface is entirely phone-based. Administrators configure the system, add users, set access rules, and review audit logs through the Solo app rather than through a dedicated PC console or a web portal connected to an on-site server. Paxton describes the architecture as serverless from the premises perspective: all system logic and access management runs through cloud-hosted infrastructure accessed via the app, with no on-site PC, dedicated server, or fixed network required. Each door is fitted with a Solo Controller and Solo DoorTag, which together connect directly to the cloud and drive the electronic lock and power supply.
Paxton Solo enters a market where phone-centric smart lock authentication is gaining ground in adjacent segments. ULTRALOQ launched a biometric, Matter-enabled smart lock for the residential market in October 2025 using similar device-biometric plus mobile-management principles. The Solo design eliminates the need for a dedicated on-site network connection to a local controller, reducing installation complexity and ongoing maintenance for smaller sites in the SMB segment Paxton is targeting.
Sources: Security Info Watch, Paxton
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
