Access Control That Hits the Mark: How ProdataKey (PDK) Protects Beehive-Wasatch Bowhunters
Weaving through the turns and bends of Parley’s Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, archery enthusiasts make their way to the grounds of Beehive-Wasatch Bowhunters: the state’s oldest private archery club. Founded in the 1950s by a small group of archers looking for a better place to shoot, the club has maintained its community-driven spirit for decades.
That focus on community and collaboration has become the guiding principle of the club as it has evolved over the years. As member Jayson Whittle explains: “We vote in presidents and board members, and we all really work together to do what needs to be done!” And after over forty years in the club, Jayson saw that one need stood above the rest: access control.
To address security issues and modernize the member experience, Beehive-Wasatch Bowhunters partnered with Glen’s Key, Lock and Safe—Utah’s oldest and most recognized locksmith—to implement a cloud-based access control solution from ProdataKey (PDK). The deployment not only improved security and administrative efficiency but also introduced geofencing capabilities that transformed how the club manages access to its remote property.
Making the Switch to Cloud-Based Access Control
Before implementing PDK, Beehive-Wasatch Bowhunters relied on a traditional lock-and-key system to secure the gate leading into its property. While effective in its early years, the system became increasingly difficult to manage as membership changed over time. “With our old lock-and-key system, it was hard to take privileges away when members left the club,” explains Jayson. “When everything is done with keys, it’s so easy for people to just go and have a key copied.”
The club frequently encountered situations where former members still had physical keys and continued accessing the property years after their memberships had ended. Tracking keys, recovering them, and maintaining control over who could enter the facility became an ongoing challenge. That’s why Robert Fehr, General Manager at Glen’s Key, Lock and Safe, recommended that they switch over to PDK.
“One of the major selling features of PDK was that we could avoid that key problem,” Jayson says. “Even if we don’t get the access card back, we can go into the program and turn that key off.” With the ability to activate and deactivate access permissions in PDK.io, the struggle of credential misuse has become a problem of the past.
But the switch to PDK was no straightforward task. Because the club’s entrance gate is located in a remote area without readily available power, Robert and his team had to develop a solution that could operate independently of traditional infrastructure. “Since there’s no electricity out there, we set up a system of solar panels that allows us to power the Cloud Node and reader. We also set up a cellular modem for the communication side of it,” Robert explains. The resulting PDK deployment has given the club a modern, cloud-managed access control system capable of restricting access to authorized club members with ease. Now, members are able to access the property using a combination of physical credentials and mobile credentials, while administrators maintain complete control over permissions from anywhere.
Geofencing: The Key to Secure Access for Beehive-Wasatch Bowhunters
While cloud-based credential management solved many of the club’s longstanding security concerns, one feature has stood out as particularly valuable: geofencing. PDK’s mobile credentials allow members to use their smartphones to gain access to the range, eliminating the need to carry a separate card or key. However, the club wanted to ensure that mobile credentials could not be misused by members opening the gate remotely for unauthorized visitors.
Geofencing provided the answer.
“The nice thing with PDK is that they can set up a mobile credential to give to their members, and geofencing has been a great addition to that mobile experience,” Robert reflects.
“With geofencing, we can limit the access so that members need to be right down the road before they can actually open the gate.”
Robert Fehr - General Manager at Glen's Key and Lock Safe
By requiring users to be physically near the property before their mobile credential can activate the entry gate, the system adds an important layer of accountability and security. For Jayson and the club’s leadership team, the impact of this feature has been significant. “With geofencing, we can be sure that somebody can’t just be at home and open the gate for a friend who isn’t necessarily supposed to be there,” Jayson explains.
“That feature has made a huge difference for us.” The success of the mobile credential experience has encouraged the club to expand its use of this technology over time. While many members currently use a combination of cards and mobile credentials, leadership sees smartphones becoming the primary credential in the future. “Our plan is to give it a year and then slowly shift more people to the mobile app instead of the card,” says Jayson. “And as time goes on, we want to have everyone on mobile!”
PDK Reporting for Operational Insights
Beyond securing access, the PDK platform has given the leadership behind Beehive-Wasatch Bowhunters valuable visibility into how the property is being used. Because the club maintains valuable equipment, trailers, and targets on-site, knowing who is entering the property and when provides important peace of mind. Real-time access reporting in PDK.io allows club leadership to actively monitor activity and verify that the facility remains secure at any given moment.
Alongside providing peace of mind, PDK.io’s Reporting feature has also become a valuable source of operational data. By tracking usage patterns revealed in access reports, the club can better understand member behavior and identify opportunities to increase engagement. “PDK gives us the ability to see who’s going up there and who’s using the space more.
We can see all sorts of useful information, like if more people come up in the mornings or in the afternoons, for example,” Jayson explains. “It gives us a lot of really key information that we can use down the road to try and get more involvement up there.” These insights allow the organization to make more informed decisions about programming, events, and future improvements while ensuring the facility continues to meet members’ needs in the present.
A Bullseye Security System from PDK
For Beehive-Wasatch Bowhunters, the transition from a traditional lock-and-key system to PDK’s cloud-based access control platform has delivered far more than modernized entry management.
The solution has strengthened security, simplified credential administration, enabled remote access management, and provided meaningful operational visibility. Most importantly, the addition of geofencing has helped the club balance convenience with accountability, ensuring that access remains limited to authorized members who are physically present at the property.
By combining innovative technology with a practical installation tailored to a remote environment, Beehive-Wasatch Bowhunters has created a more secure and efficient experience for its members while preserving the welcoming community that has defined the club for more than seventy years.
If you want to learn more about how ProdataKey could benefit your business, schedule a demo today.
ProdataKey is a team of security integrators with decades of hands-on, in-the-field experience.
PDK believes that the best technology is created by professionals who know what it takes to secure a facility properly and provide the end user with a solution that instills confidence and safety.
PDK is passionate about creating technology to enhance the security, safety, and overall experience of both the professionals installing electronic access control and those that live with and use the system. PDK continues to create technology every day to enhance its products and the products of its technology partners.
