We have finally received some (not all) of the new keyfobs and temporary keybands that we ordered over 5 months ago! As you may have heard, there is a computer chip shortage in the world and that affected this order. (For the technically-minded, we need NXP MIFARE Classic 4K chips.) What normally takes a few weeks took nearly half a year!
Many people, including ourselves, were not very happy with the previous silicone bands. While they were nearly indestructible, they did not stretch enough for some people and others prefered keyfobs on their key ring. But we were limited to the styles that Salto Systems carried. So last spring, we purchased special software which now allows us to create our own access credentials. It was expensive but it means we can order any style from anyone. The cost is lower and there is so much more choice!
We found these nice overmolded nylon keyfobs that are more durable and much more reasonably priced than the ones we were previously purchasing from Salto. Anyone who prefers a keyfob can exchange their white silicone keyband for free.
We also ordered temporary green tyvek bands. They are very similar to our current visitor bands but these have the RFID chip built in so that visitors will no longer have to give us a deposit or carry around a plastic access card.
We are still waiting for new permanent silicone keybands. Unlike the current white ones, these will be black and adjustable. The manufacturer tells us that they’re having trouble getting both the silicone and the chips so it may be a while. The whole world’s supply chain is most definitely disrupted!
Why do they say “GYMNOS”? Because we wanted something unique to us but we didn’t want it to be obvious where they were from if someone dropped them on the ground in a parking lot somewhere. We considered the ‘family’ logo but there was not enough space. Don’t know what “gymnos” means? Look it up here and then you will get an interesting insight into where the word “gymnasium” comes from.
