Residential Village at University of Washington Bothell
Zentra Access Control Software Upgrade Proves Beneficial
For Prestigious University of Washington Bothell On-Campus Student Housing Facility
Finding the perfect place to call home as a college student can be a daunting task. Students seek environments where they can grow personally, socially, and academically. At the Residential Village at University of Washington Bothell, that search just got easier. This vibrant on-campus housing facility has become a hub for hundreds of U of W Bothell students, fostering a thriving community where they can live, learn, and connect.
Spanning 304,000 square feet, the Residential Village encompasses three residence halls—Summit Hall, Forest Hall, and Horizon Hall—alongside a dining hall. With 1,055 beds available following Phase 2 of construction in August 2024, the facility houses approximately 130 students during summer months and up to 750 during fall and spring semesters.
Managing such a dynamic student housing environment comes with unique challenges. Hundreds of students check in simultaneously at the start of each semester, making efficient processes vital for smooth operations. For the Residential Village team, upgrading their outdated access management system was critical to streamlining operations and enhancing the student experience.
A Need for Integration and Efficiency
To control access effectively, the staff needed an integrated solution with one centralized platform to manage unlocking and locking hundreds of doors. They also needed an easier way to program keys for students and went to their trusted security systems integrator for guidance.
“My job includes overseeing everything at the property including maintenance, leasing, and operations,” states BeckyVanWychen, Area Manager at Residential Village at UW Bothell. I knew we needed to upgrade to a more user-friendly software platform that would help us integrate access control across the property and ultimately improve operational efficiency. Managing a student housing facility is different than managing a multifamily property where you are dealing with different age groups. At Residential Village, there are only students living here and we take pride in teaching them how to become adults and thrive in their community,” says VanWychen.
Typically, with multifamily properties the Property Manager would need to check in 1 or 2 people at a time. However, for student housing, it can be hundreds of students all checking in at once; making it extremely challenging to manage without the proper resources in place. Residential Village knew it was time to make a positive change and upgrade their current access control software with the hopes of streamlining operations and improving efficiency.
Seamless Upgrade from Allegion’s ENGAGE To Zentra Solution
“We were using Allegion’s ENGAGE software solution, but it did not offer a mass import function for us to program student keys,” says VanWychen. “This created a situation where it could take our staff weeks or even months to program student keys as we could only program them one at a time.” Residential Village knew there had to be a better way to handle the student check-in process and was hoping to get guidance from its security systems integrator. The student housing facility was looking to utilize staff members more efficiently and create an organized process of checking in students.
Another challenge plaguing the facility was that ENGAGE required using two separate systems to manage interior and exterior doors/locks. With more than 400 Schlage Control Smart Locks throughout the facility and 20-25 exterior locks from a third party, Residential Village was looking for a way to streamline and manage everything from one centralized platform.
After evaluating their options, Residential Village upgraded to Zentra, Allegion’s cloud-based platform, in August 2024. Zentra simplifies access management for multifamily and student housing properties by integrating perimeter, amenity, and unit controls into one centralized system. As part of this upgrade, they took over the Schlage MTB readers on the perimeter to enable real-time reporting.
“The upgrade from ENGAGE to Zentra was seamless and has improved the user experience by making it easy to make updates and manage everything from one system,” says VanWychen. “It’s a user-friendly system that helped us integrate access control across the property, and allows us to work with both Allegion products, and other exterior, hardwired access points.”
The upgrade to Zentra also included a simple and secure data transfer and set up with no interruptions to the current residents. Students were not even aware there was any type of change going on behind the scenes. But the staff saw the difference upon implementation on how this high-quality premier access control solution improved the user experience.
One of the standout features of Zentra is its mass import functionality, which revolutionized the student check-in process. Instead of programming keys one at a time, staff could now upload hundreds of new students’ information in a matter of hours. This efficiency freed up valuable time and resources, allowing the team to focus on other pressing tasks.
Additionally, Zentra’s centralized platform eliminated the need for two separate systems to manage interior and exterior doors. Staff can now handle everything from scheduling updates for holiday hours to unlocking the café after a break—all from one streamlined interface. Another key benefit was the advanced reporting options in Zentra, including being able to confirm if a student is on campus.
The upgrade to Zentra has transformed daily operations at Residential Village. VanWychen’s team of 10, including two regular users of the system, quickly adapted to the new platform. The Community Manager, who frequently interacts with the system, praised its ease of use, particularly for managing student check-ins and overseeing door controls. Overall, the facility is saving money by requiring less hours or even days for staff to check new students in.
Exceptional Customer Support from Allegion
Allegion’s commitment to its customers extends beyond implementation. The company continues to work with Residential Village to refine features and enhance functionality. For example, VanWychen’s team is exploring ways to automate holiday schedules for the year, allowing doors to lock and unlock on a predefined schedule without manual intervention.
“Customer service at Allegion has consistently been responsive and solution orientated, helping us handle issues around the clock even when the unexpected arose,” says VanWychen
A Bright Future Ahead
The upgrade to Zentra has not only streamlined operations but also reinforced the Residential Village’s commitment to providing a safe and supportive environment for students. “It takes a village to make things work smoothly and we are very happy with our decision to upgrade to the Zentra solution and really like that it’s customizable to our changing needs,” says VanWychen
As Allegion continues to innovate and improve its solutions, Residential Village is confident that it has the tools and support needed to meet the evolving needs of its community. By combining cutting-edge technology with exceptional customer service, Allegion is helping properties like Residential Village build environments where residents can thrive.
