Power
The electrical supply for the selected terminal, controller and other powered components, including isolation and the route to the equipment.
Electrical readinessVPOD / TECHNICAL READINESS
SMART LOCKER INFRASTRUCTURE GUIDE
Smart Locker Network Requirements: Power, Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Offline Operation
A practical guide for IT, facilities and security teams preparing a connected locker installation. Confirm the system architecture, site network, access method and continuity plan before procurement—because requirements depend on the configured controller, cloud platform and integrations.
THE SHORT ANSWER
There is no single network specification for every smart locker.
Requirements depend on the configured locker controller, cloud platform, user-access method, integrations and the continuity behaviour the organisation needs. A permanent, centrally managed workplace system may have different dependencies from a temporary parcel point or a reader-led installation. The final design should be agreed for the selected hardware, software version, location and operating model.
Before ordering, ask the supplier for a project-specific technical schedule. It should identify the power supply and isolation, the communications path between locker components, the external network connection, required network destinations and ports, identity and integration dependencies, and what users can do if a dependency is unavailable. Do not accept a generic statement such as “Wi-Fi required” as a complete infrastructure design.
Planning principle Record what must work, where each dependency sits, who owns it, how it will be secured and how it will be tested at acceptance.
01 / SEPARATE THE LAYERS
“Wireless access” does not mean a wireless locker system.
Four different requirements are often collapsed into one conversation. Keep them separate in the specification so the site team can plan each one correctly.
Door-control communication
The local connection between the control equipment and electronic locks or locker banks. The design may use internal wiring or another configured method.
Local system designNetwork connectivity
The IP path used by the configured platform or connected systems for management, updates, events, integrations and support.
Site network approvalUser authentication
The method a user presents at the locker, such as a badge, PIN, QR code or mobile credential. It is not itself the system’s network connection.
Identity & access policy
Why this matters
A QR code or badge may be presented locally while the broader system still depends on a controller, site network or cloud service. Likewise, a locker can use a wired site connection while offering users a mobile access journey. Specify each layer rather than inferring one from another.
02 / OPERATIONAL DEPENDENCIES
When does a smart locker need connectivity?
Connectivity matters whenever the configured service must exchange information with a management platform or another system. It can support the following activities, although the exact design and timing vary by product configuration and workflow.
- Synchronising users and permissionsApply new users, role changes, time windows and revoked access from the agreed identity or administration source.
- Sending allocations and notificationsAssign a compartment, deliver a collection instruction or update the user when the workflow changes.
- Recording access and door eventsReport a deposit, opening, collection, return, denied attempt or authorised override for operations and audit.
- Updating occupancy and availabilityKeep the operating view aligned with the current state of a locker bank where the design supports live status.
- Running reports and remote administrationLet authorised teams manage service settings, review activity and support users across one or many locations.
- Connecting business systemsExchange the approved data needed by identity, workplace, access-control, service-management or parcel workflows.
- Monitoring health and supportSurface faults or service status when monitoring is included and the relevant path is available.
03 / CONNECTION CHOICES
Ethernet, Wi-Fi, cellular or a hybrid design?
There is no universally best medium. Compare each option against site conditions, security policy, resilience expectations, construction constraints and who will operate the connection.
| Connection | Advantages | Limitations to plan | Often considered for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethernet | Stable, controlled and predictable when the route and switch configuration are approved. | Requires cabling, an available switch port, a suitable route and agreement on addressing, VLAN and support ownership. | Permanent enterprise installations and locations with managed structured cabling. |
| Secure Wi-Fi | Can make placement more flexible and reduce new data cabling in suitable locations. | Coverage, roaming, interference, authentication method, certificate lifecycle and local wireless policy need validation. | Offices and campuses with managed wireless infrastructure and an approved device onboarding process. |
| Cellular | Can provide a network path independent of the customer LAN and may help in temporary or difficult sites. | Signal quality, antenna position, data plan, carrier service, SIM ownership and support dependency require decisions. | Temporary, public or remote sites where customer LAN access is impractical and cellular use is approved. |
| Hybrid | Can add flexibility or resilience where the design supports a secondary path. | Introduces configuration, failover, monitoring, security and ownership decisions; a second connection is not automatic failover. | Critical or multi-site programmes with a defined availability target and tested recovery approach. |
Selection test: Which connection is approved, monitored and supportable at this location—and what is the expected behaviour when it fails?
04 / POWER & PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Plan the cabinet, control point and service route together.
Network approval cannot compensate for an incomplete installation plan. The site survey should identify the final locker position and the routes for power, data and local cabinet connections before any enabling work is scheduled.
Confirm where the approved supply will be provided, who installs and isolates it, and how it will reach the terminal, controller and any other powered devices included in the design. Ask the supplier to provide the load and connection details for the selected equipment. The electrical contractor should work from that approved schedule and the site’s electrical standards rather than from assumptions about a generic locker system.
Cabinet-to-cabinet routes also need attention. The layout may require internal or inter-bank connections, access for commissioning, a clear path for future maintenance, and an agreed method for protecting cables from damage. Confirm whether the floor, walls, skirting, raised floor, fire stopping or furniture layout affects the route. Keep service clearances and user circulation in view while positioning the terminal and readers.
Agree whether backup power is required and what it is expected to preserve. A UPS may support selected components for a period, but it does not automatically preserve cloud access, mobile services or integrations. Document the intended behaviour and test it.
Facilities pain pointLate power or cable changes can delay installation, create visible surface routes or force an otherwise avoidable cabinet redesign. Close the physical survey before design freeze.
05 / SECURITY & NETWORK APPROVAL
Give IT and security enough detail to approve the design.
“It uses the internet” is not an approval-ready description. The customer’s IT, network and security teams need to understand what connects, why it connects and how the connection is governed.
Segment the deployment
Agree whether locker components belong on a dedicated device network, a facilities segment or another approved zone. Define the permitted communication between segments and who maintains the rules.
Document firewall flows
Request the current outbound and any required inbound connection details, including destination names, ports, protocols, purpose and initiation direction. Confirm whether services use fixed or changing addresses and how changes are communicated.
Own credentials and certificates
Record who provisions, stores, rotates and revokes network credentials, API secrets, certificates and service accounts. Define expiry, recovery and handover at project exit.
Protect data in transit
Confirm the encryption and authenticated connection approach for each external path and integration. Ask what information is exchanged and how secrets are protected; do not assume that a working connection is a secure one.
Log and monitor access
Identify which system records connection, authentication, administrator and locker events; who can review them; how alerts reach support; and which retention rules apply.
Control support and change
Define remote-support access, approval, session logging, permitted hours and emergency escalation. Include patching, software change, vulnerability reporting and maintenance windows in the operating agreement.
Security review question
Review Vpod’s smart locker security guidance ↗Could the customer disable a route or credential safely, and would the service owner know what operational function would stop?
06 / INTEGRATIONS & API DEPENDENCIES
Trace the network path through the whole user journey.
An integration can add endpoints, data exchanges, identities and failure conditions beyond the locker platform itself. Identity providers, access control, workplace platforms, IT service-management systems and parcel platforms may each have separate environments and owners.
Document the source and destination of each exchange, the data required, the event that triggers it, its frequency, the authentication method, the expected response, timeout and retry behaviour, and the owner who investigates a failed transaction. Clarify whether integration traffic is initiated by the locker platform, an external service or both.
Trigger→Context→Allocation→Identity→Access→Event→Exception→Reporting
07 / CONTINUITY & OFFLINE OPERATION
Ask what still works when a connection is unavailable.
“Offline smart locker” can mean several different things: a user may keep using a locally cached credential, a controller may continue operating without its cloud path, an event may be stored locally until service returns, or the entire user journey may depend on connectivity. The answer is configuration-specific. Do not assume that a locker is offline-capable—or that offline access is included—without a documented response for the selected system.
For each failure, agree the expected user experience, operational workaround, record keeping and recovery test. Ask which functions require a live identity check or external transaction, what data is cached, for how long, and how administrators can identify the status. Clarify the boundary between loss of internet, loss of the site LAN or Wi-Fi, loss of an integration, platform unavailability, power loss and a local equipment fault; each can have a different impact.
CONTINUITY REVIEWCONFIGURATION-DEPENDENT
Existing users
Can a previously authorised user still access a compartment? Under which credential and time limits?
New assignments
Can a new parcel, asset issue or locker allocation be created while a dependency is down?
Event records
Are events queued locally, and how are timestamps, duplicates and reconciliation handled after recovery?
Integration actions
Which triggers, notifications or identity checks stop, retry or move to manual handling?
Administrator overrides
What authorised recovery options exist, and how is every override recorded and reviewed?
Service restoration
Who confirms data and occupancy are reconciled, the connection is healthy and users can resume?
08 / PRINTABLE SITE-SURVEY CHECKLIST
Take these decisions into the site survey.
Use the list as a readiness record. Mark each item only when the named owner has confirmed it for the selected configuration.
Download checklist CSVTo print from this page, use your browser’s print command. The article layout simplifies automatically on paper.
09 / DELIVERY OWNERSHIP
Make infrastructure responsibilities explicit.
Use the matrix as a starting point for project discovery—not as a universal allocation of contractual duties. Confirm the final lead, contributors, deliverables and acceptance authority for each deployment.
| Responsibility | Customer IT | Facilities | Vpod | Integration partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power readiness | Consulted | Lead / confirm site works | Provide equipment schedule | Consulted if affected |
| Network approval | Lead / approve controls | Coordinate access and routes | Provide current technical requirements | Provide integration endpoints |
| Locker configuration | Confirm identity/network constraints | Confirm operating workflow | Lead agreed locker setup | Consulted where integrated |
| API configuration | Approve identity and security | Confirm process owner | Configure agreed locker interface | Lead its own platform configuration |
| Acceptance testing | Test network/security | Test user and site operation | Test locker journeys | Test integrated data flow |
The labels above are indicative. The statement of work, technical design and site-specific responsibility matrix must define the final accountabilities.
VPOD DEPLOYMENT EVIDENCE & VIDEO
Use real workflows to test your architecture.
Case studies help teams ask practical questions about central management, multi-site operation, identity, parcel handling and system hand-offs.
ENTERPRISE / MULTI-SITE
Mars: plan the estate, not one cabinet
Vpod’s published case study describes 27 locker walls and 874 doors across 15 sites in nine countries. It is useful evidence for central oversight and rollout scale; the network schedule for a new deployment still needs project-level confirmation.
Explore the Mars case study ↗
PARCEL / INTEGRATION
FacilityOS + LogisticsOS: trace the hand-offs
The case study shows a connected flow from parcel receipt and recipient matching through locker allocation, notification and authenticated collection. Use it to map endpoints, data ownership and exception routes.
Explore the parcel integration ↗
WORKPLACE / CENTRAL MANAGEMENT
Skyscanner: support several offices consistently
The workplace case study describes a centrally managed locker service across London, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Ask how remote administration, local site connectivity and support ownership will work in your own estate.
Explore the Skyscanner case study ↗
ESTATE LOGISTICS / PARCELS
Wilson James + Fulcrum: connect the handover
The Canary Wharf case study joins consolidated deliveries, real-time tracking and secure locker collection in a connected estate logistics service. Use this type of workflow to identify the systems and teams on each side of an API.
Find Wilson James and Fulcrum in Vpod case studies ↗
See more product demonstrations and customer stories on the official Vpod Smart Solutions YouTube channel ↗.
READY FOR TECHNICAL DISCOVERY?
Bring IT, facilities, security and the workflow owner to the same conversation.
Share your site locations, user journey, preferred access method, network policies, integrations and continuity objectives. Vpod can help shape the project-specific technical discovery and installation plan.