Most selection mistakes come from starting with the product instead of the scenario. Start from who uses the cabinet and what it stores; the cabinet type, authentication and deployment model follow almost automatically.
1. Match the cabinet type to user and item
| Personal items / parcels | Smart storage lockers | Reservation, time limits, overdue reminders |
|---|---|---|
| Keys | Key cabinets | Bound to person or vehicle, overdue alerts |
| Archives / records | Archive cabinets | Locate by volume or item, loan approval |
| Evidence / certificates | Case-evidence cabinets | Dual-person and video approval |
| Visitors | Visitor cabinets | Registration, face check, badge issue |
| Cross-department documents | Document transfer cabinets | Signed handover, time-limit alerts |
| Books | Library lockers | Self-service borrow and return |
| Medicine / tools | Weighing cabinets | Count verified by weight |
| Dense tags | HF RFID cabinets | 13.56 MHz batch identification |
| Phones | Phone charging lockers | Per-bay power and lock |
| Hands-full / clean rooms | Hands-free auto-open cabinets | Identify on approach, door opens |
| Fleet keys | Car-key cabinets with display | Per-bay screen shows vehicle and status |
| Prison handover | Prison pass-through cabinets | Deposit one side, collect the other |
| Unattended access | AI object-recognition cabinets | Camera classifies items automatically |
The full capability of each type is on thesmart locker system page.
2. Combine authentication by security level
Eight methods are available — face, fingerprint, iris, national ID, ID card, IC card, PIN and QR code — and they combine freely. Match the combination to the zone, not to a single global policy.
- Public areas: QR code or campus / employee card — fast throughput, no friction.
- Internal areas: card plus PIN, or face recognition — identity bound to a person.
- High-security zones: face / fingerprint / iris, with multi-person, remote and video approval.
3. Cloud or on-premise
Choose on-premise when data must stay inside your network, when the environment is air-gapped, or when Xinchuang requirements apply — the backend is containerised and installs locally. Choose cloud for fast rollout across many sites with central management. Either way cabinets keep working offline: records cache locally and sync when the network returns.
4. When customisation and tooling are needed
The fourteen standard cabinet types cover most scenarios. Customisation kicks in for non-standard dimensions, new cabinet types, branding or specific integrations; volume orders can fund new moulds. Seethe custom OEM / ODM page.
5. Five questions to answer before you contact us
- Scenario and locations: which buildings or areas, how many points?
- Bay count and rough size: how many bays per cabinet?
- Users and authentication: who uses it, and how should they be identified?
- Systems to integrate: ERP, OA, access control, campus card, IM?
- Deployment: cloud or on-premise, any compliance requirements?
With these five answers we can come back with a configuration proposal and quote within one business day.