Neop: connected access and lighting
Neop synchronizes bookings, access and lighting to make your facilities autonomous. Battery-powered connected lock or 4G-connected access code reader: no network cabling needs to be run to the court.
Overview
Neop is a French manufacturer that has been equipping sports facilities since 2016, with more than 3,000 connected courts and more than 600 clubs equipped. Its solution is recommended by several FFT tennis leagues.
The principle can be summed up in one sentence: a booking becomes a court ready to play on. The player books through your club, receives their access code by e-mail or SMS, then the court opens and lights up at the right time, without anyone needing to intervene. The club stays in control: access supervision, permanent codes and badges for the team, remote management.
What the solution brings to daily operations
For operators:
- you no longer need to open courts manually or manage a set of keys;
- lighting only operates when needed, because it follows bookings;
- courts remain available over wider opening hours, without requiring a volunteer;
- the installation can be managed and supervised remotely, from the Neop app or a web interface.
For players:
- the court is open and lit when it is time to play;
- access is immediate and autonomous, without going through reception;
- more time slots become bookable, including early in the morning or in the evening.
Open the full player journey
A single booking can open several successive access points: the main gate, the clubhouse, the changing rooms, then the court door. The player enters a single code and follows their route to the court, without needing to remember one combination per door.
Each of these access points can be configured using one of two approaches: a fixed time range — for example Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. — or opening based on an active booking. Temporary access can also be opened for an external contractor, and the club team has its own permanent codes or badges.
Connected lockers can complete the installation, to make rackets and balls available using the same code as the booking.
Configurations adapted to every situation
Community tennis benefits from extended opening hours without adding to the club’s workload: licensed players access the courts autonomously and lighting is managed automatically.
A private padel facility, where time slots follow one another, benefits from synchronization between access and the booking, as well as multi-site supervision from a single screen.
An isolated outdoor court is where the solution stands out most: the built-in 4G connection and solar option avoid the need to bring network and power to the court, which often represents most of the work cost.
Available equipment
The connected lock is a handle that controls the spring bolt of the door. It is autonomous, with a service life of up to five years, communicates via the LoRaWAN network and remains weatherproof indoors and outdoors. It accepts permanent and temporary codes and badges, and remotely reports its battery level.
The 4G access code reader combines a keypad and a badge reader, managed by a 4G Hub. Because it uses the 2G/3G/4G mobile network, it works without installing an additional network on the site. Slim and weatherproof, it controls any type of electric locking: electric strike for tennis access points, the clubhouse and swing doors, or electromagnet for intensive use and padel access points.
Several configurations are available depending on the context: compact, panel-mounted, with backup power supply or with solar option.
Connect your Neop account
- Open Administration›Settings›Access Control & Piloting, then More Information on the Neop card.
- Enable Activate the Neop module.
- Enter the API Identifier and the API Password provided by Neop.
The API Status block confirms that the connection is working. Until it is green, codes cannot be sent to the equipment.
Link your calendars to spaces
This is the step that gives meaning to everything else: without it, the system does not know which door to open for which booking.
In the linking section, match each calendar with the corresponding Neop space. A calendar without a linked space continues to work normally for bookings, but does not trigger any opening.
Set the time tolerance
A player arriving five minutes early would find the door closed if the code were only valid to the exact second. Two settings prevent this situation:
- Tolerance before the start of the time slot: number of minutes early allowed;
- Tolerance after the end of the time slot: number of minutes to leave or collect belongings.
Secure access with one code per booking
The A different access code for each booking option generates a single-use code rather than a shared code.
This is the setting to use whenever the court is accessible to occasional players or guests: a code that is passed around by word of mouth loses all value after a few weeks.
Manage lighting and heating
The same installation can control the court’s lighting and heating, in addition to its door.
Activation is linked to the access code: the light turns on when a player registered on the booking enters their code. Nothing is triggered if nobody comes, which avoids lighting a court that a player booked and then forgot — on end-of-day time slots, this is where most of the savings are made.
Contact
Neop supports clubs from project assessment to commissioning, and relies on a network of trained installers in France and internationally. Technical support is available 7 days a week.
- Website: neop.eu
- E-mail: equipe@neop.eu
- Phone: 05 87 07 01 02, or +33 5 87 07 01 02 from abroad
- Address: 81 ter rue de Beaupuy, 87100 Limoges, France
