What room hopping actually costs
One card restoring power in several rooms breaks occupancy-based energy logic: vacant rooms run air-conditioning all day, housekeeping chases the wrong status, and the front desk loses the single source of truth for who is actually in the room. The cost is not the electricity alone — it is the operational noise.
Three signals that close the gap
- Card ID — identifying keycard switches read the Mifare chip ID and only accept cards authorised for that room.
- Door sensor — open/close state confirms physical entry rather than a card left in the switch.
- Occupancy correlation — the RCU compares card-in events across rooms; one card driving two rooms is flagged instantly and the second room can be cut until resolved.
Configuration tips
- Delayed power-off after card removal (a 3-5 minute grace window) avoids guest complaints while keeping the energy logic tight.
- Abnormal card events are reported to the front desk in real time, not just logged.
- Card issuance rules at the front desk matter as much as the hardware — expired cards must not retain power rights.
Works with your existing system
Anti room hopping runs on the standard RCU + PMS link, with both wired (RS-485 / KNX) and wireless (BLE Mesh / Zigbee) room control — no extra hardware beyond the standard configuration. Background: what a guest room control system is.
