Comparison

Do you need hardware
to book what you share?

A board on the laundry room wall, a screen wired to your access control, or a calendar everyone opens on their phone. Here are the differences without the sales pitch, including the cases where hardware is the better answer.

Three ways to book a shared room

An analog board. A grid of time slots and lockable tags. Cheap, sturdy and obvious to everyone: you book by locking your tag onto a slot. The trade-off is that booking only happens on site, and the board only knows about the one room it hangs in.

A booking terminal. A screen by the door, often wired to access control so the same tag books the slot and opens it. Neat when the tag should both book and open, but it is hardware: purchase, installation, servicing, and usually a formal decision before anything happens. (Tiddel’s booking display, from the Standard plan, puts booking by the door on any tablet, with no terminal to buy or wire up.)

Booking on the web. The bookings live in a calendar everyone reaches from their phone, and there is nothing to mount anywhere (the optional smart-lock add-on aside, which puts a smart lock on the door). That is what Tiddel is — and the same calendar holds the sauna, the guest suite, the communal room and the workshop, not just one room.

The differences, briefly

What is being comparedAnalog boardBooking terminalTiddel
Where you bookOn site, at the boardAt the screen, sometimes on the web tooAnywhere: phone, tablet, laptop — or a tablet set up as a booking display (Standard plan and up)
InstallationA board on the wall, a lock or tag per memberHardware, wiring and an on-site installNone (except the smart lock, if you choose the add-on). Add the resource and invite people
Setup timeOrder and mount itQuote, install, usually a directors’ or members’ decisionThe same day (the smart-lock add-on takes longer: the lock is fitted on site)
What else it booksThe one room it hangs inWhatever the system was built forEverything you share: sauna, guest suite, communal room
Per-member rulesWhatever the tags happen to allowDepends on the systemOpening hours and slot length per resource; per-member limits from the Standard plan
UpkeepLost tags, replaced locksServicing the hardwareNone at your end (except the smart lock, if you choose the add-on): it is a web page
Opens the doorThe lock in the board doesOften, together with access controlTiddel books the time. With the smart-lock add-on (on request), the door opens for the booking: with a code for that booking, from the phone or with a tag
If the network is downStill worksDepends on the systemNo new bookings until it is back

This compares the categories, not specific vendors: what a particular board or terminal can do is for its own product information to say.

When hardware wins

  • Booking has to work with no screen at all: members place a tag on the board, with no phone, computer or booking display involved.
  • Booking has to keep working when the internet is down: a board on the wall needs no network.
  • The board is already up, it works, and nobody is complaining. Then there is nothing to fix.
  • You charge per wash through a tag or a card reader and want to keep doing that.

If that sounds like you, keep or buy the board. If what you need is a door that opens for the booking, that does not take a board: Tiddel books the time, and with the smart-lock add-on (on request) a smart lock on the door opens for the booking — with a code for that booking, from the phone or with a tag.

When booking on the web wins

  • People should see free slots from home instead of walking down to look at a board.
  • You share more than one thing: sauna, guest suite, communal room, workshop, meeting rooms.
  • Slots should be shared fairly, with a per-member limit (Standard plan and up) rather than whoever gets to the board first.
  • You do not want to buy hardware, pass a resolution or schedule an installation just to get started.
  • Nobody should have to keep a binder, a list or a box of tags.

This is what Tiddel is built for, and you can try it free for 30 days without ordering anything, starting with a single resource if you like: book a laundry room,a sauna or a guest suite.

Can you run both at once?

For the same room, no — and it is worth being blunt about why. Tiddel has no connection to a physical board, so two booking places for one resource give you two versions of the truth, which puts you back where you started: double bookings and arguments.

Splitting by resource is perfectly reasonable, though. Let the board keep the laundry room and let Tiddel take the rest. The sauna, the guest suite, the communal room and the workshop usually have no board at all — they run on notes, a binder and email to one person — and they can move into a calendar while the laundry room stays exactly as it is.

What it costs

A board costs money once: purchase and installation, plus upkeep as tags go missing or the hardware needs servicing. Booking on the web costs a monthly amount instead, with nothing to install. (Tiddel’s smart-lock add-on is the exception: it is paid on top and fitted on site.) Which works out cheaper depends on how many resources you have and how long the hardware lasts.

The point of a trial is that you can work that out with your own group in the system rather than on paper: see the plans.

FAQ: hardware vs booking on the web

Quick answers

Can Tiddel replace the booking board?

Yes, unless you need booking with no screen at all, booking that works offline or charging per wash: those take hardware. Otherwise people book slots in the calendar from their phone instead of placing a tag on site, or at the door on a tablet set up as a booking display (Standard plan and up). If the board also opens the door, a smart lock can do that instead: Tiddel books the time, and with the smart-lock add-on (on request) the door opens for the booking — with a code for that booking, from the phone or with a tag. The add-on replaces the board’s lock with a smart lock on the door; it does not connect to the lock you have.

Can we run the board and Tiddel for the same room?

We do not recommend it. Tiddel has no connection to a physical board, so two booking places for one resource means two versions of the truth and double bookings. Pick one per resource.

We are keeping the board for the laundry room. Is Tiddel still worth it?

Often yes, for everything else you share. Saunas, guest suites, communal rooms rarely have a board at all — they run on notes, a binder and email to one person. Those can live in Tiddel even if the laundry room stays exactly as it is.

Do we need a formal decision to start using Tiddel?

That is up to your group, but it is a much smaller question than buying hardware: no installation and nothing done to the building (except the smart lock, if you choose the add-on), and a monthly cost you can cancel. Many start with a single resource during the trial.

What happens if the internet goes down?

No new bookings can be made until it is back, the same as any other service on the web. A board has the genuine advantage of working regardless. Bookings already made still stand — they are in the calendar.

What does Tiddel cost compared to a board?

Try Tiddel free for 30 days, with no credit card required. When the trial ends, you choose a plan, billed monthly or yearly. See the pricing page for what each plan includes.

Want to try it without ordering hardware?

Add one resource, invite the others and see if that is enough. It takes a couple of minutes.

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