What access control replaces
The problem with keys is not that they open doors. It is that you cannot tell who has one, you cannot take one back without changing the lock, and you have no idea who came in last night.
Access control solves all three. Credentials are issued and revoked in software, every entry is logged, and losing a fob is an administrative task rather than a locksmith call.
- Revoke a lost credential immediately, with no lock change
- See who entered which door and when
- Grant access by schedule, so contractors work only in their window
- Different permissions for different doors and different people
- No more keys circulating after someone leaves
- Remote unlock for deliveries and visitors
What a system is made of
Every access control installation has the same four parts, whatever the brand. Understanding them makes it much easier to compare quotes.
The four parts
- The credential: fob, card, PIN, or phone
- The reader: what the credential presents to, mounted at the door
- The controller: what decides whether to unlock, and logs it
- The locking hardware: electric strike, mag lock, or electrified lockset
Plus the parts people forget
- Request-to-exit device, so leaving does not need a credential
- Door position sensor, so the system knows if a door is propped
- Power supply with battery backup, sized for the door hardware
- Fire alarm interface, required where mag locks are used
Ask what happens in a fire
Any system that locks a door in the path of egress must release on fire alarm and on loss of power. This is the detail cheap installations skip, and it is the one that fails an inspection or, far worse, traps someone.
Choosing door hardware
The reader gets the attention, but the locking hardware determines whether the installation works reliably for years or becomes a maintenance problem.
The right choice depends on the door: its material, its frame, whether it is fire-rated, and whether it is in the path of egress.
- Electric strike: retrofits into most frames, keeps mechanical latching
- Magnetic lock: strong and simple, but must release on alarm and power loss
- Electrified lockset: cleanest look, needs a door prepared for it
- Fail-safe unlocks on power loss; fail-secure stays locked
- Fire-rated doors have restrictions on what can be fitted
- Exterior doors need weather-rated readers and hardware
How an installation runs
- 1
Door-by-door survey
We look at every door in scope: material, frame, swing, whether it is fire-rated, and whether it sits in the path of egress. That determines hardware before anything else.
- 2
System design and quote
Reader placement, controller location, cable routes, and power. The quote states per-door hardware, so you can see where the cost actually sits.
- 3
Cabling and installation
Cable is run, hardware fitted, controllers mounted, and power supplies installed with battery backup. Fire alarm interfaces are wired where mag locks are involved.
- 4
Commissioning and handover
Credentials enrolled, schedules configured, fail-safe behaviour tested including a fire alarm test, and your administrator trained on issuing and revoking access.
Fobs, codes, or phones?
Most systems now support several credential types at once, and mixing them is often the right answer rather than picking one.
- Fobs and cards: familiar, cheap to replace, easy to hand out
- PIN codes: no hardware to lose, but codes get shared
- Mobile credentials: nothing to issue, revoked instantly, needs a phone
- Biometrics: no credential to lose, but higher cost and more objections
- Mixed: staff on mobile, contractors on fobs, deliveries on scheduled codes
Code, egress, and inspection
Access control sits where electrical work meets life safety, which is why it should not be treated as a low-voltage afterthought.
Locking hardware in the path of egress is governed by fire and building code. Doors must be openable from inside without a credential, and locks that hold doors shut must release on fire alarm and on loss of power. We wire those interfaces and test them, and the work is inspected.
Related access systems services
Jobs we're often asked about alongside this one.
Frequently asked questions
- Can access control be retrofitted to existing doors? +
- In most cases yes. Electric strikes fit into many existing frames, and surface-mounted mag locks work where a strike will not. The survey looks at each door, because fire-rated doors and unusual frames have restrictions.
- What happens if the power goes out? +
- That depends on the hardware and is a deliberate design decision. Fail-safe hardware unlocks on power loss, fail-secure stays locked. Either way, doors in the path of egress must always open from the inside, and we specify power supplies with battery backup.
- Do mag locks need to be connected to the fire alarm? +
- Yes, where they hold doors in the path of egress. They must release on fire alarm activation and on loss of power. Skipping that interface is the most common serious fault we find in existing installations.
- Fobs or mobile credentials? +
- Mobile suits regular staff, since there is nothing to issue and access is revoked instantly. Fobs suit contractors and visitors, and anyone whose phone is not practical. Most sites end up using both.
- Can I see who came in and when? +
- Yes. Every credential presentation is logged with the door, the credential, and the time. That log is often the most valuable part of the system for managed and shared buildings.
- How many doors is it worth doing? +
- Even a single main entrance is worth it where keys circulate widely. The per-door cost drops as you add doors, since the controller and software are largely a fixed cost.