Once you have rekeyed a door because an employee left with a key, access control starts to make sense. Here is how to choose without overbuying.
Cards, fobs or phones
Cards and fobs do the same job; fobs are easier to keep on a key ring. Phone access lets people unlock with an app and saves you handing out plastic. Many offices use fobs for staff and the app for managers.
Standalone or networked
One keypad or reader on one door is a standalone system: simple and cheap. Two or more doors, or wanting a log of who entered when, calls for a networked system with a controller and software you manage from your phone.
What happens when the power goes out
Every system we install has battery backup. Each door is also set as fail-safe (unlocks without power) or fail-secure (stays locked), depending on fire code and what the door protects.
Fire code and free exit
People must always be able to get out. That is why you see push-to-exit buttons, motion sensors above doors and panic bars. We plan every door so it meets code.
For HOAs and gates
Community gates usually get a keypad or reader plus a video intercom, with codes or fobs for residents and a log the board can check.
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