Doors are notoriously weak at stopping entry, and money can be misspent on wrong locks that leave doors quite vulnerable. While closed and locked doors might deter entry for typical people, breaking in with basic tools often takes mere seconds. I...
By Brian Rhodes - 4 days ago
Powering access control with Power over Ethernet, like for IP cameras, has become increasingly common. However, the demands for access power are greater than cameras, and the problems can be significant. Consider that, in access control, many de...
By Brian Rhodes - 9 days ago
Is it ever legal to lock people into a building? The answer is: Yes... under specific situations. With so much of access control driven by life safety codes, and a predominant focus of 'free egress' during an emergency, 'delayed egress' may run ...
By Brian Rhodes - 17 days ago
Significant money can be saved and problems avoided with an access control job walk if you know what to look for and what to ask. By inviting interested parties onsite for pre-bid job walks, many of the site conditions inadequately described in s...
By Brian Rhodes - 25 days ago
Genetec's cloud everything expansion continues, with their announcement of Synergis SaaS edition, joining their cloud video offering Stratocast, cloud LPR, cloud federation and more (see Genetec Cloud Tested). Two years ago, the company released ...
By Brian Rhodes - 29 days ago
Opening and closing doors might sound simple, but it takes a high-tech piece of door hardware to pull it off. Integrating automatic door operators with access control can be tricky if the basic fundamentals of these devices are not understood. ...
By Brian Rhodes - about 1 month ago
Mechanical keys are the most fundamental, albeit unsophisticated, form of access control. Like access control, Master Keying allows large scale use by segmenting access. But unlike access control, it requires no electricity, no network, and uses r...
By Brian Rhodes - about 1 month ago
Few terms carry greater importance in access control than 'fail safe' and 'fail secure'. Access control professionals must know how these concepts apply, and how to pick locks that are appropriate. Properly doing so determines whether door hardwa...
By Brian Rhodes - about 1 month ago
This 80+ point checklist helps end users, integrators and consultants verify that access control installation is complete. It covers the following sections: Door Hardware Checks Reader Checks Controller Checks Fire Alarm Loop Confirmation ...
By Brian Rhodes - 3 months ago
Smartlocks are a growing market, with millions sold. Kwikset's Kevo is one of the most common choices, using the Unikey smart phone access control platform. Many like the concept of controlling locks with their phones but doing is not easy, as sh...
By Brian Rhodes - 6 months ago
2Gig is one of the most widely used intrusion systems, with two product lines that are the main offering of many alarm companies, huge national installers and small mom & pop shops alike. In this dual-test, IPVM bought both variants of this a...
By Brian Rhodes - 7 months ago
Lock keyways can be the difference between a lock working or not. Understanding keyways is important for access control. Indeed, a member recently commented: My biggest problem is specifying the right hardware with the wrong keyway In this n...
By Brian Rhodes - 7 months ago
More and more people carry smart phones. Many think this could replace the conventional key or card for access control. However, using a phone creates a number of challenges, including both ensuring various phone models work and that the door har...
By Brian Rhodes - 7 months ago
The biggest challenge for many access control systems are glass doors. Here's what happens when a maglock is improperly installed to an existing glass door: Unlike wood or steel doors that can be modified to work with electrified locking hardwa...
By Brian Rhodes - 8 months ago
New IPVM survey data reveals integrator's top 5 problems with electronic access control: High Cost Complex Doors and Hardware Lowball Competition Grudging Customers Legacy Systems Inside, we collect integrator comments that explain these...
By Brian Rhodes - about 1 year ago
While wireless locks are one of the hottest areas of access control, two of its biggest challenges are high cost and limited integration with mainstream access control platforms. Allegion's newest wifi lock line, Schalge NDE has addressed those t...
By Brian Rhodes - about 1 year ago
Properly configuring access control door controllers is key to a professional system. These devices have fundamental settings that must be configured appropriately, including: Unlock times / extended unlock times Door Hold Open Alarms Reques...
By Brian Rhodes - about 1 year ago
Assuming every door can be secured with either a maglock or an electric strike can be a painful assumption in the field. While those items can be applied flexibly with various openings, there are occasions where certain hardware cannot be used. A...
By Brian Rhodes - about 1 year ago
Hotel access control seems to work magically. Unlike electronic access control systems used in commercial security, doors in hotels are not typically connected to a central server to confirm access. How does it work then? How can the hotel assu...
By Brian Rhodes - about 1 year ago
This 15 page report provides the most in-depth guidance on specifying Access Control systems you will find. Specifying Access Control correctly can be tricky, because every opening has quirks and are prone to outside factors that impact system pe...
By Brian Rhodes - over 1 year ago
In our 12th access company profile, we examine Software House's C-Cure access control platform: Comparing Software House to their competition Examining their management and client software Reviewing their product and support costs Covering t...
By Brian Rhodes - over 1 year ago
Controlling access to hazardous environments require equipment meeting specific ratings that certify they will not start fires. Understanding those ratings mandate careful selection. Inside this note we discuss: Where is explosion proof access ...
By Brian Rhodes - over 1 year ago
In this age of classroom shootings, many are looking for barricade locks - a cheap and easy stopgap to bolster door security. Critics condemn barricade locks as dangerous and even deadly because they do not satisfy basic building codes, while p...
By Brian Rhodes - over 1 year ago
Straight from the hipster startup hotbed of Brooklyn comes a new IP access control system. And if the tough streets of NYC do not offer enough credibility, Kisi also claims German engineering: True to startup form, the company offers big claim...
By Brian Rhodes - over 1 year ago
In our 12th access control company profile, we examine AMAG Symmetry access control platform: Comparing AMAG to their competition Examining their management and client software Reviewing their product and support costs Covering their hardwar...
By Brian Rhodes - over 1 year ago
