Tag Archives: integrated access control

Integrated Access Control

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Integrated access control

Integrated Access control systems are the most effective way of controlling movement and maintaining the security within your organization whether it be one site or multiple locations.

No more key cabinets.

Companies are moving away from using the traditional method of securing your establishment i.e locks and keys. This  is fast becoming unfashionable and inconvenient as well as actually not being that secure at all. Keys are often lost or copied and for the determined individual offer only limited effectiveness.

Who is responsible.

To add to this there is also the fact that companies heavily rely on individuals to lock the building down at the end of the day. Any errors within this process means you can easily be left unprotected.

Access control.

So the solution is access control often integrated to CCTV to give you a belt and braces answer to your security issues. Everyone has heard about it but are we all aware of the huge benefits it can bring.

Control and information.

The other great thing about  integrated access control is that you will know who has been through what door at what time. In addition,  this is backed up with CCTV images to allow verification of the card data. Of course you also want to control when and where your staff can be at any one time within the building, most access control software is now equipped to allow you time zones and access rights into the  certain designated areas you define.

Securing the door.

There are different ways of controlling the locking down of the doors. Mag-locks and electronic door locks together with sheer bolts form the main way of doing this. Combine this with a door closer and when someone has successfully passed through the door it is always locked down behind them.

How do we open the door?

We fit a reader to the door. When a card or fob is addressed up to the reader it sends its unique code through the network to the controller the controller then sends a command to the door release mechanism and opens the door .The software logs each action and the  time it occurred. Sometimes on the un-secured side of the door we fit a push to release button that will allow egress without the need for a card.

Fire.

There are two different ways to exit the building in the case of fire. The first is electronically. To achieve this we are able to interface the controllers to the fire alarm system. Should the fire alarm sound, the software can release every door in the building allowing unrestricted egress. Also adjacent to each door there is a break glass and in the case of an emergency this can be broken and the door will open.

What is right for your organisation?

Well integrated access control comes in many different shapes and sizes from single door solutions to multiple doors within one building . However some of the big access control systems have been designed to incorporate a world wide solution for global organizations. Most access control sysems now also offer IP solutions, so the flexibility of integrated CCTV/ access control systems is unlimited and will bring some welcome control back to your company.

Paxton Access Control

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Recommendation.

On this site we like to talk about products we have used and are happy to recommend. Paxton access control is a product that has long been known to us and tried and tested.

NET 2

Net 2 access control manufactured by Paxton is one of the big success stories in the integrated access control market place. They manufacture readers ,controllers and software that has been designed to be able to control entry and exit to hundreds of doors and be accessible to thousands of users.

Flexible.

Net2 is designed to fit into the mainstream access control market , however it has the ability to expand to up to 10,000 users so giving it a leading edge over many of its competitors. One of the concepts employed by Paxton is that their product is expandable. From one door to many hundreds , flexibilty is crucial in gaining sales .

Access Control Software.

The software is well designed and can easily be understood by end users and engineers alike . The person charged with the administration of the system can be comfortable in the knowledge that it will always be stable and reliable.

Networked IP solution.

Multiple site solutions are no problem as the system uses TCP/IP to communicate between different locations and allows  nationwide or even worldwide solutions to some bigger corperate customers.

Control.

Access rights and time zones give a site manager complete control over who goes where and when. As an administrator he /she has the power to control all the day to day movements of both his staff , any site contractors and of course  visitors . The administrator can view real time events and has the ability to create reports should these be required.

Free software.

The software is free and can be loaded onto multiple PCs within the organization so admin rights can be shared if required.

CCTV and Biometric Integration.

Although Paxton produce their own readers they are no strangers to the concept of integration. They can integrate other manufacturers readers and biometric devices easily into their systems meaning takeovers become a relatively easy task.

Market leaders.

Taking into account all we have highlighted so far , its easy to see why Paxton are one of the market leaders in today’s integrated access control market.

For the record!

Paxton are able to integrate to intruder alarm systems , offer wireless IP solutions and connect seamlessly to IP cameras. I/O boards allow the ability to trip input and outputs over IP . Advanced reader technology can also offer hands free entry.

It all looks good!

One of the main things however that Paxton have considered is aesthetics. Access control has to fit into modern building designs and  they have achieved this with style.

Conclusion.

In conclusion Paxton have managed to capture the mainstream access control market in the UK and across Europe. This is a fantastic achievement when you consider the calibre of the competition .With new innovative ideas being presented to installers everyday .We can only see Paxton going from strength to strength.

Biometrics, things are not as bad as they seem!

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Are biometric readers the future?

This is a question that has recently been raised in the security community. After all biometrics have been around for a long time now and their impact in the market has been very limited indeed in integrated systems.

To many things to too many people.

For those who have looked closely at the subject the reason for this lack of  market penetration is simple, manufacturers are trying to do too much with the biometric reader. By trying to appeal to everyone and install too much functionality into each device the units have become cumbersome , over engineered and very expensive, literally pricing themselves out of the market.

Why has this happened with biometric readers?

The main reason is speed. To open the door quickly most readers incorporate a card reader or a key- code that must be entered first before the finger is presented, this is so that when the database makes a search for the fingerprint, it already knows where it is looking because the card or code will point the database to where it has to match the fingerprint. Fingerprints are complicated, if you had no card or key-code, a search of the whole database to match the exact print would leave someone standing outside the door for several seconds, hardly ideal.

Ergonomics

So we have slow expensive readers that quite frankly are unreliable and require two elements for them to work, its no wonder that something that has such promise has fallen so far into obscurity. Add to that the fact that many readers just don’t look the part and you even have the architects refusing to specify them in new build situations.

Externally quite frankly they have failed to perform in hostile conditions such as rain or snow and are badly effected by dust and grime.

So where do we go from here to sell the biometric reader?

The answer as far as we see it is integrated access control. The biometric reader needs to provide a more secure solution than the humble fob or card. It will need to look  good, be small and easy to fit to doors in place of existing card readers, be 100% read reliable and most importantly integrate directly into an existing access control system.

Does such a product exist?

We are sure it does but have yet to track it down. The ability for 100% read reliability is pretty much there and by decoding finger prints from an image into simple 1’s and o’s means that this information can be integrated into existing access control systems in the same way that a card or fob is read.  Get the cost to around £800-£950 installed and you have an extremely competitive product with all the benefits that Biometrics have always promised.

Summary

Partnership’s between some of the big suppliers of integrated security in the form of access control and the manufacturers who produce the biometric readers are inevitable. If a producer of the biometric reader can  overcome all of the problems we have highlighted above, incorporate a sleek and ip65 rated design and secure a partnership deal with an access control manufacturer, then the future of the biometric reader is very promising indeed.