Keys work until someone leaves, a copy goes missing, or you need to know who came in last Tuesday night. Access control gives each person their own way in — and lets you take it away without re-keying the building. Here’s how to choose.
Start with the doors, not the hardware
List every entrance and how it’s used: the front door customers walk through, the back door staff use, the stockroom, the network closet. Each door gets its own answer, and not every door needs a reader.
Keypad, card, fob or smart lock?
- Keypads. Nothing to carry. Codes get shared, so give each person their own.
- Cards and fobs. Each one belongs to one person. Lose one, switch it off — nobody else changes a thing.
- Smart locks. For doors that need control but not a full reader: an office, a storage room, a side entrance.
- Video door entry and doorbells. See who’s at the door before you let them in.
Some doors get two: a keypad for the occasional visitor and fobs for the people who come in every day.
Tie it to your cameras
We connect access control to your camera system so door activity and video work together. On Ubiquiti UniFi, door access and cameras run on the same console.
Decide these before anything is installed
- Power. When the power goes out, should this door stay locked or release? Does it need a battery backup?
- Exit routes. Doors on exit routes have fire and life-safety rules. We plan each one with you before any hardware goes on the door.
- Who runs it. Pick the person on your team who adds and removes people, so a lost card gets switched off the same day.
- Records. If you need to see who came in and when, choose a networked system. A standalone keypad may not keep a log.
Already have cameras?
Whether access control ties into the cameras you have depends on the camera platform. We check during the estimate and tell you straight if it won’t.
We install access control for businesses across Southern California, including Santa Clarita, Burbank, and Glendale. Have a door system that’s acting up? See our service calls.
