The best access control system is the one that fits how people actually move through your building. An office with twenty staff, a retail back room and a condo with hundreds of residents each need something different.
Start with who needs to go where
Write down every door, every group of people and the hours each group needs. Staff, cleaners, contractors, tenants and visitors usually need different rules. This list becomes the design.
Pick the credential type
- Cards and fobs are reliable, easy to issue and easy to cancel when lost
- PIN codes are simple but can be shared, so they work best combined with a card
- Mobile credentials let people use a phone, which suits some offices
- Biometrics can add a layer for sensitive rooms, with extra planning around privacy
Centralized control matters
With a managed system you can add, remove or restrict a person in one place. This is the main reason businesses move away from keys. When someone leaves, you cancel their credential instead of changing locks.
For condos and multi-tenant buildings
- Exterior doors, parking garages, amenity rooms and elevators may each need their own rules
- Visitor entry, such as an intercom, works alongside resident credentials
- A history of who used which door helps property managers resolve disputes
- Our card access page shows the common applications, and many residents' needs are covered by Kantech and Keyscan systems
Questions to ask any installer
- Can the system grow to more doors and users?
- What happens to the doors in a power or network outage?
- How do exit doors behave during a fire alarm?
- Who supports the system after installation?
Read why cards are better than keys and see our access control page.
Planning a project in Newmarket or the Greater Toronto Area? Contact Pitbull Security Solutions or call 647-895-1815 (answered 24/7) for a free consultation.