Access control in Northland
Cards, fobs and codes instead of keys - so access can be granted and removed in seconds, without touching a single lock.
The advantage of access control over keys is not the technology. It is that you can take access away instantly, from your desk, without collecting anything from anybody.
With a keyed building, removing somebody's access means getting the key back - or rekeying the doors if you cannot. With access control, it means deleting a credential. The person who resigned on Friday no longer gets in on Saturday, and nothing had to be handed over.
What it is made of
- Credentials - a card, a fob, a phone or a code. One per person, so the system knows who is who.
- Readers on the doors you want controlled.
- A lock that the system can release - usually an electric strike or an electromagnetic lock.
- A controller holding the rules: who may open what, and when.
What it lets you do that keys cannot
- Remove access instantly, without collecting anything or changing a lock.
- Set times. The cleaner's card works between six and nine, and not at two in the morning.
- Know who went where. Most systems log entries, which settles a great many arguments.
- Give temporary access to a contractor that expires by itself.
- Stop the lost-key problem being expensive. A lost fob is cancelled in seconds and costs almost nothing.
Exit doors must open without a credential. Whatever is fitted, people have to be able to get out immediately in an emergency, without a card, a code or a key. This is not a preference or a nice-to-have. Any access control we install is designed around it, and if we see hardware on your building that compromises escape we will tell you.
Electromagnetic and automatic doors are also among the specified systems listed for a building's compliance schedule, so on a commercial building a new one is something to tell the building owner about, not just a lock change.
Being honest about whether you need it
Access control is not automatically better than keys, and it costs more. It earns its keep when there are a lot of people, when they change often, or when it matters who went where and when. For a two-person office with a stable staff, a good restricted key system may do everything you actually need for a great deal less money. We will say so if that is what we think.
Mixing the two
Most buildings end up with both, sensibly. Access control on the main entrance and the doors that matter; keys on the internal doors, store rooms and cupboards where the expense is not justified. There is no prize for putting a reader on everything.
Access control services
- Card and fob entry systems
- Code entry systems
- Electric strikes and mag locks
- Standalone single-door units
- Networked multi-door systems
- Time-based access rules
- Entry logging and reporting
- Adding doors to an existing system
- Credential issue and cancellation
- Intercom and buzzer entry
- Integration with existing keyed hardware
- Exit hardware and escape compliance
Related
Talk to a locksmith
Tell us what you need and you will know what it costs before we start.
Cancel in seconds
Somebody leaves, you delete their credential. No locks touched, nothing to collect.
Access by the hour
Contractors and cleaners get in when they should and not when they should not.
Get in touch
Tell us what has happened
We will tell you what the job needs and what it costs before anyone sets out.
Mobile across all of Northland, from Kaitaia, Kerikeri, Paihia and Russell down to Whangarei, Ruakaka, One Tree Point and Marsden Cove - see all 55 areas we cover.
Questions
Common questions
Do I need to rewire the building?
Not necessarily. Standalone battery units on a single door need no wiring at all, and are often the right answer for one or two doors. A fully networked multi-door system does need cabling. We will scope what you actually need rather than the largest option.
What happens in a power cut?
It is the first thing to design for. Depending on the door, the lock either fails secure or fails safe, and escape from inside is preserved either way. Battery backup covers the controller for a sensible period. We will explain exactly what each of your doors will do.
Can I use phones instead of cards?
On many current systems, yes. It suits some businesses very well and irritates others - it depends on whether your people carry work phones and whether you want to depend on them. Worth discussing rather than assuming.
Is it worth it for a small business?
Sometimes not, and we will say so. If you have a handful of long-standing staff, restricted keys may give you what you need far more cheaply. It becomes worthwhile with turnover, with numbers, or when you need a record.
Can you add it to the doors I already have?
Usually. Most doors can take an electric strike or a mag lock. Glass doors and aluminium joinery need particular hardware, which we will identify when we look at them.
Locked out, or want it sorted properly?
One call reaches a mobile locksmith in Northland who will tell you what it costs before any work starts.
0800 243 503