Anubis Systems Technologies

ACCESS CONTROL

There are many ways for individuals to limit or control access to key areas of a building whether it's an office, home, or warehouse. The least expensive (and probably the easiest to circumvent) is a passage lock and key. There are locksets that are more difficult to disable (some are even pick-proof), but where controlling access to an area can leave nothing to chance (a lost key), only a dedicated security system can provide the answer.

There are a number of solutions available these days. Let's look at some of the components that are common to most access control systems.

• The door strike - is a device that acts very similar to a normal dead-bolt strike plate, the main difference being that one side (the side that happens to coincide with the way your particular door "swings" open), can be electronically "released". This allows the door to open even though it's "on the latch" or locked.

• The magnetic lock - is a device usually in the shape of a plate located at the top of the door along the same side of the frame as the lock. When turned "on", an electrical current activates a magnetic coil that attracts the plate on the door and prevents it from being opened. There are several models available, all with varying "holding power", the most commonly specified is around 3000 lbs. What this means is that a force of 3000 lbs. would have to be exerted against the door to "force" it open. Needless to say you would need a block and tackle or a small truck to obtain the force necessary to open a door secured in this manner.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both locking systems. They are listed here:

DOOR STRIKES

1. They are inexpensive;

2. They are vulnerable to physical force unless some form of shielding is installed to restrict access to the actual locking hardware;

3. They are sold as "fail-locked" or "fail-safe" - in the absence of electrical power (such as a power failure) they can either remain locked or open to allow entry/egress;

4. They are fairly easy to tamper with (the strike plate is readily accessible with the door open which would allow someone to sabotage or circumvent the unit).

MAGNETIC LOCKS

1. They are more expensive;

2. They are installed on the "secure" side of the door which doesn't allow anyone to access the unit from the "outside";

3. Unless some provision is made to provide back-up electrical power (a stand-by power supply with battery) the door will become unsecure during a power failure. Even with this measure in place, an extended power failure may compromise the door;

4. There are no moving parts, and all connections are routed through the door's frame which makes tampering with the unit extremely difficult.

NOTE: The City of Vancouver has adopted a policy with respect to electronic door latching hardware. On commercial and residential buildings only magnetic locks are approved. They must release upon activation of a fire alarm, or by means of a panic bar (located on the inside of the door of course). Please consult your own municipal electrical inspections branch before installing any locks of this type.

The next device "in line" from the door strike or mag lock is a means of legitimately opening or "releasing" the door. In most residential high-rise apartment applications this entails a means of communicating with the occupants of the premise (an intercom system) and positiveily identifying the visitor (a CCTV camera) before allowing them entry. Let's take a quick look at an apartment intercom system.

There are two basic types of units available. One employs a simple push-button panel with the resident's apartment number or name next to each seperate button. The resident will have a wall mounted handset or speaker station coveniently located in their suite. They can communicate with the visitor, and allow them access to the premise by pushing a button located on the station. Another type of unit employs a ten digit dialing pad similar to what one sees on a pay telephone and utilizes the building's telephone system to communicate with individual residents. This type of unit offers a great deal more security than the first example. It allows the resident manager to program specific numbers that do not relate to the resident's suite number. For instance, a resident living in apartment 701 would under the older style unit have a button with that suite number engraved on it adjacent to their name. An apartment that utilizes an enterphone unit could have ANY number assigned to that particular resident, so the visitor would have to know where the occupant lived. The convenience of allowing two way voice communications from any telephone in the residents apartment is another advantage to using an "enterphone" type of system. Most systems of this type will open the main entry door by simply pressing (or dialing) "9" or "6" on the resident's phone.

Some enterphone type systems also employ a means for residents/tenants to open doors and enter secure areas of the building like parkades, pools, and recreation rooms. The use of a keypad or touchpad allows authorized persons to punch in an access code which in turn opens the door. Other systems use magnetic swipe cards or special key-fobs instead of a touchpad. In either instance, it is far simpler to control access to the premise utilizing this technology rather than standard house keys which can be copied, lost or stolen. Replacing a code or swipe card is much more cost effective than having to re-key an entire building.

Anubis offers a wide range of services to those customers that utilize either of the above types of systems. We provide installation, maintenance and programming expertise. For more information you can click on this link...

For more information you can email us or telephone (604) 767-9043.