Tag: electronic access control system
Stopping Door Propping Using Modern Access Control Systems
Building security is more than just burglar alarm systems and IP video surveillance systems. Modern Access Control systems offer users better control over their building’s overall security. A recurring problem that we are often asked to solve in New York City is the issue of employees propping open building doors. Smoke breaks, impromptu ventilation, deliveries, there are many reasons an employee will stick an object in the doorway to prevent the door from closing. They are probably thinking of just closing the door at the end of their shift but instead, they forget, and so the door remains open all night.
Modern Electronic Access Control systems, such as those manufactured by S2 (www.s2sys.com), have the ability to notify management that a door has been propped, allowing them to take action. Alerts can be configured only to be sent if the door is propped for a specific duration, so deliveries taking up to 10 minutes, for example, will not cause an alarm condition. Even doors that do not have a full electronic lock installation can be set up for this by simply running a wire to the door and adding the proper door sensor which can save money.
Alarm systems have the ability to tell you if a zone is faulted but often users just bypass the zone out of habit and the door remains unsecured. Getting an email from the Access Control system to one or more members of your management team is the most reliable means of making sure all your doors are properly closed.
Additionally, any door set up for door prop alarms can also be configured to send an email every time the door is opened. Further reporting can be added letting you know if the door was opened from the inside or the outside. If for example you have an exterior door that should never be used for entry, a ‘door forced’ event may be configured to alert you if someone came in from the outside.
Building lockdowns can also be initiated from your Access Control system and the system can show you a map of any doors that are not currently closed. Even your HVAC system will run more efficiently when all doors remain closed.
Save money and keep your staff properly protected by ensuring that all doors in your facility are adequately secured.
Digital Provisions specializes in upgrading legacy EAC systems to the latest state of the art IP based systems. We are also your choice for installing new Electronic Access Control systems, all with little or no disruption to your business. Contact us for further information at 631-209-2600.
Automatic Building Access Control Systems And How They Work
Often it’s the weather, perhaps a blizzard has dumped an unprecedented amount of snow in your area, or maybe it’s Tropical Storm Reno that just plowed through your local community. Whatever the situation is, along with the local roads, your building is now officially closed until further notice.
Many facilities rely on their Electronic Access Control system to unlock certain doors on a predetermined schedule throughout the workday. It helps employees gain access when needed and helps facilitate movement throughout the building as regular business necessitates. Some examples: The morning shift arrives to begin manufacturing operations for the day, and they are able to enter through the designated employee entrance which has automatically unlocked 15 minutes before their arrival. At the end of the day, the employees leave for home, and the designated door automatically relocks for the night, so your facility remains secure.
But what happens when that blizzard hits at 3 A.M. on a Tuesday? Your employees aren’t coming to work at 8 A.M. like usual, in fact, no one is going anywhere. But your existing Access Control system doesn’t know it snowed, so it opens the doors at 7:45 A.M. and your building is now empty with the exterior doors unlocked.
Modern Electronic Access Control systems, such as those manufactured by S2 (www.s2sys.com), have a simple and effective feature to prevent this very problem. The feature, called ‘First In Unlock,’ dictates that a verified credential must first be presented to the system before the scheduled automatic unlock will happen. Building facility managers, or others who are usually the first to arrive at the building, will be entered into a particular group which signals the system that the building is open for business. If someone from that group has not presented a valid key fob or access badge to any door reader first, then the automatic unlock event will never happen. This functionality can be tied to any access controlled door, or even gates which are set on a schedule.
The ability to leverage this powerful functionality goes even further. For instance, you can have a facility manager group which unlocks the doors to the warehouse floor, and an admins group that signals the system that the doors to the office areas in the building can now auto open. In this way, the back of the building can start operations at 6 A.M., while the front vestibule doesn’t auto unlock until 9 P.M. The same example applies to businesses with multiple facilities, allowing individual buildings to auto open only after certain criteria is met at that location. And what happens if a building needs to close early? No problem at all, just have a user from the designated ‘relock’ group flash his badge at each door currently open on a schedule and the door will relock again for the day.
Unexpected building closings are stressful enough, don’t let your Electronic Access Control system force you to come into work just to lock doors that should never have unlocked in the first place.
Digital Provisions specializes in upgrading legacy Electronic Access Control systems to the latest state of the art IP based systems, all with little or no disruption to your business. Contact us for further information, or if you have any questions at all on ‘First In Unlock’ functionality.