Making Access Control Easier For All Involved

Part 1

Here at Kintronics, our sales engineers aren't just experts in IP cameras, they are also thoroughly experienced in Access Control technology. I am neither a sales engineer nor have I had vast experience with its use. Despite many years in the workforce, I was employed at only one location with restricted access. It was a bank in California. What I liked about it was my photo on the badge. I wish I could have taken it with me when I left the position. What I didn't like was using it.

Each morning I’d rush into the lobby of the tall building. Since it housed several banks’ headquarters, security was high - for pre-9/11/2001. An armed guard sat at a desk in front of a wall made of heavy duty grating. The only entry was through either one of two revolving doors, though I’m not sure door is the correct word. Most revolving doors consist of intersecting panels of glass. These “panels” consisted of heavy steel bars jutting out from a vertical axis. Anyone who’s ever traveled in the New York City subway system is familiar with revolving doors of this type. They serve as one-way exits out of the stations.

The difference between the subway exit and my bank’s entry is that in the subway you just step into a section, push the wall of bars and follow them around as the door revolves. At the bank building, the only way to get them to revolve was to touch your ID pass to a metal plate to the right of the door Notice I didn't say swipe your pass. I said touch. It was a touch I never quite got the hang of. The front of the card had to match up vertically, just so, to the reader –like your photo was playing kissy face with the panel. 

Problem was my kiss never quite landed on the right spot. I’d line it up:

Smack   That didn't work.

Bam   Neither did that.

 Whoosh   Nope

 It usually took at least three tries before I heard the reassuring clunk on the door that translated into OK I’m open but hurry up. You have ten seconds. But that didn't mean I was in. I think all the pressure got to me, paralyzed me, hindered my brain-to-hand coordination, because on more than one occasion, by the time I pushed the bars they pushed back. Clunk - Out of time!! Back to the reader!

Need I point out, I wasn't the only one trying to get to work in time to punch in?  My travails didn't make me the person other employees wanted to see ahead of them. At this point, the armed guard sitting there, shaking his head, would come over, take my badge,  tap it lightly to the reader, then hand it back to me with the command - 

Now!

Since that was nearly twenty years ago, I’m sure the bank has upgraded their access control system many times. For in that time, the access control reader has gotten a lot smarter, even if a certain one of its former users hasn't.

The Evolution of Door Access Control

Basic non-intelligent reader

The system I described used a basic non-intelligent reader panel that was wired to a central control panel. All access requests were sent from the reader to the central control. The central control panel was in turn wired to a lock control panel on the door that, in turn, released the locking mechanism when satisfactory credentials were read.

Semi-intelligent reader

Improvements to access control increased the intelligence placed at the reader near the door, and reduced the trail of wires a bit. The reader could now control the door lock hardware, doing away with the need for a lock control panel at the door, but it couldn't make any decisions. It still had to pass the code on the credential to the central control panel and wait for a response. These readers were usually connected to the main panel by a RS-485 bus.

Intelligent reader  

Intelligent readers connected back to the central control panel via the same type RS-485 connection mentioned above, but they contained enough memory and intelligence to make access decisions independent of it. In these systems the central control panel served in an administrative capacity, if you will, providing configuration updates and maintaining a history of door access events received from the readers.

Intelligent IP reader and controller

Readers, such as those made by Isonas, are IP readers, meaning they are network attached. They use a Cat 5 or 6 cable, the standard network infrastructure for communication. Like all intelligent readers, it makes the decision whether or not to grant access. But access control software, running in a Windows computer has done away with the control panel.

Blue Tooth Reader

Blue Tooth readers such as those made by ECKey allow the use of a smart phone instead of a badge.  Authorized personnel can unlock a door or gate using a smartphone and ECKey.

 There are two variations:

• In facilities with high security concerns and an existing access control system in place, a Bluetooth adapter is added to the existing reader. Once an employee syncs her smartphone to the reader she can use the phone to gain access.

• There is also a standalone reader available for facilities with more relaxed security, and no existing control system. An ECKey reader is attached to the lock and once an employee has synced her Smartphone to the ECKey reader she can gain access to that particular entrance.

Wow! That sounds so easy even I could do it – if only I had a Smartphone.

Our next couple of blog entries will explore some of these systems in more detail.

Meanwhile, if you are looking for an IP reader system or a Bluetooth system you can come to www.kintronics.com  for information or call us at 800-431-1658 to speak to one of our sales engineers.