Why businesses move past keys
Keys are cheap until someone leaves without returning one. Then you are rekeying, issuing new keys and hoping no copies are out there. An electronic access control system replaces that with credentials you can add, change or delete in seconds, and a log of who opened which door and when.
For an Edmonton office, clinic, shop or warehouse, a system can be as small as one front door or span dozens of doors across several buildings. The parts are the same.
Access control also changes how you handle everyday operations. Doors can unlock for business hours and lock themselves at closing. Cleaners can get in on Tuesday nights only. A lost card is cancelled from a phone instead of rekeying the building.
What makes up a controlled door
- Reader: where the person presents a card, fob, phone or PIN. Readers for exterior doors need to handle our temperature range.
- Electric lock: usually an electric strike in the door frame or a magnetic lock (maglock) on the header. Some systems use electrified lever sets or exit devices.
- Door position switch: tells the system whether the door is actually closed, so it can alarm on doors held or forced open.
- Request-to-exit (REX): a motion sensor or button on the inside that tells the system someone is leaving, so it does not raise a false alarm.
- Controller: the brains, often in a telecom room, connected to the network and to software or a cloud service.
- Power supply with battery backup: keeps locks and readers running through short outages.
Each of these parts has to work together. A reader without a door position switch cannot tell you a door was propped open. A lock without a request-to-exit device can cause constant false alarms. Planning the full set for each door avoids these gaps.
Fail-safe or fail-secure
A critical early decision is how each door behaves without power.
Stairwell doors, doors on exit paths, and anything tied to the fire alarm usually need careful treatment. Maglocks in particular come with specific requirements under the Alberta Building Code and fire code, such as release on fire alarm and a manual release means. Requirements vary by occupancy and door, so the design should be checked with the permit authority before hardware is ordered.
Nobody should ever be trapped behind a locked door. Exit paths must allow free egress as the building code requires, regardless of how the access control system is set up.
Credentials and software
| Credential | Strengths | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|
| Proximity card or fob | Cheap, familiar | Older formats are easy to copy |
| Encrypted smart card | Harder to clone | Readers must support it |
| Mobile credential | Nothing extra to carry | Phone battery, staff phones |
| PIN keypad | No card needed | Codes get shared |
Software can be on-premises or cloud-hosted. Cloud systems make multi-site management and remote unlocking easy; on-premises systems keep everything inside your network. Either way, plan who administers it and how quickly you remove people who leave.
Whatever you choose, keep the credential list current. The most common access control weakness is not technology but old cards that still work: former staff, contractors whose jobs ended years ago, and shared cards nobody can trace. A quarterly review of active users takes minutes and closes that gap.
Wiring and integration
Each door needs low-voltage cabling from the controller to the reader, lock, position switch and REX, plus power for the lock. Many newer systems use Power over Ethernet to reduce the cabling. This is a good time to think about the rest of your low-voltage plant; see structured cabling basics.
- Fire alarm interface to release fail-safe locks on alarm where required.
- Video surveillance linked so door events bookmark camera footage. See planning a CCTV system.
- Intrusion alarm so arming and disarming follow access events.
- Elevators for floor-by-floor access in multi-tenant buildings.
Power supplies for locks should be located with the controller where they can be serviced, and fed from a dedicated circuit. Battery backup sizing should account for the number and type of locks, since maglocks draw power continuously while they hold.
Planning a project
- Walk the building and list each door, who uses it, and when.
- Mark exit paths and fire-rated doors.
- Decide hardware per door: strike, maglock or electrified lever, fail-safe or fail-secure.
- Choose credentials and software model.
- Locate the controller and power supplies where they can be serviced, with backup power.
- Coordinate permits, the fire alarm interface and door hardware with the door supplier.
Our access control team handles the electrical, low-voltage and hardware coordination, and can phase a system in door by door.
If budget is tight, begin with exterior doors and the server or records room, then add interior doors later on the same platform.
A phased plan also spreads the work out, which can make it easier to fit around business hours and budgets.
Common questions
Can access control work during a power outage?
Yes, for a time. Controllers and lock power supplies usually have battery backup. How long it lasts depends on battery size and the number of locks.
Is a maglock allowed on my front door?
Sometimes, with conditions. Maglocks on exit doors have specific code requirements including release on fire alarm. Check the design with the permit authority before installing.
Can I reuse my existing cabling?
Sometimes, if it is suitable and in good condition. New installs typically use dedicated low-voltage cable or PoE, and an assessment will tell you what can stay.
Can tenants manage their own doors?
Many systems support partitions so each tenant administers its own users while the landlord controls common doors.
Codes and permit rules change and every building is different. For work on your system, talk to a licensed electrician and your local permit authority.