If you are a locksmith who appreciates the growing importance of electronic access control (EAC) to your vocation, a part of your learning curve needs to include understanding wireless access control. That's because the majority of all EAC systems being installed today, new or retrofit, are employing wireless for a simple reason. These solutions let you and your customer enjoy a different benefit set when compared to more traditional hardwired systems and often without the cost. With no holes to drill, trenches to dig, wire to pull and minimal installation disturbance to the customer, the implementation of a wireless system may be faster and less expensive than a wired system. And, in many retrofit situations such as in older buildings, there may be no alternative. Plus, wireless systems work with the great majority of access control product brands.
A wireless system can really pay off for your customer as well. Instead of spending money on labor, which is normally contracted out, your customer will be able to buy more product from you with the same budget. Or, if you are in a bid sale, the wireless solution will have a much lower cost than a wired alternative. The bottom line is that wireless systems use less hardware and install up to 10 times faster.
Another positive for the locksmith who sells wireless solutions is that these systems allow you to protect openings beyond doors. You now can provide easy-to-implement access control for exit devices, gates and even elevators, all controlled by your choice of access control management system. With such systems, your customer can continue to use their present contactless cards for all access points, whether entering the parking lot, the building or the elevator to the seventh floor at a price much smaller than wired systems and even less than using off-line, standalone systems.
Contrary to what many will tell you, no line of sight is needed. Wireless RF signals can penetrate cinder block walls, plasterboard walls, brick walls and many other non-metallic materials for simplified system designs and implementations. They are secure, with many making use of AES encryption. They work on wood and metal doors, both exterior and interior, as well as glass, monitored and scheduled doors, gates and elevators.
Wireless systems typically operate up to 200 feet between the door and the panel interface module (PIM) for indoor applications. For outdoor applications, like vehicle and pedestrian gate access, wireless links can often bridge up to 1,000 feet, eliminating costly trenching. Thus, wireless systems are ideal for garages, parking lots, across city streets and other outdoor areas that the customer may want to access using the same contactless credentials they employ at the front door. They are especially cost effective for controlling gates around a facility. And, they are the natural choice for temporary system installations.
Don't forget to add the elevators to your bid list. They are an ideal candidate for extending the access control system. Traveling cables are routinely included when installed, yet they may be unable to reliably transport access control data from the cab to the elevator controller. Since elevator shafts provide an unforgiving environment for electrical signals, often being the culprit that creates data corrupting noise which pollutes card reader data lines. This can lead to the system providing inconsistent performance, which may actually worsen over time as cable shielding decays due to continual movement.
With a wireless solution, you can eliminate the need for data lines in elevators. In fact, they can thrive in this challenging installation environment and provide consistent, reliable data transport that doesn’t wear out. As a result, you may have the opportunity to save your customers thousands of dollars per elevator.
2 Major Wireless Systems
In the United States, two major wireless technologies are used to send information from/to the door to/from the system computer which runs the access control software - 900 MHz and WiFi. In the first, a 900 MHz communication module, along with the card reader is installed to a PIM (panel interface module) and, from there, onto a hardwired source network. The second is 2.4 GHz/802.11 WiFi, in which communication goes from the card reader or sensor directly to a WiFi antenna and onto a network.
If lockdown is a major need, be aware. Usually, with WiFi, access control decisions are downloaded by the host into the lock 5-6 times per day versus 5-6 times per hour with 900 MHz solutions. Also, signal propagation and strength through building walls is stronger for 900 MHz signals versus the shorter wavelengths of 2.4 GHz signals. Typically, if a 2.4 GHz system is installed in a building, additional WiFi antennas will likely be needed to support an equal number of wireless locks or sensors. In WiFi systems, this can mean additional installation costs by assuring antennas have closer proximity to the readers to ensure reliable operation. In addition, independent WiFi locks require unique IP addresses. Thus, there is greater involvement with the IT department and, all too often, extra internal fees get charged for each IP address. With 900 MHz solutions, a single IP address manages 16 or more doors or opening.
With the 900 MHz solution, the entire access control system knows when someone is at the door. The reader captures information such as request to exit , door position and card data and sends it to the host immediately in real-time. The access control management system makes a decision to unlock the door or not. Since WiFi cannot afford to use all that power, decisions are made solely at the door. Any updates, such as the change or termination of a person’s access rights, may not have yet reached that door before the ex-employee does.
With advanced transmitters and high sensitivity receivers providing optimal coverage throughout an area, today's wireless access control is nothing short of robust. Moreover, 900 MHz technology, which sends the same data over many frequencies simultaneously, makes wireless redundant and extremely reliable. Wireless solutions also have a built-in red alert. They're supervised by a signal called a Heartbeat. If for some reason the Heartbeat signal is interrupted, a warning signal is generated.
In most cases, the locksmith uses interchangeable contactless proximity or smart card readers to migrate from standalone, offline locking to a networked access control system by installing a 900 MHz communication module. After linking the reader to a PIM, perhaps via a range extending repeater, the user is able to initiate emergency lock/unlock commands throughout the facility when needed and change access rights from a central location.
Contactless Credentials
To clarify the role of wireless in access control, some people classify the use of contactless credentials as wireless. In case you happen upon this, here is what they are talking about - 125 kHz, 13.56 MHz, 433 MHz, NFC and Bluetooth. Let's quickly look at each, just so that you are prepared.
- 125 kHz - This is what the primary contactless credential used in access control systems, the proximity card, uses to transmit information from the card to the reader.
- 13.56 MHz - In the last decade, proximity cards have been augmented by the smart card which uses 13.56 MHz technology. This provides 2-way communication, sending information to the reader and, then, the reader sending information back to update the card.
- 433 MHz - All of a sudden, there has been great interest in long range reading which uses 433 MHz technology. In fact, at the recent ISC West conference, easily one out of three visitors to the Farpointe booth specifically wanted to discuss long range identification technology. It can be installed as a compliment to either a proximity or smart card system.
- NFC - Near Field Communications is the short range technology used to let people use their smart phones just like a contactless card in conjunction with the reader. To enter, a user opens the access control app and taps their phone to the smart reader on the wall in the same way that they would present their contactless ID badge.
- Bluetooth - This technology is often considered a wireless competitor to NFC technologyas it is also commonly found on smart phones. In operation the user will typically open an app, select the door to open and then push the ‘unlock’ button. Bluetooth supports ranges up to 300 feet, making it a long range technology.
It is often times a big jump for your customer as well as you when you first undertake moving from a mechanical locking system to a networked EAC wireless solution. Remember the KISS acronym...Keep It Simple, Stupid. You do not need to undertake the complete upgrade all at once. Space it out, getting more and more comfortable with each installation. Your communication module manufacturer can be of great help in guiding you.
Scott Lindley is president of Farpointe Data, a DORMA Group company. For more information on Fairpointe Data, visit http://www.farpointedata.com/
