Access Control System Installation

A standalone reader or keypad runs exactly one door — that's its job, and for a single back door it's the most economical answer. Networked systems are built from controller panels that typically handle two, four, or eight doors each, and you scale by adding panels on the same software, so there is no practical ceiling: the same architecture runs a 3-door walk-up and a portfolio of buildings with hundreds of openings. The real planning question is where panels and power supplies live and how home-run wiring reaches each door, which is exactly what our survey and door schedule resolve before you commit to anything.

It depends on the door's egress role and construction, not preference. A maglock is fail-safe — power cut, door open — which suits doors where code demands free egress on alarm or power loss, but it requires request-to-exit hardware and fire-alarm release to be legal, and battery backup if you don't want a blackout to unlock the building. An electric strike can be fail-secure — power cut, door stays locked, while the inside lever or panic bar still lets people out mechanically — which is usually right for perimeter and storefront doors. Glass herculite doors, hollow-metal doors, and aluminum storefront frames each push the choice differently. We spec it per door on the schedule and we stock both, including Seco-Larm and Enforcer maglocks.

Only when it's installed as a compliant electromagnetic locking arrangement. NYC Building Code and FDNY requirements mean a maglocked egress door generally must unlock on fire-alarm activation and on power failure, and must have a request-to-exit provision — a sensor or clearly marked push-to-exit button — so nobody is ever trapped inside. A bare maglock wired to nothing but a reader is the single most common code violation we find on existing NYC installations, and it's a life-safety problem, not a paperwork problem. If you have one, we can retrofit the REX device and alarm tie-in without replacing the whole system.

Most buildings mix them. Fobs and cards are cheap, fast at the reader, and easy for residents and staff — but they can be shared or cloned, which is why we push encrypted credential formats and OSDP readers on new work rather than legacy 125kHz proximity. PIN codes cost nothing to issue and suit vendors and cleaners, but codes spread, so they belong on schedules that expire. Mobile credentials live in the user's phone, are hard to clone and easy to revoke remotely, and are increasingly what boards ask for — the tradeoff is dependence on the platform and on residents' phones. A common pattern we install: fobs for residents, scheduled PINs for vendors, mobile for management.

Usually, yes. Wiegand wiring is a common standard, so existing readers and door wiring can often be reused even when we swap the controller, and Rosslare controllers in particular are friendly to takeover work. The genuine obstacle is proprietary cloud systems where the original vendor owns the software account — there we can either work with the platform or migrate the doors onto hardware you own. Bring us the panel photos and whatever documentation exists; we'll tell you honestly whether it's a takeover, an expansion, or a case where replacement is cheaper than untangling.

A standalone keypad or single-door reader with an electric strike is typically a same-day installation. A networked system across several doors usually runs a few days: wiring first, hardware second, programming and testing last, always leaving doors secured overnight. We stock Rosslare readers and controllers and Seco-Larm/Enforcer locking hardware at our Brooklyn offices, so common configurations are not waiting on freight; specialty items — specific finishes, herculite-door hardware, large panel counts — can add lead time we confirm at proposal stage. For boards, the approval process is usually the long pole, not the installation.