Access Control Systems.
Securing your organisation’s premises, assets and your staff has become a major priority for many Companies. Antron can not only provide highly technical Access Control systems but also the added feature of linking into Time and Attendance systems.
There are many benefits of installing an Access Control system, they include:
- knowing who is on the premises at all times
- automatically producing printed or emailed reports on activation of the fire alarm system, providing details of all persons on site at the time
Antron are experts in Access Control Systems and provide professional advice on the most suitable system based on individual requirements. W e install a wide range of products from single keypad and lock up to PC based multi-door/multi-site installations.
What is Access Control?
The commonly recognised definition is control of access into or around an establishment. This establishment can be anything using pedestrian or vehicular access into and around its boundaries. The most commonly used method of control is by use of a unique electronic pass carried by the user. The pass can take the form of a swipe card utilising its magnetic strip to carry the unique user Identification or a proximity token which uses non-contact technology in the form of a coded electronic chip. The swipe card can only be read by a correctly configured reader.
By passing the magnetic strip across the reading surface, the system is able to recognise whether the card is valid or not by comparing its details with those stored in its own database. If correct then the controlled entry point can be released.
The entire process takes milliseconds to complete. The proximity token works in much the same way but does not require contact with the reader. This reduces wear and tear and offers a longer serviceable life. Other reading technologies include Biometric (finger print recognition or retinal scan). Both of these are available today but are more expensive than swipe or proximity and operate at a slower speed due to the increased processing required for validation. Swipe and proximity technologies have been around for many years now and have proven successful in there own applications. They can be seen in many financial establishments where staff control throughout a building is required. They are also to be found in retail environments and many other sites requiring personnel control.
All types have their pros and cons and a few of these are detailed here. Swipe cards are approx credit card size and will fit in a conventional wallet but the magnetic strip can be damaged or erased if held near a magnet. This is quite unusual however and usually swipe cards can last for years without problems. Proximity tokens can also be credit card size or a key ring style fob which is a particularly good way of carrying fob tokens. Some do require batteries however to power them which can be inconvenient when they run down. Biometric readers are virtually impossible to fool and are suited to high security establishments, due to the advanced technology they are obviously more expensive and can be slower than the other types mentioned above.
Examples of Access Control
The proximity token option is most commonly used as it offers ease of use with good reliability and can be expanded to client requirements. It is also cost effective.
