By James Kelly on January 29th, 2020
If you’re completely new to access control systems and their associated products, you might be a little overwhelmed by the different types of technology and how they are best used.
You can find out more about the main types of card technology in our ultimate access control card guide, but here we’re going to run through four fundamental items that you’ll need to put a card-based access control system in place.
The first thing to consider is the type of cards you’ll be using. There are several different ways of creating an access control system with plastic cards, but the most popular options are contactless and proximity cards. These cards use RFID (radio frequency identification) to offer convenient, reliable access control. The most well-known manufacturer of RFID cards is HID, with various card “families” available at different price points depending on the level of security they can offer. Popular card families in the HID range include iClass, Prox and Indala. We investigated the differences in our HID product family guide.
The iClass range is the newest, most secure and is described as “state of the art”. Prox and Indala have been around for longer and are offered as a more entry-level option. Which access control card you choose should be based upon your risk level. If you are installing an access control system from scratch, however, the most secure and up-to-date choice would be a form of iClass card, all of which operate at the more secure 13.56MHz rather than 125kHz.
The next thing you’ll need to consider when setting up an access control system will be the card readers. Card readers are generally placed next to access points and are the element that grants or denies access when an access control card is read.
Most card readers – particularly those from well-known manufacturers such as HID and Paxton – are weather-proof. This means they’ll be able to withstand outdoor elements, and most card readers are designed to support a wide range of access control technologies and frequencies.
Once a card is placed against a card reader, the data is sent to a control module. This is the part of the system that decodes the different elements of card data including the facility code, site code and card number. Once these have been verified, the controller software will either grant or deny access.
In essence, the controller is the only part of the system that can decode data and grant access. You can think of it as the “computer” in your access control system.
So you’ve got your access control cards, your card readers and a controller in place. But how do you actually assign cards to employees? The final part element of your basic access control system is the user interface. This is typically a software program or a terminal that allows an administrator to add and remove card holders.
They can also change access privileges, or create specific time periods that access is granted. Your user interface will also allow you to monitor who’s accessing certain areas and record events in real-time.
If you need help ordering or using your access control cards, our dedicated access control support section has articles that’ll help. We’ve also created a guide that looks at the main types of access control card options and their benefits.
Alternatively, call our friendly staff on the number below if you require one-to-one advice and assistance regarding access control.
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