Access control

Access control is that mysterious name we give to “who’s allowed to go where” – in other words, controlled access to certain places. We see and actually use access control on an everyday basis; often without knowing it. Much like buying a certain make or model of car and then suddenly noticing that same model everywhere you turn, access control is very similar. The next time you valet park and notice the certain roped off section where they take your vehicle; that’s a form of access control.

You can see access control at work in the movie theater. Do customers go behind the ticket booth and help themselves to a showing? Do they hop over the concessions counter and grab a box or two of Milk Duds and a bucket of popcorn? Of course not! They know better but they also see the door, counter, roped off area and window that separates where they are and where they should not go.

Living here in Berwyn, IL we can see access control all over town. You can in your own city, too. Jewelry stores have locking glass cases where the wares are on display. Banks have keypad controlled back rooms and even fast food outlets have locked doors and signs indicating who’s allowed in break rooms, storerooms and kitchens. Here at Locksmith Pro Berwyn, we are often called upon to help secure a room, building or section of a property through the effective use of access control. Being locksmiths, this is right down our alley, so to speak.

Restricted access can take the form of signs, locks, roped off areas, doors, counters, curtains, blinking lights and many other methods of letting people know where they can and cannot or should not go. You can even find access control at home. Try visiting your next-door neighbor. Do you walk up to your neighbor’s front door and walk right in? No; a door is there to stop you and it’s usually locked, as well. We have locks on doors inside our homes, too. Locks can be found on bathroom and bedroom doors to give folks their privacy as well as controlled access when needed.

Access control is useful

You’ll find controlled access in nursing homes, beauty parlors, restaurants, museums, car washes, apartment buildings, hotels, shopping malls, public schools, national parks, funeral homes, post offices, call centers, horse training facilities, medical centers, art galleries, universities, public monuments, military bases, farms and hundreds more. Sometimes a simple sign or flashing lights can do the trick. Other times, a sturdy lock, turnstile or video surveillance is needed.

Access control doesn’t eliminate the need for trust; it simply enforces it. People need access control to remind them of what is accessible and what is not. Slide locks, badge cards, fingerprint locks, signs, combination dials, keypads, panic bars, deadbolts, cam locks, lock boxes, swipe cards, retina scanners are all instrumental in providing access control where needed.

Panic bars

Panic bars also go by other names; push bars, exit devices and crash bars, being a few of them. Panic bars are those metal, horizontally installed bars mounted on back doors in public areas. They are spring loaded so that all it takes to operate them is a push that simultaneously unlocks the door and opens it, too. This simple change in door opening allows for greater ease in crowd flow as it directs people exiting to move faster, easier and without having to unlock a door, turn a knob and repeat again and again. Panic bars also are usually found on one-way doors; in other words, there is no knob or lock on the other side of the door and those exiting do not have to battle incoming foot traffic in order to get out. You can find panic bar on back doors in movie theaters, hotels, restaurants, schools, nursing homes, government buildings, car dealers and hundreds more.

Swipe cards and badges

These are in common use in banks, call centers, hotels, training centers, post offices, public and private schools, hospitals, universities, convention centers, motor vehicle offices and other similar places. No keys are used and access is granted by simply waving a badge or swiping a card. A bar code or embedded computer chip relays information to the card reader and this in turn gives the bearer access to that part of the building.

Keypads

These are very similar to swipe cards and badges but instead of using those pieces, a number sequence is entered into a keypad. This is very similar to keyless entry for your car. The user simply punches a combination assigned to him or her into the keypad and if this is recognized, access is granted. Keypads can be beneficial in that no keys are needed even though they can be used as a backup if the power goes out or if they number sequence is forgotten. 

Video surveillance

This is not so much a form of access control as a way to back up access through video surveillance. Badges can be stolen, lost or sometimes duplicated. Number sequences can be given out or even written down and lost. A live and then recorded video of the person entering can be used to prevent unauthorized access and to identify anyone compromising the security of the place. These videos can be used for evidence as well.

Visuals

Just the sight of a keypad or a badge reader mounted on a wall next to a door is enough to let one know that access is being controlled for this area and if you don’t have the badge, swipe card or code, you shouldn’t even try to enter. The same goes for DO NOT ENTER signs or UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS posts on walls, on doors or on a flashing screen. 

Plenty more

These are just a very few of the many ways in which we can implement access control in our lives. There are many more. If you are interested in learning more about access control and how it can help you, call our shop or a full-service locksmith in your city to get more details.