Continuing our series on specifying and installing access control systems, Steve Bewick, Sales and Marketing Director of PAC International, looks at system design
Last month we looked at the importance of consultation with the customer, the first stage of designing an access control system.

To kick off this article we include a design checklist. These are just a few basic questions that need to be answered to ascertain the type of system required. Each question relates to a specific system hardware or software function.

Size and location of system
1. How many access points will the system control?
2. How many users (card or electronic key holders) will the system, have?
3. Will the system cover one physical location (site) or more?
4. Will the system control other locations as a part of the same system and how many will there be?

System administration and set-up
5. Will ID cards or electronic keys be used with the system?
6. If using ID cards, will any company or personnel information (eg company logo) appear on the cards?
7. Is it necessary to restrict access at times of the day or night?
8. Will a print-out be required of cards or electronic key usage, including the times when they have been used?
9. Should individual personnel photographs appear on the card?
10. Will the system need to be administered from a different location at different times of the day and, if so, how many different locations?
11. What types of locking mechanisms are required, eg mag locks?
12. Is an audit trail (checking past changes to the system) a requirement?
13. Will the system be required to report any alarms, eg door forced, fire door open, perimeter protection, freezer alarm?
14. Should any alarms be linked directly to mobile pages
15. Is worker protection required?

Integrated solutions
16. Will car parking control be required?
17.Will the system incorporate elevator control
18. Will attendance reporting be required to report the hours staff are on site.
19. Will the access control system be required to work as part of a cashless vending system?
20. Will the access control system be required to work with a CCTV system?

Answering the above questions at the outset is essential to installing a system that will satisfy the client. We now go on to integrating access control with other building facilities which further ensures the customer gets added value from the installation.

Integrated Systems
Allowing systems to talk to each other, means that decisions can be made automatically, according to the instructions previously programmed.

A good example includes sites where alarms are being managed. Suppose a door is forced at one end of the building, if the access system is integrated to a pager system an alarm can be sent to one or more individuals automatically as well as being logged by the PC system.

But why integrate?
Customers often make a considerable investment when installing an access control system. So manufacturers are always aiming to add value to these systems. One of the best ways to achieve this is by ensuring that an access control system is capable of integrating with other building facilities.

Access control systems produce huge amounts of data, which can be used by other systems. Today's access control systems are very flexible, offering many possibilities for monitoring and reporting a wide variety of situations.

It is often the case that customers wish to integrate a new access control system with equipment that is already installed. This includes using existing IDs and readers, structured cable networks and local and wide area networks.

The integrated solutions available are many and varied. Listed below are a few integrated systems PAC has in operation.

On-site radio paging
Radio paging systems can be linked directly into PAC for Windows offering alarm messages (e.g. door forced, door left open) from the access control system sent automatically to security staff on the move. This system is currently being used by over 100 schools in Scotland.

Lone worker protection
Lone worker radio pagers can offer protection to maintenance staff working on site in remote and unmanned locations. This system is currently being used by the National Grid to protect staff working on electrical substations across the UK. Linked through the access control system the Lone Worker pagers have the capability to send an alarm signal to other pagers on-site alerting colleagues, whilst sending an alarm back to the central monitoring centre.

Cashless Vending
Proximity readers can be fitted directly to vending machines and computerised tills. Token holders are credited with a cash amount each week. Token holders can then buy goods from the company canteen.This system is currently being used by a financial institution in the City of London.

Time and Attendance
Information can be used by time and attendance systems. Because an access control system records the time a person entered and left a building on the access control database it can be a simple task to run a report on the database asking for the hours spent on-site in a given period.

CCTV
PAC for Windows can be linked directly to a CCTV system. An alarm can be set up to send a message to a CCTV system. The CCTV system then selects a camera and pre-programmed pan, tilt and zoom settings. This feature is only available on selected CCTV manufacturers' equipment.

Alarm Event Manager
PAC's Alarm Event Manager (AEM) is used in conjunction with PAC for Windows software and is wired to PAC's 2200 series of door controllers.

Each AEM has 8 relay inputs and 8 relay outputs. Inputs and outputs can be managed globally across a PAC for Windows system to trigger alarms, lighting etc. The PAC AEM is also used in conjunction with PAC for Windows Elevator Control. Once a user has entered a lift and presented their ID to the reader, a signal will be sent to the AEM which ensures the elevator only goes to floors the user has access to.