Access to profit

Over the last two years the access control market has done little more than keep abreast of inflation, according to a recent report published in Security Installer.

But the sector is predicted to take an upturn, with increased trade for installers, thanks to the Disability Discrimination Act and increased use of access control in educational establishments.

The final rights of access within the DDA came into force last month (October), and this is likely to spur a rush for last minute upgrading of systems to comply.

Alongside this is an increased awareness of the need for access control in schools and other educational establishments.

Increasingly schools are using keypads and entry codes on all external doors outside main school hours, alongside with CCTV cameras.

Industry analyst Key Note predicts annual growth between three and four per cent for the next four years.

High crime levels and the terrorist threat are also encouraging upgrading work for installers, especially in the public sector.

The report also predicts a “catching up effect” as property owners seek to upgrade and expand existing installations and plan new installations for under-protected sites.

For airports, government buildings and other high security areas, biometrics systems, based on whole-hand readers, fingerprint recognition and iris recognition will become more commonplace.

Although there are many alternatives, manufacturers are working towards solutions that make it easier for installation and maintenance. Simplified wiring systems are being developed which minimise the chances for error. At the same time, door systems are being designed with diagnostic capabilities that pinpoint installations errors, aid adjustment and assist with troubleshooting.

Open all hours

With schools and their facilities increasingly being used out of normal hours for a host of additional revenue generating activities, controlling access to all areas of the premises is becoming a key priority and challenge.

Codelocks UK managing director Grant Macdonald says his company is seeing a “dramatic increase” in the numbers of enquiries from schools and local authorities. “They are demanding simple but wide-ranging solutions to control access

in and out of different areas of the schools at all times of the day and night – but under their tight budgetary constrictions,” he says. “The demand for simple and convenient access control is becoming a necessity to ensure that teachers, estate managers and caretakers are in control of their buildings and property.”

Schools across the country now generate extra funds from their resources by providing valuable services to their local communities. These can range from gym and sports facilities for students and locals, to nursery facilities for working parents, after school clubs, evening adult education classes and local football clubs. With many courses run by external trainers or teachers, there is a need to restrict access to ‘school only’ resources – where equipment values can run into thousands of pounds – while still providing easy access to out-of-hours users.

As a specialist in stand-alone access control locks, Macdonald says this can be a real headache for schools, as the extra activities are part of the drive for additional income. “If not thought through carefully, they can cause significant access problems and a need for extra investment to protect equipment or certain areas.”

Some of the latest developments and products launched in this sector …

Mul-T-Lock has launched its Lock 500 Series, which it describes as “versatile and innovative”. It is a range of multi-point rim locks, designed to be used in a wide variety of applications.

The locks feature a patented, dual-position deadlock mechanism, which allows them to be installed either vertically or horizontally. They are constructed from durable aluminium alloy, and are available in a range of lengths that the manufacturer says are easy to cut to size on site, so will adjust to almost any door or window.

The Lock 500 Series has been designed to be used on commercial and residential doors, windows, patios, shutters, cabinets, and even to secure the back of commercial vehicles.

Reader Service No 102

Video monitoring solutions

Due to international terrorism and the growth in business theft, VideoDomain has entered the access control market with its range of real-time remote video monitoring solutions.

These systems enable remote monitoring of perimeter fences, parking lots and key areas, as well as visual identity checks and visual alarm verification.

VideoDomain’s technology is also suitable for integration with existing access control systems, at what it says is a fraction of the cost of other solutions.

Reader Service No 103

Hospital phone entry system

TelGuard has provided a special customised version of its ‘door-entry via home telephone’ concept to the intensive care unit of Morriston Hospital in Swansea.

The conventional TelGuard concept is hands-free, via a normal home phone, using a built in speaker. Morriston’s ICU required a system that took into account the need for security and confidentiality.

The secure entry system for visitors provides and additional discreet handset for the user, adjacent to the normal push-button plate, connected to individual bedside links for the nurses in the unit.

The system is linked to CCTV, and the nurses can permit visitor access to the intensive care unit via the ‘#’ key on their own handsets.

Reader Service No 106

Truly random stops

HI SEC has incorporated a random ‘stop and search’ capability into its ThorGuard Access Control System.

The company says it can randomly identify and stop at the door a pre-defined percentage of employees

in any division, work group or management level. A security guard can also override the system on location, if necessary, to investigate a suspicious situation.

“The remote possibility that you could have your bag checked is a great encouragement to follow the rules, and avoid an embarrassing situation,” says Peter Goodenough, managing director of HI SEC in the UK.

“The fact that it is truly objective in its search criteria, and does not target individuals, means the selection process remains impersonal and acceptable in a business environment.”

The technology could also be used for other applications, such as random drug and alcohol testing in, for instance, the transportation industry and healthcare professions.

Reader Service No 107

Rocking access

Idesco has introduced what it claims is the first access control reader with a housing made of real stone.

The Access Rock is a round-formed reader, the housing for which is made of Finnish steatite. It is available with 125kHz and standard 13.56MHz technologies, including, for example, Mifare, and is easily integrated with most common interfaces, such as Wiegand, RS232, Clock and data.

Idesco says the Access Rock is intended for clients who value individual design, and follows the company’s previously launched Access Woody, which, as the name suggests, comes with genuine wooden housing.

The access Rock is available with Access 7A, Access 7C, Access 8CM and Access 9CM reader versions.

Reader Service No 108

Airport-specific system

CEM Systems Ltd, which is part of Tyco, has launched its CEM AC2000 AE system.

The AC2000 AE is designed for use in airports, and offers integrated access control, alarm monitoring, and ID badging. It has already been installed at some of the world’s busiest airports, such as Hong Kong, Vancouver, Heathrow and Gatwick.

The system comes equipped with functions specific to airport requirements, such as check-in desk enabling, passenger segregation, airbridge monitoring and vehicle monitoring.

Other products from CEM include the Passenger Reconciliation system, which allows for the capturing, display and verification of passenger identification prior to boarding, and the S3010 portable handheld card reader, which allows roaming security checks and is suitable for areas, such as ports, that do not have fixed connection points for card readers or where cabling cannot be placed.

These products will be on show at the Airport, Port and Terminal Solutions show on November 10 and 11 at the Olympia Conference Centre in London.

Reader Service No 109

Combined wire interface

Legrand Electric has designed and launched an 8/2 wire interface for door entry systems.

Aimed at simplifying wiring and reducing installation time and cost, the BTicino (pronounced ‘beta-chino’) 8/2 wire interface combines 8-wire and 2-wire technology in the same module, allowing installer to choose the way they configure door entry systems.

Legrand product manager Mark Moody says the benefits of the new cable-mixing technologies are clear. “The flexibility of the 8-wire backbone enables much larger installations to be serviced than 2-wire technology alone, yet each riser still only requires two non-polarised wires rather than a maximum eight.”

BTicino was formerly known in the UK as the Terraneo range, and the new combined system can be wired into existing door-entry cable systems, which Legrand claims will make upgrading from audio to video systems quicker and simpler than before.

Reader Service No 110

New panels for DDA

BPT Security Systems has launched a new range of panels designed to suit the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.

The new products have undergone a re-design from the existing BPT panels, to incorporate illuminated buttons with tactile digits for the visually impaired, and ‘door open’ and ‘speak now’ LED indicators for the hard of hearing.

Manufactured in stainless steel for vandal resistance, the panels can be surface or flush mounted. They are modular and can be used with any of the BPT door entry or proximity access control systems.

The company says that incorporating the panels into a proximity access control system, such as BPT’s Impro IXP 100 or 200, is additionally beneficial for disabled people, as it does not require them to operate locking equipment. Users present a tag or card at the door’s reader, which reads the unique code on the card using RF energy, and the door is released.

Reader Service No 111

Side load release lock

IEC’s new TRIMEC surface mount electric lock features a side load release system.

IEC product manager Nigel Finlayson says the TRIMEC lock addresses a ‘key gap’ in the access control market.

“Many applications have used either magnetic locks which release when power is removed, but which offer far less physical security, or higher security locks which jam under side load pressure,” he says.

“The TRIMEC offers the best of both worlds – exit safety without compromising security.”

The new lock features a safe exit under side load pressure of up to 0.5 tonnes, while maintaining high physical security and unobtrusive appearance, Finlayson says.

Reader Service No 112

Special needs panels

Videx’s range of special needs door entry panels are available in different forms with both standard and optional facilities aimed at helping people with blindness, deafness and physical disabilities.

The new panels require only a simple two wire installation, and flat numbers, tenants names and display messages are easily programmed with PC software.

Standard features include a two-line back lit 16 character LCD capable of showing messages such as the tenant’s name being called, flat number, and ‘door open’ or ‘busy please wait’ messages. A speech board is provided, capable of audibly announcing the stage of the call.

Optional features of the door panel are braille, large illuminated buttons, high or low level panels, and built-in and remote camera. Other options for flat residents include an induction coil for use with hearing aids when answering the intercom phone, a flashing strobe to indicate a call, extension telephones and sounders, infra-red stations with remote control, interface to standard phone, and camera picture interface to a TV monitor via scart socket and videophones.

Reader Service No 113

Upgrade at any time

Nortech’s new NorPass2 access control system is available in three basic formats, designed to suit virtually all access control applications, with contingency for growth and expansion built-in.

It is a stand-alone, simple two reader control panel, with large features, and includes a ‘MemoryStick’ a handheld download module for remote monitoring.

The system operates on a PC-based on-line network via RS485, TCP/IP, modem, Ethernet and other computer-based delivery systems.

The NorPass2 software incorporates features such as contractor time logging, automatic roll-call, and fire muster reporting. It can be installed as a simple stand-alone system and then upgraded at any future stage, with no equipment redundancy or software upgrades required.

Reader Service No 114

Range of access products

IR Security & Safety has a number of access control products available to the market, including the HandKey from Recognition Systems Inc, which verifies identity by the shape and size of the hand.

The Briton Quantum low energy operator is designed to be effective for slow moving traffic such as disabled people, wheelchair users and parents with buggies. It is easily installed, powered from a standard fused spur power source, and can be integrated with electric strikes, access systems, electric locks and card readers.

Briton’s 996 electromagnetic door control unit allows doors to be self-closing in the event of afire, while remaining accessible to all building users. It allows the door to swing freely or be held open, yet self-close when the building’s fire alarm system is activated.

The Briton Pegasys lock system can be added to existing doors with 72mm lockcases or fitted in new installations. It can be used stand-alone or as part of a system, and can be incorporated into existing smart card, key management, and access control or time and attendance systems.

The Briton Cobra digital lock is designed for clients looking to upgrade their access control from mechanical locks or from electronic locks with lesser programming capabilities. Briton has released a narrow style version specifically for aluminium doors, and the King Cobra, a stand-alone intelligent proximity and pin unit, programmable via keypad, palm or laptop.

Reader Service No 115

Cable-free entry system

The TelePorter3 Door Entry System allows a tenant to answer the door using a standard or cordless telephone.

The telecoms board is powered from the telephone line, so external power is only required for the display, door release mechanism, and video camera. The system is programmable from any landline or mobile phone.

Manufacturer TelePorter says up to 1000 flats can have the system fitted in a day, due to ease of installation. No additional cabling to flats is required, as the system can be plugged into an exchange line or PABX, with up to four panels on one line.

TelePorter says the system requires very little maintenance, and suggests that this low maintenance has prompted some of its clients to replace existing door entry systems with its telephone based system in order to reduce costs.

Derek Berman, TelePorter managing director, says: “With ongoing research and development, telephone based door entry systems are the future, as they will always be upgradeable as technology advances, without the need to change out the system.”

The panel is available in vandal resistant stainless steel or brass, and can be surface-fitted or flush. Options available include integral video camera, close proximity access control, PIN access codes, on or off-site concierge, battery back-up and tradesman’s code.

Reader Service No 116