Vandal resistant reader

BSB Electronics has shown its confidence in its new generation slimline proximity reader VR Prox by declaring that if malicious vandalism ever causes the reader to cease to work, a free replacement will be supplied. Managing director Brett Burby said: "We are so confident in the resilience of the 2053HID vandal proof proximity reader we will supply a replacement free of charge if the unit ceases to work after being vandalised." The reader has a laser cut 2mm stainless steel front plate which when flush mounted is the only part visible. Behind this is a 6mm plate of vandal resistant polycarbonate – the strongest plastic available. The reader module, which uses HID technology, is a fully potted and sealed unit making the reader suitable for both internal and external applications.

Due to its three-part design, if the stainless steel front or polycarbonate plate is damaged a replacement part can be purchased to return the reader to "as new" condition rather than purchase a completely new reader. The reader module is also available as a separate OEM module allowing the reader to be integrated into door intercom panels, barriers, gates and turnstyle controls.

The 2053HID vandal-proof reader also gives excellent performance, with a read range of 80mm –double the range of existing VR products. As a stainless steel plate mounted in front of the proximity reader would normally prevent the system from working, this level of performance is no mean feat.

The stainless steel plate is pierced with a series of slots radiating from the centre and the reader has a pilot LED array which gives a number of back lighting options from subtle to high visibility. This makes locating the unit in poorly illuminated areas easy. Indicator LEDs and a buzzer are also provided to give audible and visual feedback to the user, making this an easy-to-use reader.

The reader is the same dimension as the Progeny 2112 vandal resistant keyboard. When mounted side-by-side this provides a completely vandal resistant solution for card and code applications. It is supplied with stainless steel security anti-tamper screws and a free magnetic screwdriver bit to suit.

Brett Burby added: "Due to the highest quality materials it uses and its unique construction making it vandal proof rather than vandal resistant, the reader will become the preferred choice of many end users including councils, housing associations and financial service providers."

What our experts say ...

In the April 99 edition of Security Installer, we Bench Tested the Progeny Chameleon access control system from BSB Electronics. The kit consisted of a keypad controller and an externally rated proximity reader. This time we have looked at an extension to the range, the new vandal resistant proximity reader from BSB, the VR Prox. The equipment is available from four major distributors in the UK, carries the European CE mark and has a lifetime warranty against defects created by vandalism.

The reader is extremely robust in design, having a polished stainless steel front with hardened polycarbonate trim. The unit is intended to be flush mounted by screwing through the stainless steel plate into the wall using the torx- type security screws provided. The wall surface needs to be dug out to accommodate the electronics of the unit, to a depth of just over 25mm. No back box was supplied with our sample, though one is available from BSB. A number of LEDs are mounted inside the unit which illuminate through the polycarbonate trim to give the user indication of system status.

The electronics inside the reader are sealed inside a hard plastic casing, though this is mostly designed to reduce the effect of mechanical shock rather than water ingress. Installers will need to make use of the back box, together with some silicone sealant if water resistance is a concern.

The reader and controller keypad need to be interconnected by a (minimum) four wire screened cable, up to a maximum distance of 100m. Extra switch wires can be used for a variety of purposes, since the reader has a dedicated on-board piezo type buzzer, and two banks of green LEDs for indication.

Using unscreened cable can cause the system to fail since the connection cables can act as ariels and allow the data to become corrupted by air-borne RFI. The cable screen should be grounded at the controller end by connection to earth.

Operation

The reader uses the Hughes version of proximity detection, an American design otherwise known as HID technology. It is a passive system using an embedded coil within the card to receive the emitted energy and transmit back the handshake to the reader at around 125KHz. There are no replaceable parts or batteries inside the card, and they are available in credit card size, or as a keyfob style token. The listed trade price for a single card is £1.75, or a keyfob style token is available for £2.96.

The VR Prox was found to be trouble free for the duration of the test, though it should be noted that the thick stainless steel cover plate reduces the operating range (when compared to the original Progeny proximity reader) down to only 10mm from token to reader.

In effect then, the reader operates by more or less touching and 'wiping' the card across the face of the reader, rather than accurately locating and 'swiping' it through like an infrared or magstripe type of reader.

This is a minor point but installers will do well to make clear to their customers exactly what is required of them to operate this system, since customers will always have different levels of expectation when using a proximity-based system.

The proximity reader relay output is contained within the keypad controller, and is a NO/NC changeover type to accommodate any type of electric locking device, and also can be programmed as a toggle switch and latch from open to closed with each successive reading of the card –- useful for arming/disarming an intruder alarm control panel.

The reader houses a selection of LEDs to give indication of any status. The standard setup has four banks of three red LEDs, though each bank of lights can be deselected inside the unit to suit the requirements – certainly having all 12 LEDs on at once is quite a sight. Additionally, there are two sets of three green LEDs. These are switchable by an applied 0v to give an indication as required, for instance 'door open' or 'card accepted'. Similarly, the on-board piezo buzzer needs an applied 0v to give audible indication of any programmable status.

The VR Prox reader retails at £165 plus VAT, but this does not include any access cards, a keypad controller or a power supply. It performed its task as expected, and held up to numerous hammer blows during testing.

Programming

Programming was achieved at the keypad controller by entering a selectable six-digit engineering code followed by the relevant option number followed by the new value. Intruder alarm installers will be familiar with this kind of format and the installation manual is clearly laid out to get at the information quickly.

A flow chart is shown on each of the programming pages together with an explanatory note. A piezo sounder mounted inside the controller gave a selection of musical tones to confirm successful changes or enunciate programming errors.

Technical back-up

Only a single A4 sheet of technical literature was provided with the product, though it contained just about everything necessary to would-be installers. The information included a life-sized line drawing of the 2053 HID with accurate dimensions and operational features, including current consumptions under load and indicator options.

For programming information and more detailed wiring diagrams, installers must refer to the more extensive booklet supplied with the 2159 Chameleon keypad controller.

A technical support telephone number was not provided anywhere within the packaging or literature itself, which could be a problem should you find yourself on site and in need of some help. We checked to find the telephone number is available through BT's directory enquiries, and called the technical advice department during normal working hours. The engineer was knowledgeable and friendly, and was a good ambassador on behalf of the company.