Commercial · Cambridge
Access Control Installation
Head office wants a record of who opens the branch and when, tied to an actual name rather than a shared code scrawled on a sticky note taped under the till.
Access Control Installation
In plain words
Where a building has more than one controlled door, a networked system lets each opening run its own schedule: the front office unlocked for regular hours, a stockroom open to two people only, a loading dock released for a delivery window, with the management software tying those schedules together. A shared entrance in a multi-tenant building can carry each tenant's own credentials without giving one business access to another's suite, and the same platform keeps a combined log, so a manager checking last night's entries never has to walk the building door by door.
How the visit goesHead office wants a record of who opens the branch and when, tied to an actual name rather than a shared code scrawled on a sticky note taped under the till.
Cambridge
How the visit goes
Reading the door and the frame
Every opening gets a physical look before it gets any wiring. The locksmith checks what the door and frame are made of, which way the door swings, whether an electric strike will seat cleanly in the existing frame, and whether the door sits on a fire separation, which changes what can be added to it. A hollow metal frame, a wood door, and an aluminum storefront door each take different hardware, and a door that already sits loosely in its frame is noted before an electric strike or a magnetic lock is chosen for it, since alignment decides how reliably the lock releases.
Enrolling cards, fobs and codes
Once schedules and access levels are ready, each credential is enrolled against a name, presented at a reader or entered at an enrolment station, and assigned to the access level matching the person's role. A keypad code is set and confirmed working at the door itself; a card or fob is tested the same way before it is handed over. The locksmith keeps a running list during enrolment so nothing is issued twice and nothing is left unassigned, and hands that list to the administrator as the starting record for the system going forward.
What to do when a card or fob goes missing
A lost card or fob is handled by switching it off in the software rather than replacing a lock. The credential stops working as soon as it is disabled, whoever lost it is issued a new one, and every other door in the building keeps running exactly as it did before. There is no locksmith call needed for this, no rekeying, and no gap where a door sits unsecured while a replacement is arranged. Reporting a lost credential without delay, rather than holding onto the news, is the one habit that keeps this advantage working the way it was intended.
Access Control Installation
In the van
- Card and fob readers
- Electric strikes
- Power supply with battery backup
- Request-to-exit devices
- Access control panel
What affects the quote
Same fees day, night or weekend
1Fitting the mechanical override
Keying an override cylinder into the same system as the rest of the property's keys, rather than leaving it as an unrelated spare lock, takes coordination with whatever keying already exists across the building.
2Room left for future doors
Sizing the controller and power supply with some spare capacity for a door or two added later costs a little more at installation but avoids a second controller purchase when the building later adds an opening.
3Electric strike or magnetic lock
An electric strike works with the door's existing latch and generally needs less additional hardware than a magnetic lock, which also calls for a request-to-exit device and, on an exit door, a fire alarm tie-in.
Access Control Installation: questions
What maintenance does the system need going forward?
Ongoing maintenance is light: checking the battery backup and the request-to-exit device periodically, keeping reader surfaces reasonably clean, and revoking credentials promptly once someone leaves. Door and frame alignment is worth a look at each change of season, since a shifted door can affect how cleanly an electric strike or a magnetic lock releases.
Can access control go on a fire exit or a required exit door?
Yes, with extra care taken specifically because it is an exit. A magnetic lock on an exit door is paired with a request-to-exit device and wired into the fire alarm system so it releases automatically the instant an alarm activates, and the door is confirmed to open with one motion from the inside at all times. An electric strike on an exit door generally needs no additional egress hardware.
Can the system be expanded to more doors later?
Yes. A system installed with some spare capacity in its controller and power supply can usually take another door or two by adding a reader and lock and wiring it back in. A door far from the existing wiring can instead run its own standalone unit. Either way, existing schedules and credentials do not need to be rebuilt from scratch.
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Access Control Installation near you
One team handles every service on this page for Cambridge, so a lockout can turn into a rekey, and a rekey into a properly set deadbolt, within the same visit if you want it. Each service is described separately below, but at the door they fit together as one piece of work.