Electronic door entry systems

[m-in-m]

I'm hoping someone might have some experience here.

The server rooms in one of our buildings is being extended and will now house more high risk equipment. It's currently protected by a key which is only allocated to specific staff. I'd like to extend the security by adding an electronic door entry system. I'm thinking the sort where you swipe a card to enter and it records the entry and exit record.

Does anyone have any suggestions or know of companies that sell these systems.

[Cache]

We use LockTec at work, which come with a tracking system. They work really well, never had a problem.

[m-in-m]

Thanks for that.

They have a big clear image which shows the component parts that make up the system - makes the whole thing far easier to understand.

[Beep]

http://www.paxton.co.uk/products.asp?st ... ht_for_you
Paxton also do a similar system that uses Prox cards, over magnetic stripe. The advantage of using Prox over Mag Stripe is if the staff have something heavy that needs to be taken into the server room, they don't have to be too exact over where they put their card, saving time (and their arms).

[lukey]

+1 for some sort of RFID-based access control. General wallet-swipeage tends to be preferable to magnetic strip.

[Steve in Pudsey]

There will almost certainly be some health and safety implications here, you'll probably have to have it set up so that if the fire alarm goes off the door is unlocked. Possibly the same if there's a power failure.

[Beep]

There will almost certainly be some health and safety implications here, you'll probably have to have it set up so that if the fire alarm goes off the door is unlocked. Possibly the same if there's a power failure.

Or you add in EDR call points, which when the glass is broken the lock circuit dies, obviously only on the inside too! Otherwise thieves would take advantage.

[Cache]

There will almost certainly be some health and safety implications here, you'll probably have to have it set up so that if the fire alarm goes off the door is unlocked. Possibly the same if there's a power failure.

Or you add in EDR call points, which when the glass is broken the lock circuit dies.

Yeah, we've got those. We're due to get those RFID cards soon as well, which are much simpler.

[Gavin Scott]

This is what we have on the inside of our secure door. In the event of power failure it stays locked via a battery, but breaking the glass will disconnect the circuit.

[Sput]

Ditto, and everything releases when the fire alarm goes off.

[Nick Harvey]

Ditto, and everything releases when the fire alarm goes off.

I always find this slightly amusing, though typical of the current, over-the-top attitude to health and safety.

This information is widely available in the public domain, so if you want to steal something from the secure area, you just set off the fire alarm using one of those handily positioned jobbies on the wall, then walk straight into the secure area, pick up what you want and walk straight out again.

Apart from the access issue, everybody else is so busy panicking that they can't remember what to do when the alarm goes off that they totally ignore you doing whatever you want.