Prop Tech & Security
Opening up about entry system upgrades!
Entry system remote access This is a recent innovation and is used to give remote access. It is simply a software- linked device that can release any door fitted with an electric lock via a mobile phone app. This is particularly useful for the managing agent to give access at any time to any bona fide caller/tradesman without having to handover keys. At one stroke it eliminates the risk of lost keys or non-returned keys but it does need a WiFi connection.
“ Well, we want a wireless video entry system, networked with a mobile phone interface! Oh and it must be future proofed!” This is the modern lexicon used when lay people, start talking about entry system upgrades, so what does it all mean? Below we will attempt to explain these much used terms in the hope that both clients and managing agents get a better understanding of how to specify the system they want. wired. In an analogue entry system there are individual wires connecting all the component parts. The call button on the entry panel is wired through the building to the handset, while another wire connects the lock release. They are reliable and easily worked on. However, the amount of wiring can become overwhelming and deteriorate, especially in older buildings. individual wires the electrical signal is sent down a pair of wires to which all the flats are connected. The speech, lock release, picture, is digitally coded by the entry panel and then decoded by the handset. This needs only two wires and is often referred to as a “two wire system”. It is fast, efficient and is infinitely programmable; however it can be hard to trace faults. Both audio and video systems can operate as either analogue or digital systems. Digital entry systems In this type of entry system, instead of Analogue entry systems This refers to how the entry system is
IP entry systems Sometimes referred to as WiFi, this is the latest generation of hardwired digital entry systems. The handset has an IP address, like a computer, and can have the option of being networked to the resident’s router via WiFi and then onto any device of their choosing. The disadvantages stem mainly from the WiFi side when residents wish to have connectivity to their mobile devices. The variability of settings on mobile devices makes connectivity tricky to set up and occasionally unstable. Beware the introduction of 5G! Wireless systems Instead of using dedicated hardwires installed in the building to connect to individual flats, these systems utilise either the land-based telephone network or the mobile phone network, whichever the client chooses. The entry panel is programmed with all the individual flat contact telephone numbers, so when a visitor presses, say, Flat 11, the system looks up the telephone number associated with Flat 11 and calls it. The resident then answers, talks to the caller and releases the door. It is quick to install and does not need access to flats, but does need either a landline or mobile phone contract and a provider with good mobile coverage for the area. The bills must be paid in good time or the system is cut off! The advantages are connectivity and flexibility
Vernon Taylor attempts to explain
what you need to know about
Future proofing This is the most hated phrase by an installer! The truth is that technology is moving so fast that it is impossible to predict when a systemwill become obsolete. The golden rule is to keep it as simple as possible in the first place and its useful life will be longer. the array of entry systems that are available
Vernon Taylor is managing director of Anchor Door Systems
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