Types of access control: which to use in each situation

 

Have you ever heard that someone "was in the wrong place at the wrong time"? This expression has everything to do with today's text. It usually refers to someone who has suffered something because he or she is not supposed to, but sometimes it can be even worse.

 

Imagine that you have priceless assets at home or in your office. In addition to financial resources, they are important to you and losing them is unimaginable. How could it be possible to protect the environment so that nothing unforeseen or improper can happen?

 

 In addition to investing in monitoring with images, alarm systems and security equipment, it is essential to adopt specific types of access control, in order to prevent unauthorized persons from entering. This restrictive measure is valid both to eliminate the risks of a crime, such as theft or robbery, and to block circumstances such as accidents, which can result in property damage.

 Managing the entry and exit of people is, above all, providing more security for those who frequent a house, company or condominium. But some solutions are not the most suitable as they prevent access even to those who must enter certain areas. How, then, to combine practicality and efficiency in the management of access permissions?

 There are a number of devices that can be used in environments of different sizes. But given the numerous device offerings, each with its own specifics, what is the ideal solution for each situation?

 House, condominium or company: know the types of Access Control in Chicago

 In homes, access control can be done at external gates to identify residents and visitors, at the garage door and at the main doors of the house or apartment.

• Doorphone  - equipment that works with an internal telephone and an external extension, such as a wireless intercom, and allows you to answer the door without leaving your home.
• Video intercom - with the video intercom, in addition to talking to the outside environment, you can see the visitor - even in times of low light, and open the garage door or gate.
• Digital locks for the entrance doors - the digital lock is practical: it does not require the use of keys, freeing access by means of passwords, proximity cards or biometrics. There are overlapping models , which can be placed next to the conventional lock, as well as recessed ones , all with anti-burglar alarm, open door sensor, password protected function and automatic locking.

 In the condominiums

 In this case, as it is necessary to manage a larger number of people, the devices also need to be able to register more users. There are still more access areas, so it is worth having different equipment.

• Condominium access control system - this type of integrated solution makes the entry and exit of people and vehicles efficient, in addition to allowing the management of common areas. Accesses can be done in different ways: by biometrics (fingerprint access), vehicle tag, vehicle remote control, proximity tag, intercom and password, all integrated into an electronic concierge, providing security, practicality and comfort to residents of the condominium . In addition, it records and manages the entire flow of people and vehicles through state-of-the-art devices and has a condominium access management system, a software that shows in real time detailed information about users, such as photos, license plates and locations accessed with date and time. Understand how control is done for:
• Vehicle entry and exit - the opening of the gates can be done by remote control or by vehicle tag connected to the long distance vehicle reader, which causes the gate to open automatically when the vehicle with the tag approaches the garage. When integrated into the management system, it also registers the vehicles that accessed the condominium;
• People entering and leaving - access can be done in different ways - passwords, tags and biometrics - and must also be integrated into the management system;
• Management of common areas - spaces such as a ballroom, gym and swimming pool also gain more security and there is better management of use with the use of access controllers. In these cases, the most appropriate is to use devices with a password or proximity tags release and also keep the records updated and integrated into the management system. Thus, in the case of some depredation, for example, the liquidator can easily identify the plaintiff.
• IP video system for condominiums - the system brings the image quality of IP technology to video door equipment. If the visitor is not served by the apartment, the system offers the possibility of recording audio and video messages, which can be accessed later by the resident. If the visitor chooses not to leave a message, the system automatically takes photos, allowing the resident to see who called his apartment during his absence. The resident can also answer and make internal calls, allow access or monitor the security cameras of his condominium from inside his apartment.

 In companies

 To control access to the company or strategic areas of the organization - security room, CPDs and data centers, finance and stock, for example - equipment similar to condominiums can be used. Thus, the entrances and exits of the institution, both for employees and service providers, can be efficiently managed through passwords, tags, approach cards, biometrics or facial recognition.

 In addition, the solutions can also be linked to management software that stores reports and enables remote, real-time management, authorizing or removing permissions easily and quickly.

 Regarding access control for companies, we suggest reading these two other articles: " Access control systems: the various benefits of the application ", which shows more advantages of the solution, such as overtime management; and “ Shared business: how to control people's access ”, which brings specific solutions to this new and growing market niche.

 The different levels of access control security

 As we have seen, there are different products to allow and manage the access of people and vehicles in homes, condominiums and companies. Each product has its features and objectives.

 But another point that deserves attention is the level of security that identification technologies offer. Depending on the type of access control chosen, there are one or more user authentication and release methods. And they can be listed in this way, according to their degree of efficiency and reliability:

• Level 1 for the password keypad - the most widely used method, it allows access by registering a numerical sequence for each user. In many equipments it is possible to identify the typed sequence, as well as the numbers can be passed (intentionally or not), facilitating access by third parties before being blocked in the system;
• Level 2 for the proximity reader - cards or tags containing a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip are used for release. The user receives a card or tag (to be returned or not) that needs to be approached by the reader, positioned next to the gate, elevator, access ratchet or entrance door. The greatest weakness of this system is that users can lose or pass on the card, so that it can be used improperly by third parties before being blocked by the system;
• Level 3 for the biometric reader - in this case, access is through fingerprint recognition, which is a unique data for each individual. Thus, the person's information is linked to his fingerprint, and each time he accesses the environment, he must insert his fingertip into the reader. To avoid failures, companies that have quality readers should be chosen for faster, more accurate and reliable verification;
• Level 4 for facial recognition- it is the most accurate and the most difficult to be circumvented. This is because the recording is made by measuring points on the face, such as the length of the jaw line, size of the skull, distance between the eyes, width of the nose, among others, making it even more reliable. Through the camera and the equipment's facial reading software, a face is automatically encoded in a digital sequence and attached to the individual's record. Thus, every time it passes through the controller, the facial information will be compared with the database. The person is identified, regardless of the haircut, the use or not of glasses, for example, and access is allowed. It is worth noting that the system only performs facial reading, not recognizing photographs or other images such as documents, for example.

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