Category: Security Tips
how to encourage better use of your access control system
Keyless Access Control for Offices
The demand for flexible office hours is rapidly growing around the UK due to the massive amount of freelancers and contractors using shared office spaces and working varied hours and shifts. The result of this change in working habits is that offices need to be manned 24/7 or you need to implement an access control solution.
Our Access Control Software combined with our hardware means there are several options to control access to the buildings.
There are various types of key cards that can be used as an alternative to the traditional metal key and will open an electronically-powered door if you swipe it (swipe reader), tap the card on it (proximity reader), or insert it (insert reader).
Here at sensor access, we provide the following options:
- Proximity cards are contact-less due to a wireless antenna embedded in the plastic. When the card is brought into proximity with a reader the antenna receives an electrical charge which is known as the Wiegand effect.
- Key fobs look more like plastic keys rather than cards, but they also allow keyless locking and unlocking of coworking spaces using the Wiegand effect.
- Smart cards possess a microchip, which is difficult to duplicate, so they provide a higher level of security than the magnetic stripe cards. Such cards do not require contact with the reader and are popular among laptop owners and office staff.
- Biometric Access Control is the most secure option and involves employees registering a fingerprint which is then scanned by the reader to confirm your identity and grant you access.
Once you have decided on the type of Access Control Solution you wish to implement then the next decision is to choose your Access Control Software, we recommend our new Guardpoint 10 software.
For more information on Access Control visit our contact us page
Making Better Use of Your Access Control System
Within an access control system, there are often many features and capabilities which are overlooked or that people are unaware of. These features can often increase the security and efficiency of the system. Below are a couple example features which can be used in our GuardPoint Pro system.
Automatic-Emailing
One of the many benefits of our GuardPoint Pro software is its versatile capacity to adapt to various different needs and requirements. There are many features within our access control solutions which often get overlooked, such as our auto-emailing feature.
Key Benefits:
- Would you like to be notified when a specific person arrives in your building? Our access control software allows you to send emails triggered by any type of transaction. For instance: a visitor arrives and an email is sent to a specific person to notify them.
- Wouldn’t it be useful to have your access control report emailed directly to you? Many different types of reports in GuardPoint Pro can be automatically generated. For example: a list of people in the building could be sent to you every morning.
- Do you wish to be immediately notified straight to your phone when an alarm occurs? By using an email-to-SMS service, notifications can be sent directly to your phone, informing you on specific alarm and access events.
Instructions on setting up auto-emailing in GuardPoint Pro can be found here
Automatic Inhibition
Automatic inhibition is also a useful feature on big and busy systems. If a card has not been used for a certain period of time, it will automatically become invalid after a set number of days. This feature is useful as it will automatically block cards that have been lost, yet unreported, to the administrator. This feature is especially useful on diverse systems where it can sometimes be difficult to tell whether employees still exist or have left the company etc. This avoids human error on managing the live card population, therefore increasing the security of the system.
Figure 1: image showing utilisation of our GuardPoint Pro software
For further information on the features above, please contact us and we will be happy to assist you
GuardPoint Pro Advanced Features – Mantrap
A mantrap is an access control feature which provides high security measures for a designated area with two or more doors. Mantraps are used in secure areas to effectively detain unauthorized personnel. This design is typical of high security locations such as banks and hospitals.
In simple: a mantrap requires personnel to enter through the first door of the assigned location – while the other doors remain closed – before they are granted access at the second door.
Key Benefits
- Difficulty of forcibly gaining entry
- Evaluates personnel in the mantrap before releasing them through the second door
- Allows entry of only one person at a time
- Helps to prevent tail gating
How it works
A mantrap consists of two or more doors – a perimeter door and an interior door closest to the protected area. The perimeter door and the interior door must be equipped with locks, door sensors, and readers. Access is granted either through the reader or through its RTX button, and the door status is given by the defined door contact. Second access cannot be granted from the reader until the previous door is opened and then closed. This security process allows only one single door to be open at a time, so once access has been granted to the first door, the outside door remains locked.
Figure 1: image of an example mantrap
Set-up
The mantrap feature is standard in all versions of the GuardPoint Pro Software. A standard door controller which supports two or more doors is all that is required, no additional hardware needed. GuardPoint Pro also has the flexibility of harbouring different variations of the standard mantrap. For instance the second door can automatically open after the first door is closed or the second door could require additional acknowledgement from an input before opening.
Find Out More
If you have a mantrap requirement or wish to find out more please contact us on either of the following:
Tel: +44 (0)1273 242355
Email: sales@sensoraccess.co.uk
The Key Benefits of Using Fingerprint Biometrics in Access Control
Are you considering whether to upgrade your access control system to use biometrics?
The key benefits of using biometrics as opposed to using standard proximity credentials are:
- Fingerprint characteristics cannot be guessed and are very difficult to steal.
- Your access credentials cannot be lost or forgotten.
- Using biometrics can be a cost saving because you do not need to buy any proximity cards or tags.
- Fingerprints biometric readers are simple and intuitive to use.
- Online biometric systems can easily be expanded. Fingerprint templates can easily be downloaded from the main system when new readers are added.
- Using fingerprints for access control is now more accepted amongst people due to the increased usage on devices such as mobile phones.
- Using biometrics with an online access control system gives a clear audit trail with a definitive answer on who committed a security breach.
- Cost savings can also be made in terms of using biometrics with time and attendance. It prevents cardholders from using other people’s cards.
Both of Sensor Access’ access control solutions can be integrated with fingerprint biometrics. When considering fingerprint biometrics it is important to consider the environment and the people who will be using them. If the environment or the user’s hands are very dirty it would be worth considering readers which can read the finger a few layer of skin below the surface. For situations of where people do not want fingerprint data stored centrally, it would be worth considering storing their own fingerprint on a smart card that they carry with them. Using a smart card which carries your fingerprint means the reader itself no longer need to store the finger templates which means no limitation to its capacity.
To learn more about what biometric solution sensor access can offer please visit our website
or contact us at sales@sensoraccess.co.uk and telephone +44 (0)1273 242355
The Benefits of Anti-Pass Back in Access Control
Anti-Pass Back (APB) is to prevent the cardholder from handing his card to another person to use. To use anti-pass back, you would typically have a reader on both the entrance and the exit sides of the door. Once the cardholder has used his card on the entrance, the card cannot be used again at the entrance until it has been shown to have used the exit.
Anti-pass back (APB) is most commonly used in car parks and on turnstiles on construction sites or sites using the access control system as a form of time and attendance.
APB is a proven and effective way of managing car park spaces as it prevents a second car access on the same credential. For T&A situations it can also prevent people from presenting their friend/colleague’s cards as it will not work again to allow the late colleague through unless the badge was clocked out again.
There are a few types of anti-pass back known as hard, soft and timed. In a timed setup, the cardholder is only blocked out for a set period of time on an APB violation. Soft anti-pass back still allows the cardholder access yet notifies the access control systems operator that this has occurred. In hard anti-pass, the APB rules are strictly followed: cardholders are denied access to a violation of the APB rule.
When using anti-pass back, it is always best practice to wire a door contact. The access control system can be set to only move a cardholder from one area to another unless it sees a valid card followed by a movement in the door rather than just the valid card being presented.
Both VantagePoint and GuardPoint Pro can use all types of anti-pass back. VantagePoint is unique in that the controllers can update APB movements to each of its controllers over an ethernet and without the server software running.
To learn how to setup anti-pass back in VantagePoint see:
https://sensoraccess-vp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/205768541-Configuring-Anti-Pass-Back
Sensor Access’ GuardPoint Pro Features: ID Scanning
GuardPoint Pro access control software has been further enhanced to meet the increasing demands and regulations of increased personnel security checks for multiple vertical markets. EU legislation is forcing employers to prove, without question, that they have taken out all necessary security checks on their workforce prior to employment and are held criminally accountable for any illegitimate staff under their management. The new “as standard” GPP feature allows the user to automatically scan IDs; Work permits, Passports, driving licenses etc, in fact an unlimited number of user definable documents and certifications relevant to their industry, and attach directly into the card holder record.