Access ability

Legrand designs

Legrand has supplied Countryside Properties with a high tech door entry solution for its residential village, South @ Didsbury Point.

The gated city village, which comprises one and two bedroom apartments, two and three bedroom duplexes and three and three and four bedroom houses, features Legrand's multi-block eight-wire digital audio door entry system in all apartments, block and home entrances, plus the main gates to the developments.

Featuring hands-free handsets with satin aluminium surround and 'monobloc' stainless steel entrance panels, the Viva Voce Living system has dual-function keypad with both calling and coded door lock facilities, which means that only one keypad is required instead of the regular two. Additional functions, such as staircase lighting, can be operated from Viva Voce handset.

With only eight-core cable needed throughout the whole building, installation was easy, while the capacity to interlink different blocks means apartments can be called from any entrance in the development.

Alan Carvin, of main contractors Altex Security, said: "Legrand's video door entry systems are of a very high standard and we are always happy to specify them."

Security a shoe-in

When Reebok Stadium directors decided they needed improved security to protect access to the stadium, they called in Lancashire-based manufacturer BSB Electronics. The stadium needed a flexible low-cost system, and BSB suggested its Progeny product.

Bolton's Spectra was the company responsible for installing the system. Director Barry Sloane said: "BSB's Progeny system was exactly what was needed for The Reebok. Spectra has been working with BSB and its Progeny products for over 17 years. It was important all those years ago as a small start-up company, that Spectra was involved from the start with high quality, flexible products. BSB has contributed a great deal to Spectra's success."

Reebok Stadium's transport and facilities assistant, Chris Grady, said: "It was crucial that we are seen by the public and the authorities to be taking all steps to ensure the security of this highly successful public venue and BSB's Progeny has certainly delivered."

Sports locked up

Leeds-based locksmiths Vador Security Systems has installed Abloy Security products including high performance padlocks, cylinders and door operators for perimeter gates and doors at the John Charles Centre for Sport.

The Centre contains indoor bowling and athletics centres, a tennis centre, and eight-lane outdoor athletics track, and, when construction is completed, an Olympic-size and standard swimming pool.

Vador MD Russell Vasey said: "We were looking for a security solutions provider with experience of the leisure sector and a portfolio of high performance locking products and door operators. Abloy Security fitted these criteria exactly and we had worked with them before on similar installations. We knew the quality of their products and stadium security experience would be invaluable."

In addition to the John Charles Centre for Sport, Abloy Security has supplied locking and access control products for many other sports facilities throughout the country.

Immigration controlled

The Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has chosen Tyco Fire and Security's CEM AC2000 (SE) access control system to secure its headquarters at the Immigration Tower, Wan Chai. Thorn Security of Hong Kong was responsible for the entire system installation.

The Immigration Department controls the movement of people into and out of the HKSAR, as well as issuing passports, visas, identity cards, handling nationality matters and the registration of births, deaths and marriages. Considerable effort also goes into detecting and prosecuting immigration law offenders and removing illegal immigrants.

According to Tyco, the AC2000 SE "offered the client unmatched resilience at all levels of the system, including a Linux-based central server that provides a cost-effective, yet highly stable operating platform, and a second layer of distributed intelligence using the CEM S9020".

The Immigration Department is integrating the AC2000 SE system with an emergency fire alarm system. With the system able to expand and integrate with many other third party systems, the client has the flexibility to upgrade the installed system to cover future needs, such as DVR integration.

Happy campus

A Kaba access control solution has been installed at John Forty's Court Accommodation, the only offsite campus at the University of Stirling.

Kaba recommended its stand alone mechatronic system, Kaba elologic locks, integrated with its latest high security master key system, Kaba experT. The two systems are integrated by a Legic chip that is embedded in the Kaba experT key head. The key is used as a standard mechanical key with the Kaba experT system and the chip is used for the proximity access control with the Kaba elologic lock, so bringing the two systems together.

The secure Legic chip can be used for a wide range of applications, as well as access control. These include a cashless vending system.

The system also includes the proximity access control system Kaba c-Lever, which upgrades existing doors to give them access control by simply replacing the handle, and in most instances using the existing mechanical lockcase.

Processing power

Research and development firm IP Control Systems has moved into the production of access control equipment, with door control systems that can be activated through an internet-based protocol a major part of this.

When it first developed the IP Lock Controller, IPCS needed a solution that would work over Ethernet, and integrate with both IP telephony and CCTV, as in the situation of someone requesting entry at a door, and being able to be seen over IP-enabled CCTV and heard over an IP-enabled telephone. The challenge was finding a processor with the performance, speed and reliability to effectively regulate a door lock, while preventing failures including constant systems reboots which could prevent people from accessing their homes and offices. It decided to use the NS9360 microprocessor from Digi, with 32-bit, 177MHz performance.