Proximity access control: In demand

As electronic security has developed over the years to supply end users with greater security and convenience than ever before, so security professionals have come to rely on their systems in greater degrees. They now expect CCTV, intrusion detection systems and access control equipment to work in places never thought possible, either from a technical or cost efficiency standpoint.

Security technology is keeping abreast of end user requirements. Indeed, we can now place such security equipment in some very demanding environments and be assured that it will function as intended. In the case of electronic access control, these environments include external conditions where the weather can be severe, areas of high pedestrian traffic and locations where the equipment might not be treated with a great deal of respect.

This doesn't apply to all electronic access control equipment. As you'd expect, some technologies are better suited than others to the more demanding installations.

For instance, the traditional keypad and swipe card systems with which we're all familiar tend to suffer from wear and tear, and are relatively slow in letting authorised persons through secure areas. However, a proximity-based system avoids those problems without breaking the end user's budget.

How proximity systems work
In simple terms, a proximity electronic access control system comprises a control unit, readers and tags, the latter of which is encoded with an individual number. Unlike swipe systems, the tags don't have any physical contact with the reader but, once valid, tags are presented within the pre-specified reader range and the door released. The release is achieved thanks to radio frequency energy.

The very fact that there is no physical contact involved with a proximity access control system automatically means there can never be a wear and tear and/or maintenance issue. Most tags are guaranteed by the manufacturers for life, which shows you how reliable and durable they are. Keypads simply cannot compete on this basis as the buttons wear out, while the magnetic stripe on swipe cards is easily damaged.

That neatly brings us to the issue of cost – with which every discerning end user is concerned, of course. Wear and tear and maintenance (things can and do become stuck, deliberately or otherwise, in the swipe card readers) leads to ongoing expense. With a proximity system it's a 'fit-and-forget' situation for end users. Although the access control set-up will tend to cost more up front, over a relatively short period of time this will be balanced out in favour of the proximity system.

A lack of physical contact between the tag and the reader also has other advantages. Since they operate using radio frequency-based energy and don't need any contact with the tag, the readers can be very small. Even to the extent that they may be rendered 'invisible' by installation in the fabric of the wall without any detrimental effect to the read range.

Proximity access in situ

Wear and tear and maintenance (things can and do become stuck, deliberately or otherwise, in swipe card readers) leads to ongoing expense. With a proximity system it’s a ‘fit-and-forget’ situation for end users

Stainless steel, vandal-resistant panels have been chosen, not because of vandalism as you might expect but rather because of the weather. The snow, strong winds and rain which regularly lash the Islands quickly render most external electronic equipment inoperable. The vandal-resistant stainless steel panels are potted, sealed and totally waterproof such that all the electronics are protected from the weather. They work well.

Similar stainless steel, vandal-resistant panels have been used at Bradford Royal Infirmary's Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department. The weather wasn't an issue here. In this instance, the combined proximity access control and door entry system has been selected to cope with wear and tear as this is the UK's third busiest A&E Department.

Not only can the system happily deal with the large numbers of people that need to gain access to the A&E, but it doesn't halt the flow of pedestrian traffic as authorised members of staff don't have to stop and make contact with the reader. This is particularly important for doctors and nurses tasked with looking after incapacitated patients.

Why the alternatives, then?
All of the aforementioned points sound like good news. An electronic access control system that requires no maintenance, copes with a large flow of pedestrian traffic, is vandal-resistant, cost-effective and highly secure.

That being the case, why is it that many electrical security system installers avoid proximity systems and end up offering you, the end user, a far less effective alternative?

The main problem seems to lie with the installation procedures themselves. Many installers feel that proximity systems are difficult to install and require complex computer skills and wiring. If you're talking about very large sites, then a networked electronic access control system is indeed more complex than your average security installer would like, but stand-alone proximity systems couldn't be any easier to set up on site.

Stand-alone systems are simplicity itself to fit and program, security staff and facilities personnel can be taught how to operate them in minutes (including how to delete either lost or stolen tags) and there's no further visits required post-installation.