Effective access control: shared buildings

Neil Thomas, national sales manager at Videx – who has been providing door entry and access control systems to housing associations for almost 30 years ­– addresses the key issues that need to be considered when choosing door entry systems for shared buildings

Access control is pivotal to any building and getting it right is especially critical for shared buildings. Essentially, effective access control is achieved by preventing unwanted access to buildings. In residential developments, where a constant flow of visitors need access to different locations within the building on a 24/7 basis, this is best achieved with a combination of door entry and access control systems to communal and internal doors.

Identifying an individual, whether resident or visitor, is key to ensuring that only those authorised can gain access to particular areas of the building. When residents and staff have traditional keys to gain entry it can be difficult to manage the number of keys issued. If keys are lost, or taken by residents when they leave, new keys need to be issued. This can incur significant costs and often results in the need to change locks to prevent unwanted entry. Access control systems with effective key management capabilities can provide useful information to identify individuals and to ensure they can only access certain parts of the building.

To help prevent unauthorised entry by visitors, video entry systems offer residents the opportunity to view callers on a colour videophone before deciding whether to speak to them or allow them entry into the building.

Access control and door entry systems are now available to help overcome common issues including anti-social behaviour (such as noise, intimidation and assault) and benefit fraud. Reports can be prepared showing fob activity and logging which flats visitors call at, when a conversation starts and ends and when exit buttons are pressed to leave the building. When used in conjunction with CCTV, these reports can provide useful information which can aid in any investigations helping to improve resident’s safety and security.

Many housing blocks are used as shortcuts and hangouts by non-residents especially estates that have a multiple entrance layout. Residential developments without adequate security are potential magnets for disruptive and criminal behaviour. This, in turn, can affect the quality of life for residents and often results in buildings becoming a popular place for criminal behaviour such as drug use and associated crime.

Without adequate access control, vandals can easily access a building often resulting in ongoing repair costs and an unpleasant environment for residents to live in, making them feel unsafe and also less likely to respect the property themselves.

Before selecting an appropriate access control system for a specific building, such as an apartment block, a few issues need to be considered which are relevant to that particular type of building. For example, legislation needs to be a key consideration. Building regulations must be followed when putting an appropriate system in place and thought must go into how access control will affect users with disabilities following the Equality Act 2010 guidelines.

Secured By Design, the official UK Police flagship initiative supporting the principles of designing out crime, might also be specified which means only those products that have passed the stringent tests of Secured By Design should be used.

Cabling is also another important issue. Most door entry systems are connected together throughout the building using low voltage cabling. Quite often, the cabling is installed as part of the first fix and sometimes the access control and door entry equipment has not been fully specified at this stage.

An issue that has become increasingly apparent is the need to know the difference between solid copper and copper coated cables. In most instances, solid copper must be used on access control systems due to the need for these cables to carry current and have a low voltage drop. Copper coated cables such as copper coated steel (CCS) or copper coated aluminium (CCA), although may look attractive when comparing the price between that and solid copper, will have a much higher resistance and therefore will suffer from much greater voltage drop than a solid copper cable. Not knowing this difference can prove costly in the event the system is unable to function correctly due to a voltage drop.

Choosing the right system

During the planning stages, it is important to understand the function of the building and the type of use the system will have. A number of questions need to be considered. For example, which entrances and exits require access control, should the access control be in the form of coded keypads, proximity fob readers or a type of biometric reader, should the door entry include video as well as audio communication, do residents’ handsets require timed privacy, is isolation required in case of damage to the cables, should tradesmen and postmen have a fob or ‘trade’ button combined with PIN to prevent misuse, and how will people exit in an emergency?

New door entry and access control systems are constantly being developed so it’s important to keep abreast of the latest offerings. When considering a system, it’s best to talk to the manufacturer who will be able to listen and ask the right questions to help find the one that best suits the site specific requirements.

When choosing a system, it is also important to know that it can be modified in the future if the building is expanded or the needs of the residents change. An example would be the increasing use of remote management to link multiple blocks to a concierge, offering residents higher levels of service 24 hours a day without significantly increasing costs.

The exit of buildings in particular requires additional thought. For instance, in the event of an emergency how would someone negotiate the access control to exit the building? Solutions to this would normally include fail safe exit devices and links to the fire alarm to automatically release the doors. An appropriate access control system can also generate reports to show who is in the building at the time of the alarm so you’re aware of peoples’ location in the event of an emergency.

Product support is also crucial when dealing with a customised solution. Knowing that there is support available either online, via phone or on site, can offer reassurance for the long term. Installing a door entry and access control system is a long term investment and it is important to know that replacement parts are available.

The type of door entry system selected will depend on the specific needs of the building and its occupants. Housing associations specifically have a duty of care to protect residents and provide a secure environment and improved quality of life for residents. Choosing an appropriate access control system is therefore crucial to the security and wellbeing of these residents.

Many factors are involved in decision making, not least of which is cost. However, it is important to balance cost savings with product performance and ongoing support. As well as considering the specifics of the equipment, it is also extremely important to consider the services offered by the manufacturer of the equipment such as their experience, equipment warranty, technical support and availability of equipment and spares in the long term future.