Commercial · Toronto
Access Control Installation
Something went missing from the storeroom over a weekend, and when you ask who was in the building, the honest answer is anyone with a key. There is no list, no time stamp, no way to narrow it down.
Access Control Installation
In plain words
An exit door does not stop being an exit once it is wired into an access control system. A magnetic lock on that route is paired with a request-to-exit device so anyone leaving is never held up looking for a code, and it is tied into the fire alarm so an alarm signal releases the door on its own. The installation is planned around the building's exits from the start rather than added around them afterward, so the system controls who comes in without complicating how people get out.
How the visit goesAnother employee left and the keys never came back. You changed the locks again, cut copies for everyone who stayed, and paid for a job that repeats itself the next time someone quits, taking a working key out the door with them.
Toronto
How the visit goes
Checking which doors are also exits
A door that leads outside along a path people use to leave the building gets special attention, no matter what lock currently sits on it, so the survey flags every one of those openings early. On an exit door, a magnetic lock only gets considered alongside a request-to-exit device and a tie-in to the fire alarm system, while an electric strike paired with a standard latch usually needs no extra hardware to let people out. Sorting exit doors from interior doors before any hardware is ordered keeps a smooth, one-motion exit part of the plan from day one rather than a fix added afterward.
Commissioning day: training the people who will run it
The last step is not technical: it is sitting down with whoever will administer the system and walking through adding a person, revoking a lost card, pulling an entry log for a specific door and date, and changing a schedule for an upcoming holiday or event. The locksmith answers questions on the spot rather than leaving a manual to be read later, confirms the administrator account works with full access, and leaves contact information for anything that comes up once the system has settled into daily use.
Keeping the mechanical override where it belongs
Where a controlled door has a mechanical override, that key is worth treating with the same care as any master key: held by a named person or two, not left in a drawer everyone can reach, and used mainly as a fallback rather than a daily habit. Because that key bypasses the electronic record entirely, using it routinely quietly undoes the audit trail the system was installed to provide, on any door where one is fitted. Keeping it for genuine emergencies is what keeps the electronic system the normal way in, and the key the backup it was meant to be.
Access Control Installation
In the van
- Credential cards and fobs
- Power supply with battery backup
- Fire alarm interface relay
- Magnetic locks
- Door position switches
What affects the quote
Same fees day, night or weekend
1Condition of the existing hardware
A working mechanical lock that can stay in place as the override is a simpler starting point than an old, failing keypad system that has to be removed before new hardware goes on in its place.
2Electric strike or magnetic lock
An electric strike works with the door's existing latch and generally needs less additional hardware than a magnetic lock, which also calls for a request-to-exit device and, on an exit door, a fire alarm tie-in.
3How much door and frame preparation is needed
A frame that already suits an electric strike needs less preparation than one that must be mortised, reinforced, or matched with a different strike body, and an older or non-standard door can add its own preparation.
Access Control Installation: questions
What maintenance does the system need going forward?
Ongoing maintenance is light: checking the battery backup and the request-to-exit device periodically, keeping reader surfaces reasonably clean, and revoking credentials promptly once someone leaves. Door and frame alignment is worth a look at each change of season, since a shifted door can affect how cleanly an electric strike or a magnetic lock releases.
What's the difference between an electric strike and a magnetic lock?
An electric strike fits into the existing door frame and works with the door's own latch or bolt, releasing it briefly for a valid credential while otherwise behaving like an ordinary strike plate. A magnetic lock instead clamps the door shut with an electromagnet mounted at the head of the frame, and it is always installed with a request-to-exit device so someone leaving is never held up looking for a way out.
Can the system be expanded to more doors later?
Yes. A system installed with some spare capacity in its controller and power supply can usually take another door or two by adding a reader and lock and wiring it back in. A door far from the existing wiring can instead run its own standalone unit. Either way, existing schedules and credentials do not need to be rebuilt from scratch.
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Access Control Installation near you
In Toronto the work spans everything on a door that turns, latches or bolts. Homes: lockouts, rekeys, replacements, deadbolts, smart locks, heritage hardware. Businesses: storefront locks, exit devices, closers, master key systems, safes. Read the service that fits and see how a visit runs from start to finish.