How can electronic locks improve your facility management?

A growing need in facility management is upgrading mechanical locksets to electronic locks. Keep on reading to learn why electronic locks make facility management easier and how to know if wireless locks are a better fit for your facility than hardwired systems.

Electronic locks are access control systems that require electronic credentials to pass through an opening. As the name suggests, these locks use electricity to power the lockset, credential reader, sensors, door position switch and tamper guard.

Electrified locks offer several advantages that can’t be achieved with their mechanical counterparts. Below are some of the reasons why facility managers are making the switch.

• Greater visibility and control – These locks record the traffic history through an opening, allow for access to be granted or revoked remotely and allow for scheduling of lock activation.
• Increased security – The use of electronic credentials decreases the need to pass out and manage physical keys for an opening. This approach decreases the risk of physical keys being in the hands of unapproved users when access permissions change.
• Shared Convenience – These locks can be activated using ID cards, fobs or smartphones, making it convenient for approved users to access an opening. Also, all the electronic locks in a facility can be controlled through a centralized access control software.

When exploring electronic locks, you’ll find a wide variety of hardwired and wireless options. Hardwired locks offer many of the same benefits as wireless versions with one glaring exception – they require wires and physical power to be run to every electrified opening. This may not be a big deal for new construction. However, installing hardwired systems in existing facilities can be costly, operationally disruptive and messy.

Wireless locks are battery-powered and transmit data via a secured wireless connection to an access control panel, eliminating the need for running physical wires.

One common concern about wireless locks is the reliability of battery power. While physical wires are typically more reliable, most wireless locks come with batteries lasting up to two years and low-power indicators to signal when it is time to change batteries. For added peace of mind, wireless locks come with mechanical key overrides or functionality to jump-start the battery. This gives property managers constant control of the opening.

For facilities already in use or in areas where running wires is complicated, electronic locks may be a more affordable and efficient solution for improving the control and security of an opening.