Controlling the movement of people inside and outside of your building is important. Your safety and security are dependent upon it. Many different types of security elements aid in heightening your security. Access control systems are the best for containing the movement of people. There are many different parts to an access control system, with proximity readers being a key component. In this article, we will review exactly what a proximity reader is and how to use it.
Simply put, a proximity reader allows you to enter a certain area because you’ve been given access to do so. There are many different types of access readers; however, we’re going to focus on the card reader. Card readers are heavily used in locations such as hospitals, government buildings, and more. For example, in Greensboro, North Carolina, i-Tech Security and Network Solutions completed an integrated access control system installation at a large event venue where proximity readers were used throughout the location. Site administrators will enroll new employees’ information into the access control manager and will be able to compartmentalize access if required. This process can be completed quickly and efficiently. A unique proximity card will be issued to each new employee with their respective access restrictions on it.
When the card is held in front of the reader, a coil inside the card activates the microchip. Each microchip contains a unique identification code. If the code is programmed to work at the reader, access will be granted. This is all achieved through the reader’s use of radio frequency. When choosing your card reader, something to consider is range. For increased range, a larger antenna is needed, so a larger range will require a larger reader. Something else to remember is that if you’re using a thin card, such as an ID card, the inner coil will be small. Due to the smaller coil, the range will also be smaller.
How does security fare with proximity readers? The security features are strong. Having a dedicated team to monitor your access parameters is strongly recommended. It’s also very important to have a professional team design and install your system. Hackers and other outside threats will get very creative in attempts to compromise systems through passive vulnerabilities. Here’s a video that shows how an outside threat can compromise a system in under sixty seconds. This serves as a reminder of why finding a professional access control installation company is so critical.
Every component of your access control system needs to be strategically designed and installed. A proximity reader is just one small piece of the overall access infrastructure. It a critical component, because it is the one that gives direct access. If you’re interested in learning more about access control systems and how we can help with your access control needs, contact us today. You can also visit our access control services page to find more information.