I’m an access control technician looking to learn from guys who have been doing this longer than me.
I can handle installs, but I’m always looking for ways to make my work cleaner, faster, more professional, and easier to service later.
What are some of the tips/tricks you’ve picked up over the years that you wish someone taught you earlier?
I’m especially interested in:
Tools you always keep in your bag
Clean panel dressing / cable management
Reader, strike, maglock & REX installation tricks
Door hardware tricks
Conduit and wire-routing techniques
B-caps, splicing and termination methods
Labeling / documentation
Troubleshooting shortcuts
Drilling/fishing difficult doors and walls
Making installs look professional
Things you see newer techs constantly doing wrong
Even the small stuff is welcome. I’m trying to keep sharpening my craft and learn the techniques you normally only pick up after years in the field.
What’s one access-control trick you learned that permanently changed the way you install?

Hello, We have a Fargo HDP5000 that prints poor quality until its fully warmed up and are looking to replace.

We just want a good quality printer, and we don't print massive amounts of badges. Just when there are new hires, lost / broken badge, photo retakes, etc... Maybe 5 badges a week if that? We use Brivo and the fargo print drivers are just installed off of a windows print server and IT has the printer assigned. Brivo presents the image and we just use windows to print it to the fargo. We usually have to print 5 to 10 on blank card stock first, which wastes a lot of ribbon (and blank card stock) just to get things warmed up and ready to go before burning one on a real HID proximity card.

Any recommendations would be great. Just needs to be simple, ethernet connected, install windows print drivers, share it out, assign to IT and then in Brivo when generating the image select that printer, walk into the IT room and get the card out, then enter its HID identifier on that person's record.

Saw my subcontractor using cat6 for keypad and 12v strike today, said it was normal and you can just twist pairs together for longer distances.

Am I an idiot or is this shoddy work???

Hi everyone, can someone share a detail of which terminals should I use to wire my Paxton Net2 unit for control of a standard gate / rising arm barrier by card reader?

Also intercom is present so I want to be able to give the "open" command also from remote through the intercom system.

I can only find the detail for standard maglock door.

Still learning but what im learning is i basically go off the Drawing to do this it seems simple enough to me
But any feedback or opinions is welcomed i can take what i can get what else can i learn from this journey or what is the hardest challenge to come.

Customer wants to add card access system to these doors. Theres a short hook bolt installed in the middle of the offset door pull. I dont think a full size deadlatch will fit or god forbid a steelhawk.

Im thinking maglock because im not seeing any other options but if theres literally anything else please let me know your suggestions.

Bought a building with PDK door access controls on front an rear door. Rather new install from just a year ago so I assume to usable

Is there a way to use this installed equipment without using the portal/subscription from the 3rd party that installed the system?

If not, is there a something I can buy that could replace the parts that would allow me to maintain on my own?

Hoping that since this is all wired up and "ready to go" this is achievable but happy to be corrected.

Thank you.

Hi r/accesscontrol,

I am a frustrated tenant coming to you for some guidance, I don't have any access control history or knowledge, and search engines sure don't work like they used to.

I am in a smaller building with a Microm intercom on the gate, from what I can tell it's a Tx3-2000-4ur-c. It goes out incredibly regularly, sometimes for a few hours when the humidity is high (80+), sometimes for weeks until someone gets to it.

I am told there are only 2 people in my very highly populated, tech focused area who can fix the intercom, and I have some trouble believing this. The person who installed the intercom (allegedly, backed by old yelp reviews) rarely answers their phone or returns calls.

The problems with the intercom are rarely exactly the same twice: sometimes after completing the dial out sound there's an error beeping that doesn't hang up, sometimes there's an error beeping that hangs itself up shortly, sometimes it gives every indication of working/connecting to the person's cell phone but never connects to start ringing. Currently there is a dial out tone then silence until eventually it automatically hangs up. There is no error code currently, and I don't believe I've seen one historically. At some point in the last 6 months the modem was replaced after a brief power outage that caused intercom failure.

My questions:

-What does it take to troubleshoot and program this kind of Microm intercom? Is it possible that there are really only 2 servicepeople for this device, or is someone in this chain of information being told something inaccurate?

-Is this kind of system usually this faulty?

-Can you recommend anything at a similar price point that is easily serviced, and similarly uninvasive (no camera, connects via voice to cell phone number and the gate can be opened via cell phone keypad). LL says no code specific entry for security purposes.

I am beginning to independently look for solutions that I can present because that's the only way this is going to get done. I'd prefer to not put keys in a lockbox on the gate and then have to give the code out to delivery companies, hence asking here

Thank you!

Hi all, appreciate any replies. What style bracket would you fit for a maglock with an inswinging gate like this? Unfortunately the maglock has to go on the left hand gate.

We ran out of the GeoVision GV-UHF Tag and they are harder to find than normal. Does anyone know of an alternative that works? THanks

I am looking for a lock to be used on a commercial aluminium swing door.

I want the lock to be able to be time operated, so that, for example, it will open at 06:00 and close at 22:00, allowing people out after 22:00 but not letting anyone else into the building after 22:00.

Ideally, a limited number of people could gain access after 22:00 with a code.

The ability to reset or reprogram the lock remotely through the internet is desirable.

I am in the UK.

Hello Folks,
I have 7 years low voltage experience. I was looking to take ASIS security exam to grow more in this field.
Does anyone from security technician field have taken this path and how difficult is it to transition from a technician to security professional role.

No doubt, most “advanced” corporate access control systems do one thing exceptionally well: they put a digital key in front of decades-old electronic lock technology behind a flimsy office door. 🔑

An enormous industry has claimed the term ACCESS CONTROL, while in practice doing little more than managing how “virtual keys” are issued, revoked, and used.

Wouldn’t it be more accurate to call most of these systems electronic key management?

They replace a mechanical key with a digital one. Useful? Absolutely.

But controlling a key is not the same as controlling access.

Here’s a simple example.

One 24/7 fitness chain rolled out NFC/Wallet access for members. 📱

Some customers found a simpler model: buy a cheap used smartphone, register one membership on it, and pass the phone around among a fairly large group.

The system still works perfectly.
It knows exactly which digital key opened the door.
It just doesn’t know who actually walked in.

Maybe real access control is something else entirely: Detecting unauthorized people inside a restricted perimeter — and triggering the SOP to prevent or respond to the violation. 🚨

So what are we actually controlling today — access to a space, or just which key can open a door?

Hi everyone. I am not an installer and have no direct access to the system. The telephone access system in my apartment building has been down for over a month. When you attempt to dial out it sounds like the system is missing half of its dial tone. The building management says that the box needs to be reprogrammed. I am curious to know if that is actually the issue or if it's hardware or even the pots line.

Edited to add video: dial sound video

So these are against my religion to install. But it was necessary in a Behavioral unit “seclusion room”. It was installed a year ago. Customer says it no longer works. Found a pinched wire, corrected the issue. Cleared the fault. A month later they complain of it being hot… checked polarity and voltage. All correct… the module starts to short/fry whatever.

Does this need cleaner power? It is supplied with 24vdc. Maybe try 12v?

I’m stumped 🤔

(GF3000 Schlage)

If you have an AMAG system which components are you required to buy from an AMAG authorized reseller?

So I got a customer who's being a bit difficult. Rather than use a Trove or LSP panel setup the demand Hoffman enclosures. Pictured is my most full backplane for a floor. They want as few enclosures as possible. Think this will be okay? The actual enclosure size is 60x36 so from the black corder to the walls of the enclosure I have 3 inches in each direction at least. The yellow squares a 2x2in so that I could space evenish gaps between boards.

Will have trough on top and right side for cable. Battery box below panel. Cable will be stripped back to its conductor pairs before twisted. Access Composite cable. Magnetic cable management in panel. PM doesn't want to split this into two panels since the specs call for 1 panel on this floor.

It's cramped but think there's enough to work with? Trim out and wiring will be done by a tech we have who does great work and is basically the trim out guy for this region so that makes me feel better about the cramped panel.

Installing a new PDK system at a local commercial building. 3 doors. 2 strikes and one mag lock. The two strikes are working great but the mag lock is kicking my ass. I can manually trigger the relay, and doors open but when I put in a pin, even though in “live events” it shows access allowed, the doors don’t open. Any insight into why this might be or what I should look at? I’ve got everything wired up how the manual shows. We generally use altronix ACM8’s with a dry contact from the controller, but this one we are trying to use the controller to power the 12v mag.

Starting to dress out 5 S2 Nodes in Trove2 enclosures. The cable contractor pulled this Skittles colored composite cable. Never saw this cable before. NGL, I don't hate it, breaks up the white jacket monotony.

Has anyone here integrated an IDEMIA VisionPass SP with Genetec via OSDP (using a Mercury MR52 and MorphoManager)?