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Access-control:old and new available meansHome > Home Security > Access Control
Access-control: may this have anything to do with you? But access control is a term that must first be qualified. The meaning that is considered here applies to residential security systems and refers to physical security access of a building or apartment, implemented by restricting the door access only to individuals who have the right to be admitted. Various means can be used for this purpose as detailed in the following. In the world of computers (or of cyber space) however, not to be considered here, Access-control is used to specify the provisions, consisting mainly in software and encryption protocols, to adopt for security. Delicate data must be kept safe in storage and in transfer, and unauthorized viewing or manipulation of files must be prevented. Think only of your bank account and of secure purchases over the Internet. The security access systems considered here are only part of a larger plan that in principle, for residential or business security, should include also Video Surveillance systems including Surveillance Cameras and CCTV devices. For door control or Access-control of physical space as the building where you live or work, one can employ a person, like a doorkeeper or a receptionist, one can use mechanical implements like locks and keys, or more advanced electronic technological means. The purpose of Access-control is to make sure that only people having the right or the clearance required for getting in can in fact cross the threshold. The first stage of the process, called Authentication, is meant to make sure that the person is indeed the one s/he pretends to be. The second, called Authorization, is a check that the name of the person so identified appears in the list of authorized individuals. This process takes place for example at the Police Control of any national Border and at the gate of organizations that put a guard in charge of limiting the access for security, for safety or for other reasons. But essentially the same procedure of Access-control, however simplified, takes place when you open the door of your home with one or more keys. You don’t leave it unlocked, even when you are at home, do you? To take care of breach of security, if a restricted area door-sill is crossed, overcoming the obstacle of mechanical or electronic door locks, one can use any suitable burgler- or Video Alarm system whose signal triggers Alarm Monitoring and immediate intervention of security authorities. Although for a normal dwelling the most diffused Access-control devices are indeed locks and keys, it is important, we feel, to review a list of problems and dangers that are common with this solution. Indeed keys may be difficult to find out in a bunch, a keyhole maybe hard to find in the dark, keys can be lost, can be stolen and copied. A locked door may sometimes be a problem in case of an emergency like fire or flood, when someone or something should be saved in hot haste. In most cases, if access is not provided instantly, firefighters will have to burst in the door. You may remember the time when a key was left for a relative or friend under the doormat? Well, this is not a highly recommendable security provision, to say the least. You may put your trust in a good lock. See
A lock pick guide, on how to make and use a lock pick.
The simplest electronic door lock device for Access-control consists in a code to be typed in a numeric keypad. The right code opens the door immediately.
Unfortunately not always a locked door is a guarantee against burglary and theft. When determined to open a door, burglars may not look for the right key. They can use other means to force and destroy the door without bothering with the lock. Why a sturdy door with a solid lock should then be in place for Access-control? Mainly for deterrence. The only efficient and powerful deterrent is the presumed length of time needed to break open the place. The sturdiness of the locked door should convey the notion that it will take burglars too long a time to crush it down. Longer than what they may be willing to spend in the task. In rare cases, criminals may threat with physical injury key holders to force them to open against their will. In a large organization keys must be closely controlled and accounted for. Usually a master set of keys has to be kept in a safe. You may have noticed during your last vacation that hotel room keys were almost everywhere disposed of. This was possible by adopting electronic Access-control solutions to the lodging industry. Nowadays guests are given at the reception magnetic cards to open their rooms. New combinations are issued at the computer for every new guest, so that old cards are simply obsolete once the change has been performed. No more problems with guests who forget to return the room key. It may also be interesting to see briefly some modern ways of solving the security Access-control problems of large buildings visited daily by crowds of different kinds of people. They may have individual tasks requiring various degrees of clearance to get in different parts of the structure. Moreover these solutions save on workforce (guards). You may have met automatic gates for vehicles to be opened by placing a phone call to a secret number. Magnetic or optical cards may be used with or without keypad to increase safety. Voice recognition systems that cannot be cheated by voice recordings are quite simple devices operated hands free, a feature that may be necessary sometimes. One of the modern methods of Authentication enjoying increasing diffusion is based on biometrics, a term that was broadened to include the study of methods for uniquely recognizing humans based upon intrinsic and unique (different for every person and impossible to tamper with) physical traits of individuals. Among them face photo, fingerprints and eye scans are the most common. Biometric identification units are spreading because characteristic individual traits cannot be duplicated. Biometrics are based on fingerprints and eye or iris scans (based on records of individual random variations in the visible features of the iris, the colored ring around the pupil). This last system is in use at some airports for speeding up access to frequent flyers. Biometric or Fingerprint Door Locks are based on a fingerprint scanner used as a reader for acquiring the fingerprint signature. After geometric reduction of essential features, the next step involves fingerprint recognition, based on the comparison of the reduced image with the database of authorized fingerprints. Fingerprint Keypad Door Locks are now available even for a single home.
The field of new electronic Access-control is now so crowded that experts should be relied on to evaluate the right solution for complex security applications. Although black outs are rare in recent times, it seems that solid back up systems should be always in place. In order to anticipate emergencies when large numbers of people must evacuate a place for safety in a hurry, emergency exits with one way locks have to be prepared, to be easily opened from the inside. Need Access Control? Check the following offer. Get low cost Security Systems quotes! For any Questions, Comments or Feedback, please write us by e-mail. Use the Form reached by clicking on the Contact Us button in the NavBar, at top left of every page of this Website.
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