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Harper Chalice Group Limited are leading manufacturers, suppliers and distributors of Electrified Perimeter Security Systems and complementary products specifically designed to meet growing demands for reliable protection of people, property and assets.

Tatra Plastics manufacture plastic tube and profile extrusions, injection moulding, Telecom products, and Railway pads and aids, all in a wide range of engineering thermoplastic materials. We also produce the Click and Fix range of plastic panelling products.

Access Control – Suppliers & Installers Bedfordshire.

A Buyers Guide.

When we think of access control, it is easy to think of technology and sophisticated access control systems such as swipe cards with Magnetic Stripe Technology and PIN, Bar Code Technology or Biometrics.

In reality we can bring it down to simple basics such as the management of admission to to premises, facilities or indeed system and network resources.

Access Control generally starts a guard and a visitor. The guard may be human or a technological component, part of a sophisticated security system.

The job of the guard is to authenticate the identity of the user or visitor. This can be done by physically checking identification or using technology to confirm PIN, fingerprints, Iris etc and then
granting the authenticated user access to the premises or resources.

So effectively 'access control' is the gate keeper whose role it is to challenge anyone to attempts to make entry.

Your security is only as good as the 'gate keeper'. The cost of the access control may well dictate the strength of security, but only to a point. The cost of one front of house security guard for a year may be more expensive than an ID Card reader, but an ID card reader can't receive and direct clients! But the guard can only be in one place at once and needs breaks.

It is likely that the good old fashioned human touch is essential, whether it be a uniformed security guard or secretarial style receptionist. There are other traditional forms of access control such as turnstiles, borders, barriers, ropes and chains, each has a task in reception areas of buildings.

Perimeters require access control too and comprise gate, barriers, fences, bollards and traffic arrest systems.

Access control isn't just about who is allowed to enter, but also who is allowed to leave. You might think of prisoners or other types of detainee but consider nurseries, play schools, childrens' activity areas, crèches, etc.

In normal circumstances only entry is controlled. Where exit control is required a second reader may be used on the opposite side of the door. It may be that it is accepted the the person wishing to leave has passed the security credential to enter and may freely leave, but no exit control will compromise entry security. There is a device called a 'request-to-exit' (REX) it can be in the form of a simple button or motion detector. Some will sound an alarm until the door is shut, not only does it alert security personnel of a breach it serves as a reminder to shut the door!

Smartcards can not only record the holders movements but also allow vending facilities, computer access or other other office equipment such as photocopiers , even library books. The difference between a plastic swipe card and traditional key is vast, not just the cost of key replacement but the sophisticated method in which a smartcard can be remotely cancelled or adapted.

The smart access control system system can also monitor the door and sound an alarm if the door is forced open or held open too long after being unlocked.

What happens if John, who is allowed certain privileges with his smartcard loans it to James, who has no privileges?
We need a second credential factor this could be a PIN, but if John is going to give James his card, he may as well give him his PIN. A biometric input may suffice.

It doesn't have to be a plastic card, it could be a keyfob that requires the registers holders index finger or thumb to be in place and connected, then scanned over a reader. This way the keyfob that is recorded to John, can only be used john.

It isn't just about fingerprints, but even facial recognition, iris recognition, retinal scan, voice, and hand geometry.

We can't shop without bar code technology and those black and white stripes play an important part of access control too. The barcode is read by an optical scanner. It is the format and width of the lines that determines which bar code protocol selected. Whilst thare are many different protocols, code 39 is the most popular one used within the security industry.

Bar code technology is that it is cost effective and simple to use, so the downside is that because it is cheap and simple to use, it is susceptible to fraud as we as faulty readings due to wear and tear of the bar codes.

A more expensive option is to have the bar code printed using carbon-based ink and then have it covered with a dark red overlay. The bar code can only be read with an optical reader tuned to the infrared spectrum, and it cannot easily be copied, but it doesn't address the issue that other bar code numbers can be generated from a computer using just about any printer.

We mentioned smartcards earlier, using magnetic stripe technology, (mag-stripe), where a stripe of magnetic oxide tape that is laminated to the card.

How does Mag-Stripe compare with bar code? The magnetic stripe holds more data than a bar code can in the area . A mag-stripe card is cheap compared with other card technologies and is relatively easy to program. But the mag-stripe is more difficult to generate than a bar code and like bar codes, magnetic stripe technology is also susceptible to misreads, card wear, and data corruption.
Wiegand cards use patented embedded ferromagnetic wires strategically positioned to create a unique pattern.