How we help
Bring lobby doors, staff entrances and shared spaces into a clear access plan. Give the right people access and make changes when residents or staff move on.
Who it's for
- Managing agents and owners of multifamily buildings
- Co-op and condo boards
- Office landlords and tenants controlling lobby and suite doors
Suitable properties
- Prewar walk-up (3-20 units)
- A wired controller at the street door plus wireless locks on interior doors to avoid opening plaster.
- Condo / co-op lobby
- Cloud access on the lobby, package room and amenities, integrated with the intercom directory.
- Office suite
- Phone credentials and encrypted cards on the suite entrance, with schedules for cleaners and visitors.
- Mixed-use building
- Separate schedules and user groups for retail, residential and service entrances on one platform.
Main options
- Cloud platform (Brivo, Avigilon Alta, Kisi)
- Residents or staff managed from a browser, with entry logs, remote credential changes, fobs, cards and phone credentials and intercom integrations.
- Wireless locks (Salto)
- Battery-powered electronic locks and data-on-card for doors where pulling cable is hard, such as prewar buildings; credential changes reach these locks when the card next touches an online reader, not instantly.
- Elevator floor control
- Readers in the cab limit which floors each credential can reach; coordinated with the elevator contractor.
- Gate and garage integration
- Parking gates and garage doors on the same resident list as the lobby.
Building access hardware
Survey, installation and support
- 01A site survey covers every controlled door, the elevator, the network closet and the fire alarm interface.
- 02The design specifies door hardware, readers and credential type, with code-compliant free egress.
- 03You receive a written, itemized proposal with hardware, labor, software subscription and credential costs.
- 04Controllers, readers and locking hardware are installed and integrated with the intercom.
- 05Handover covers loading residents or staff, setting schedules and training the super or office manager.
- 06Ongoing support covers door hardware, reader faults and software administration.
Typical timeline: 2-4 days on site for 2-4 doors; larger buildings phased over 1-3 weeks
Compatibility and limits
- Exit doors must allow free egress; maglocks need request-to-exit, a manual release and fire alarm release.
- Changes to fire-rated doors or the fire alarm interface may require filings or a licensed fire alarm contractor.
- For shared residential entry systems, agree access methods and data handling with building management before selecting equipment. Confirm applicable local requirements for the specific property.
- Legacy 125 kHz proximity credentials can be cloned and should not be used for new systems.
Are fobs or phone credentials better for an office?
Read the answer
Phone credentials remove the cost of printing and replacing cards, and most employees already carry a phone. Encrypted fobs and cards remain useful for contractors, visitors and anyone who prefers not to use a personal phone.
Most offices run both. Whatever you choose, avoid legacy 125 kHz proximity cards; they can be cloned with inexpensive readers. HID Seos, iCLASS SE and MIFARE DESFire are common secure formats.
Common questions
Can access control work with our existing intercom?
Often yes. ButterflyMX, Swiftlane and others integrate with Brivo, Avigilon Alta or Kisi. Compatibility is checked during the survey.
What happens if the internet goes down?
Most cloud controllers store credentials locally and keep working offline. Changes sync when the connection returns.
Can we control which floors residents reach in the elevator?
Yes. Elevator floor control requires coordination with your elevator contractor and is usually priced as a separate line.
Do tenants have to use the fob system?
For shared residential entry systems, agree access methods and data handling with building management before selecting equipment. Confirm applicable local requirements for the specific property.
How much is the software subscription?
It varies by platform and door count. Ask for the vendor's subscription terms in writing so the board or owner can compare total cost.
Can access control be added to a prewar building without major wiring?
Yes. Wireless locks such as Salto, plus a wired controller at the main entrance, keep cable work to a minimum.