Smart card reader might sound unfamiliar, but all of us have used it at some point of time, be it paying for your grocery with your credit card or using your id card for office entry. In case of access control systems, a smart card reader reads data from the user credentials and sends it to a centralized control panel for authentication. Once the credentials are authorized, it receives signal to open the lock.
There are different access methods for access control systems and one must know the pros and cons of each method to choose the right one for their business. Let us understand the advantages of a smart card based access control.
Low up-front costs
Depending on the number of locations and entries where card reader needs to be installed, these type of access are considered to be a budget friendly option for many businesses. The costs mainly include reader hardware costs, installation costs and smart cards for all the users.
Minimal training
If you have a decent employee strength and are worried about the time and cost involved in training your employees, smart card reader is a good option for you since most of the people are aware of the basic concept of a card reader and hence switching to this kind of access control will not require a lot of user-based training.
Convenient to use
Smart card readers, specially the contactless one, are very quick and easy to use. A user simply needs to tap their card to the reader to gain access to the entry. These type of access controls are a god option for main entry doors where you want to prevent bottleneck of people.
More secure than traditional keys
Unlike traditional keys which can be easily copied, smart card use enhanced encryption which makes it very difficult to clone them. They are also safer, since in case a traditional key is lost, anyone can gain access to the key and you would not have many options than to replace the locks, instead, for the smart cards, you can easily cancel access from that card from the centralized panel.
With advantages, comes few disadvantages as well. Few of the cons of this type of access system are:
- They are not completely hands-free.
- Although secure than traditional keys, can still instigate security breaches
- Scaling is costlier
- They are not very aesthetically pleasing
Access Control Systems in Austin, TX
One should always weigh in all pros and cons for each type of access control system before finalizing the one for their business. If you have decided on one and need help with the installation, AAA Control is the go to option for you for access control installations in Austin, TX. We are a group of experienced security professionals whose only motto is to keep you and your family safe and secure. Our access control systems include RFID cards, fingerprint scanner, pin code, face recognition and smartphone based access. Call us at (512) 790-2424
to speak with a security expert for all your queries and book an appointment now!