With the fast-changing scenarios in the security dimension, security systems are upgrading on a daily basis. With the entry of security systems into an age of access control systems, organizations have found a solution to tackle trustworthiness issues in guards. With these systems, you can easily secure the premises and your assets.

Earlier, it was seen only in enterprise-grade businesses. But with the increase in cutting-edge access control systems at economical rates, it has become a preference in all sizes of organizations. With access control systems, you can set access to only those with the right credentials, at the right time, in the right place.

An access control system has various building blocks to create a complete access architecture. One of the most important blocks is the access control reader. This extension of the access architecture reads a user’s credentials and checks whether they have suitable permission to enter the premises.

Thus, it is essential for access control readers to be secure. This security includes protection against vandalism, durability.. Besides easy system and workspace integration, it must also be easily upgradeable to the latest firmware and any future updates.

With many types of credentials in the market, it is important to know which sort of access control reader is suitable for satisfying your needs. This blog addresses all about readers in general.

A Brief Introduction to Access Control Reader:

An Access Control Reader is the basic unit in an access architecture. It reads the user-credential data. It cross-checks this data within the user database to know whether the user is supposed to be in that place, in that particular time frame.

If all things are in line, the user is allowed to access that particular entry point. Otherwise, the entry point stays secured. It is to be noted that the access reader might be a wall-mounted device or a device integrated with special entrance turnstiles.

This brings us to another question –

What is a User Credential?

A User Credential is important in access architecture as it acts as an entry card to access secured areas. It basically contains the information of the user for the system to register and cross-check against provided access rights. Thereby, it allows or denies access to a particular user.

The IDs are coupled with photo identification, for better identification of the person accessing the secured zone. The user credential can come in various forms. They are mentioned below:

Different Types of Credentials

      1. Access Card

These cards contain confidential user data which the reader scans to check whether to grant permission or not on the basis of rights assigned to the user. There are majorly two card types available – magnetic strip cards and RFID cards.

The magnetic strip cards are quite similar to ATM cards in terms of usage. They are swiped in a reader with a magnetic stripe reader. In contrast, RFID Cards make use of a Radio-Frequency Identifications (RFID) Signal. This allows these cards to communicate from a distance with a Reader.

       2. PIN

The form of this credential is in its name itself! PIN (Personal Identification Number) is a unique number corresponding to each user. Through Access control systems,  administrators can specify a unique PIN to individuals requiring access. You enter this unique number either into a keypad or a display requesting your pin to gain access to the premises.

        3. Mobile

Basically in this form of credential, your phone acts as your credential. With just a tap or shake, you can get access to the premises. With how deeply mobiles have imprinted our lives with their presence, it stays with us 24X7.

The communication technology can be NFC, Bluetooth, or/and WiFi. With Bluetooth-based contactless smart readers, every phone becomes a unique identifier without any extra cost on cards or any need to remember a code!

Understand How Bluetooth-based Access Control Works and How is it Beneficial?

        4. Biometric

Biometric Credentials are one of the most foolproof technologies available in the security sector as of now. Biometrics include the face, fingerprint, palm vein, retina, or voice.

While readers with biometric provisions might be expensive, it provides a higher grade of security as compared to the above three. Card and Mobile can get lost or be stolen and PIN can be forgotten. Whereas biometric readers are your safest choice for getting the highest grade of security.

Check out Matrix COSEC ATOM RD300, the flagship reader from COSEC ATOM Series incorporating all important features in one reader.

Selecting Access Control Readers suitable for your organization

There should be information available to understand the requirements of your organization. This information should include your organization’s security investments, the level of security needed, future up scaling, and existing security infrastructure.

All this information will help you in understanding the exit reader type best suited to your organization’s requirements. Some of the criteria are mentioned in detail below:

• Better Security Infrastructure by Balancing Security Needs and Cost

Access cards available at cheaper rates come with the risk of easily being exploited by intruders. If the need is to secure a low-risk area, usage of such low-level security means is enough.

In the case of High-risk areas, such means will only lead to a breach causing heavy damages. In such areas, it would be preferable to use better security measures such as Smart RFID Cards, Biometrics, and if possible, the usage of dual authentication. 

• Near Future Growth

One of the main factors behind a security investment is the direction that the business chooses to take in the near future. Thus, selecting an access control system that easily accommodates scaling of business as needed would be a preferred choice. In that case, PIN, Biometrics, or Mobile Authentication would be the direction to choose.

• Extending the Existing Security Infrastructure

With organizations already using legacy card-based readers in their security infrastructure, it is wasteful to simply switch the entire existing hardware. In such cases, it is essential to incorporate a technology that accepts legacy hardware as well as provides access to modern technology.

Thus, the selected technological migrations should help reinforce the existing infrastructure and beyond. Also, keep in mind that the modified infrastructure should be able to accept newer technologies.

Wrapping Up

With the specific needs of industries and organizations, the criteria to select suitable access control readers will have to be rearranged. When in doubt, check in with the experts. Matrix Comsec is a leading expert in the domain of Access Control and Time-Attendance. Designing customized solutions for its clients for the past 30+ years, Matrix brings the best to your organization.

Connect with our experts at inquiry@matrixcomsec.com to get the best security solutions for your organization!