When one thinks of door buzzer entry systems, one tends to consider the rudimentary door lock with a push-button intercom. As seen in older films, the intercom might connect site visitors to a resident or constructing safety personnel who might or won’t have a video surveillance camera for industrial and residential condo complexes. However, access manipulation structures have developed when you consider that. While the primary capabilities continue to be equal, new technologies have added advanced capabilities to grow their versatility and effectiveness even as keeping or growing building protection. These improvements instill a sense of protection and management, reassuring building managers, landlords, and office managers that they have the equipment to shield their residences.
Security is a basic human necessity. In the early 20th century, as people settled into larger cities, the need for low-cost group housing and larger office space grew, with, greater security. From this need, the buzzer access control system emerged.
The door buzzer system earned its name from the “buzzing” sound activated when the door was open to alert the building occupants to arriving visitors, though chimes or bells were also sometimes used. Their simplicity provided easy installation, and small shops and local convenience centers greatly benefited from them, where the door could be seen and monitored from anywhere in the store. However, in larger buildings, they were largely ineffective.
Enter the intercom. As technology advanced, it became possible to wire a door lock to lock and unlock with the push of a button. Paired with an intercom that provided two-way communication, occupants could now verify the identity and intent of the visitors before allowing entry without shouting or having to leave their rooms. This revolutionized building security for communal housing and office spaces alike.
Advances in buzzer entry
While door buzzers have remained fairly rudimentary, advances in other technology, such as video intercoms and key systems, allow for a wide variety of pairing options that strengthen the security of residential and commercial buildings.
- Wireless set-ups
Perhaps the most important advancement in security technology is that a majority of these systems can now be set up wirelessly. This means building managers and landlords no longer have to spend a fortune tearing up their grounds or walls to carefully hide the unsightly wiring for their new security system. Switching or upgrading the system is also much easier and more cost-effective for similar reasons.
It also means it is much easier to integrate remote access control for residents and workers of a multi-tenant building, whether for residential or commercial use.
- Keypads, cards, and fobs
One negative criticism of door buzzer security systems is that there must always be at least one inside the building to grant access to the building. Many hire a doorman to keep an eye on the door and answer the intercom. However, that is not a perfect solution because the door attendant may, at any point in time, get away from his desk during or after a shift, leaving the door unattended. Vulnerably, metal keys have been distributed for use by or assignments to —building users or residents that can, in most cases, be lost or stolen, granting access to people to whom you would otherwise like to say no entry.
In response, key cards, fobs, and pads with a pin code were developed to replace traditional keys. These developments provided much-needed relief for managers because lost or stolen key cards and fobs could easily be deactivated, and pins could be changed as needed, thus maintaining a high level of security without the need for a second party to grant access.
- Video Intercom
Security videos have been used in commercial buildings for decades, but when they were first introduced to entry access systems, many did not include audio, and if they had sound at all, it would have to be provided via a separate intercom system.
Today, video intercoms have advanced dramatically over their predecessors and are becoming increasingly popular in buildings with multiple tenants due to their ability to sync up to a cloud. This enables users to gain access to the building and admit their guests from the convenience of their smartphones.
This convenience extends to building and complex managers because, unlike traditional intercom systems, there is no wiring involved or in-unit hardware to install, making it an affordable solution compared to older systems. Managers can access information stored in the cloud to manage permissions and view timestamps remotely.
Uses for entry systems
Even with all these advancements, it can be difficult to know what is best or even necessary for the security infrastructure of any given business or organization. For instance, while it is convenient for an apartment complex to allow residents to gain building access with their cell phones, the same may not be true for office managers who don’t want their employees on their phones all the time.
- Residential
A cloud-based video intercom is the most likely choice for a large multi-tenant apartment complex because it is easy to manage and affordable, and there is no worry of having to replace any keys or cards. However, this may still be too expensive for small complexes that don’t have as much traffic. In this case, a card or fob system, together with a keypad intercom system for guests and visitors, may be the best option. The reoccurring costs will be lower, and it still provides a high level of security so long as the building manager remembers to deactivate lost or stolen cards and fobs.
- Commercial
In a commercial environment, less is more, especially in terms of security, because office managers may not want their employees to grant access remotely. While this could be managed via proximity to the door or needed to be connected to company Wi-Fi, it may be more secure to distribute keycards to the majority of employees as they are relatively inexpensive and only give cloud-based remote access to higher employees like team managers or heads of departments, especially if it is a large company.
See also: 3 Reasons to Invest in a Home Security System
Buzzer entry systems are no longer as archaic as simple noise to alert people. They have grown increasingly complex but remain simple to use and manage thanks to advances in technology that focus on being user-friendly while increasing security. No one security system is fit for every business model. Building managers, landlords, and officer managers should understand the various components of these modern entry security systems to confidently determine the best fit for their building.
