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Two questions decide an access control panel and neither is about door count. The first is what the door does when things fail, and it has two independent answers that are often confused. On loss of power, a fail-safe lock releases and a fail-secure lock stays locked — that is a life-safety decision taken door by door, and any door on an escape route has an answer dictated by the fire strategy rather than by the security policy. On loss of the network to the head end, a good controller keeps enforcing its cached permissions and buffers events; a thin one stops making decisions, and the building either opens or shuts. Ask both questions explicitly. The second is the fire alarm interface, because release of escape doors on alarm is a hard-wired function and not a software rule. Then, and only then, count doors, readers, inputs and outputs, and add expansion room.
The more of this you send, the closer the first quotation lands.
| Door count | Doors now, and the count the system must expand to |
|---|---|
| Readers per door | Entry only, or entry and exit for anti-passback |
| Lock fail mode | Fail-safe or fail-secure, decided door by door |
| Escape route doors | The fire strategy dictates these, not the security policy |
| Fire alarm interface | Hard-wired release on alarm — state the signal available |
| Offline behaviour | Cached decisions and event buffering when the head end is unreachable |
| Inputs and outputs | Door contacts, request to exit, alarms and auxiliary relays |
| Lock power | Lock current draw, and whether it is on the panel supply |
| Battery standby | Required autonomy for the panel and the locks |
| Software platform | The management software this must run under |
| Integration | CCTV, intruder alarm, lift control, or a visitor system |
| Network security | Encryption to the head end, and the update policy |
| Enclosure | Tamper-monitored cabinet, and where it is mounted |
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