· Specification starter / Access control and intrusion
Access control and intrusion
scope outline.
Card / biometric reader fabric, door controller topology, anti-tailgating logic, integration with CCTV and fire (mag-lock release on alarm).
In scope
Reader / lock specification per door • Anti-tailgating and anti-passback logic • Visitor management workflow • Cardholder database design and roles • Audit-log retention and export
Out of scope
Physical door hardware (specifier / architect) • Mechanical mag-lock plates and strikes beyond the system's compatibility envelope
· Documents required
Materials the consultant needs before specification starts.
Door schedule with security zones marked
Cardholder schema and role definitions
Visitor policy and dwell-time expectations
Fire-NOC required mag-lock release logic
· Site survey
Pre-design walk-through verifications.
Door-by-door audit of frame type, swing direction, existing locks
Cable path from controller to door — riser / horizontal
Power-fail-safe vs power-fail-secure logic per door (life-safety implications)
Reader mounting heights for accessibility compliance
· Deployment checklist
Engineering items every install of this discipline carries.
Power-fail-safe on every fire-egress door
Anti-passback enforced on the building perimeter, not internal doors
Door-position monitoring on critical doors with alarm on prop-open
Visitor card auto-expiry policy
Encrypted card technology — DESFire EV2 or above
· Coordination with other trades
Works owed to / from other disciplines.
Fire: every mag-lock releases on the fire-alarm general signal
CCTV: every reader event bookmarks the nearest camera
Network: VLAN segregation; controller-server on dedicated rail
Power: each door controller on UPS-backed circuit
· Commissioning
Measurable artefacts produced at handover.
Every door swipe-tested by every cardholder class
Fire-release verification on the fire-alarm general signal
Visitor workflow rehearsed end-to-end
Audit log export tested
· Handover
What the building team takes ownership of.
Door / reader register
Cardholder schema documentation
Audit-log retention policy
Visitor procedure SOP
· Risk register starter
Risks worth tracking from day zero.
Card-database orphans accumulating over time
Door-prop-open events being ignored after initial alarm fatigue
Fire-release wiring degradation discovered only on event
· Exclusions and assumptions
What is not in scope; what we assume to be true.
Assumes power-fail-safe is the design preference on egress doors
Excludes physical hardware beyond reader / electrified strike
· Where to go next