How Does a Better Power and Access Integration Help Users?
The demand for more efficient and cost-effective ways to deploy access control is being driven by many factors in today’s market as organizations look to ensure the security and health safety of personnel, mitigate risks and liabilities, and improve various workforce management applications. Yet at the same time, security professionals are being asked to do more with less.
Fortunately, new power and access integration and deployment solutions are proving effective in lowering overall costs while increasing system capacity and reducing the physical space required for installation.
Benefits of a Better Power and Access Integration
New power and access integration solutions like Trove from Altronix easily combine controllers from the industry’s leading access manufacturers with power and accessories.
1. Alleviating Problems with Board Layout and Wire Management
This alleviates much of the longstanding problems associated with board layout and wire management. The simple yet pragmatic design of these new pre-configured or customizable power and access integration solutions makes an otherwise arduous task faster, easier and extremely cost-efficient – all of which are tangible benefits for both end-users and installers.
2. Simplification of Design and Installation
One major benefit is the simplification of design and installation. Configuring these integration solutions into a single enclosure is relatively fast and easy. Online configurator tools make the design process even easier, if not all but foolproof. Plus, the ability to test systems prior to deployment greatly reduces installation time and overall costs.
3. Space Savings
An additional benefit provided by new power and access integration solutions is space savings. In the past, multiple enclosures were typically installed to house access control equipment, power supplies and accessories. This scenario requires a significant amount of valuable wall space, versus an all-in-one access and power solution that provides ample room for all the required access and power products and backup batteries.
4. Enhanced Toubleshooting
Enhanced system troubleshooting is another significant benefit. Power solutions that report diagnostics can help determine the cause of a system failure. This information can reduce system downtime, eliminate service calls, and provide faster response times to help keep security systems up and running. Advanced power and transmission solutions with network communications can also provide early detection of potentially failing devices, permitting service providers to take proactive measures to avoid system interruption.
The combination of faster design, installation and system troubleshooting and servicing translates into greater ROI for integrators, as installation labor costs and off-site service visits can be significantly reduced.
The Power of 802.3bt PoE
The migration to more IT-centric physical security and access control applications requires that these systems work off the facility’s existing IP infrastructure. With Power over Ethernet (PoE) powering most network appliances, many access control panels now have the option to be PoE powered as well. They are using either a midspan PoE power injector or a PoE switch to provide reliable power. The infrastructure’s uninterruptable power supply (UPS) is supplying backup power to the controllers.
Power to ancillary devices, such as card readers, fail-secure electric strikes, electrified lever sets and motion request to exit (REX) devices, can also be supplied by access control panels via PoE. Since these controllers are being powered by PoE, the amount of amperage is limited. Average PoE controllers provide two voltage limits for lock output power and the total power output. But in many instances, the total power output for all ancillary components, including the lock power, can exceed the controllers total available power output. In that case, all components connected along the network’s PoE controller must be prescreened to determine the amperage draw so the total amperage for all components is less that the total output limits of the controller.
High-voltage installs can be costly and cumbersome for systems integrators. High-voltage wiring must be separate from low voltage inside an enclosure, which takes up space. The install can be further complicated because high-voltage wiring cannot be in the same pathways/wire runs with low-voltage wiring and require a certified electrician since standard power supplies are usually powered by hardwired, high-voltage ports that take an 115 V AC/220 V AC power input that reduces the output to a 12 V DC or 24 V DC.
More Capacity in Less Space
New availability of newly designed access power controllers and power distribution sub-assemblies further increases access control system capacity when using access and power integration solutions like Trove, and any other wall or rack mount solutions – reducing overall equipment and installation costs. They do so by providing up to twice the outputs and features in a space-saving stackable mounting footprint. More outputs in less space also means more room for controllers inside an enclosure. This allows installers to easily configure and scale new and existing systems.
These new access control devices benefit both integrators and end-users by reducing overall installation costs and expanding access system capacities in smaller footprints... all of which results in better overall security while doing more for less.
