Today’s UK domestic door entry and access control systems market is more competitive than it has ever been. There are manufacturers and suppliers from all corners of the globe selling a range of products that compete on many levels including price, technology, quality and aesthetic appeal. With such a vast range of products available, between them, these companies are responding to the challenge of providing what the market wants – solutions for every situation, budget and application.

However, the demands from the market change very quickly and the challenge for the manufacturers and suppliers is to respond to these as quickly as possible. Some market requirements are determined by directives and legislation – one of the most obvious of these in recent years has been the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) which prompted manufacturers to create new door entry solutions that were designed to help those less able including hard of hearing and visually impaired. 

The result has been the development of a range of products to cater for all situations from single to multi-occupancy dwellings, including vandal resistant versions with flush fitting. Major visual changes have taken place at the door panel (visitor interface) where greater feedback is provided to inform the visitor of the call’s progress.  Depending on the application and requirements of an installation, a door panel can have either call progress LED’s or an LCD visitor information display which will inform a visitor of the call’s progress from call initiation through to door lock operation.  This can be further enhanced by the addition of a speech annunciation feature which will audibly announce the progress of the call. 

Specific design features of DDA compliant door entry panels can include illuminated braille call buttons, brightly coloured LEDs for speak, calling and door open functions; induction loops for those with impaired hearing and brightness adjustment on video monitors. Some door entry systems have been designed to interface with existing telephones allowing the occupier to make and receive calls from the same telephone, including hands free, cordless models and mobile phones. There are also special needs door entry kits for people who may have difficulty in actually getting to, or picking up, a telephone (infra-red controlled apartment stations).

Another recent trend in the domestic market has been in the dramatic increase in the need for vandal resistant door entry solutions – not in response to legislation but more in response to a social trend that effects social housing particularly. Vandal resistant door entry solutions now include audio and video modules for both two and six wire systems. These types of panels are by their very nature robust and secured firmly to a support frame module using studs and fixing rails. Amplifier modules are also available for both individual use or as a part of a larger system. Ancilliary products such as video, codelocks, proximity readers and information modules can also be specified. 

From a technology point of view, the demands on the manufacturer continue to grow as a result of the trickle-down of technology from other industries into the security market. Specifiers are setting technology challenges for door entry systems that they know can be achieved in other areas of building services and management.  The quality of video image on a door entry system is one such area and the technology of the games industry, including the use of LCD screens, has paved the way for high quality and high definition images at a competitive cost.

Software developments will also continue to play a critical role in domestic door entry solutions.  Suppliers today have fully qualified up to the minute knowledgeable software engineers to provide solutions for customers. 

Whatever the market wants, today it has to be delivered more quickly than ever before with no compromise on quality.  Domestic security is an issue that demands an instant remedy and installers want to deliver products that provide protection to homeowners as fast as possible. The products supplied also have to be easier to install and manufacturers are putting a lot of time and effort into this aspect of R&D. As a direct result of technology improvements, many of the systems now available require less cabling than previous and are far less challenging to install. Today’s two wire systems, for example, are far easier to work with. Products are being developed with the installer in mind and employ features that aid installation. This also has benefits for the end user, offering additional features that are easy to use. 

When it comes to quality, whilst it is taken for granted that all reputable manufacturers have the necessary quality approvals and procedures, the customer has the final say.  Any dropping below the line of what is acceptable will quickly result in returned products and costly remedial work or product replacement.  A big order may look very profitable, but that can quickly be eroded if the product is not fit for purpose.

Manufacturers of access control and door entry systems must look to the support they offer. In the past, too often this has not been taken seriously enough, leading to contract completions delayed, system break-downs and damaged reputations - more often than not, quite unnecessarily. Those suppliers who offer something more than just delivering a system in a box are in a strong position. They can offer the all important technical support to installers over the telephone, with a help desk, on-site or over the internet. The rapid and personal attention that good technical support can offer should not be underestimated - a good technician can immediately relax a caller, and gain their confidence and co-operation. Customised training programmes both for the installer and the distributor can also be supplied.

Architectural and building design trends are also evolving at arguably a faster rate than ever before.  Colours, styles and aesthetics now in demand are once again the result of other design trends influencing the door entry market.  As yet, designs are not changing as quickly as mobile phones and there is still a relatively long product life-cycle, but manufacturers must be alert to the aspirations of the market and deliver products to suit which also includes the use of the latest materials in product design.

Biometric access control refers to the technologies that measure and analyse human physical and behavioural characteristics for authentication purposes. The demand for biometric technology - once linked almost exclusively to criminal detection – is now an everyday request for both single door entry or as a networked system in the residential sector as well as within local authority and commercial markets. Basic ranges begin with finger print readers designed specifically for the residential access control market.

Close on its heels is new face recognition technology for door entry in non-high security buildings.

Non-biometric access control also remains extremely popular, using more traditional technology.  Coded access is an easy way of securing an entrance to a house with units available offering facilities for users to either share a code or have a personal access code.  Proximity access gives users the option to have a fob, a card or a watch to present to a proximity reader to gain access to a building. – either covering a single or multiple entrances with the ability to interface with a PC. Non-contact (fob access) has been an accepted form of access control for many years and is still used extensively with cost-effective stand-alone (one door) and networkable non-contact proximity systems now available.

As we move towards the end of the first decade of the 21st century, intelligent buildings and building automation are phrases used more and more in everyday life.  No longer just a play-thing for the rich and famous, intelligent building controls can make the lives of everyone that much more comfortable, including those of user groups such as the disabled.  Lighting, heating, electrical appliances and even the effects of the sun on a building can now all be controlled from within a building or from the other side of the world via the internet or GSM.  And of course, so can security devices.  It is up to the manufacturers and suppliers to ensure that this growing trend in the domestic market is not ignored.

The latest development is GSM door entry systems that employ mobile phone technology to communicate and operate doors and automatic residential gates. Based on standard door entry panel designs, they feature a GSM module that only requires an external power supply and antenna while having the flexibility to combine with the full range of facilities and features of standard door entry panels which can include, for example, multiple door access including biometric, coded and proximity access . 

Pay As You Go systems that offer total user flexibility and control of usage and costs are now available. Dependent upon the SIM card used, users can call up many access codes. This allows a user to call a door entry panel and activate the lock relay at no charge to the caller. Door panels can be programmed with more than one telephone number, allowing the system to divert a call if the first number is busy or not answered. There are many programming options for these types of systems to suit individual users’ life styles.

The advent of GSM wireless technology is one of the most exciting developments to date, as it opens the door to many potential applications of door entry, access control and building security as a whole. For example, remote site monitoring is now a possibility with the facility to communicate with a central point and then gain access to a building through the push of a button. In the housing sector, this opens the way for management of “void” or empty properties remotely. Using an auxiliary input, an alarm can also be connected and SMS messages can then be sent in the event of an alrm being triggered. 

The opportunities presented by GSM are here today and leading door entry and access control systems manufacturers are already marketing products that are changing the face of the market. The advent of digital technology means that the applications will be expanded further beyond the ten button systems currently available and be available for much larger multi-occupancy buildings. 

The next generation of systems will incorporate IP (Internet Protocol), playing a much larger role. In its infancy within the door entry market at present, the major manufacturers are already looking closely at the vast potential that it offers.

By Videx Security’s Sales Director Peter Hill. 

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