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Updated almost 3 years ago on . Most recent reply

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Matthew Hollister
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Mason City, IA
18
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27
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Electric locks for commercial office building?

Matthew Hollister
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Mason City, IA
Posted

I just closed on a big commercial office building with a few businesses inside. Does anyone have any advice for switching from manual locks to electric locks? I will not be at the building everyday to lock it up and I was wondering if anyone on here had experience with automatic locks that are on a timer? Should I get a key card set up? Are there any systems out there I can run remotely from my phone? Any suggestions and ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Most Popular Reply

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400
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Christian Carson
  • Cleveland, OH
223
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400
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Christian Carson
  • Cleveland, OH
Replied

The key card setup is standard these days. 

We have installed systems on three different buildings, using both the DIY method and hiring a security company to install a Bosch system. For frequent usage and a lot of doors and users, it's worth it to go with the professionally installed system - it might set you back about $1,500-2,500 per door, and will integrate with your security system and fire panel. However, for a few doors and low usage, it might be worth it to go with the DIY method if you can do it in-house. You can buy access control kits on Amazon (seller name "mengqi-control") - the documentation is absolutely awful but once you figure it out, it functions as designed. I have had three of these boxes in one building for about three years without any failures, although I am the only one who knows how to program it.

  • Christian Carson
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