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Updated almost 3 years ago on . Most recent reply

Electric locks for commercial office building?
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

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.