Page 40 - Security Today, March 2018

Going All Out
Knowing when to go wireless and when to simply go with less wires
BWy Peter Boriskin
hen we use the term “wireless” to look at ac- cess control technologies—or, truly, any security system—the reality is that we often use it as a catch-all term for the many technologies on the market that work in some way to wirelessly com-
tions that hadn’t considered a streamlined access control solution as they assumed the building would require new wiring to bring such a solution to fruition.
A Quick Primer on Terms
Wireless. Wi-Fi solutions are typically as straightforward to install as placing a lock on the door. Additional infrastructure is not re- quired to support that lock as it already contains all the necessary components onboard to store a database, make a decision, react to credentials and conduct the process of access control.
Less wire. Dedicated network—which use wireless technologies other than common Wi-Fi infrastructure—essentially creates an ad- hoc network in a particular location. The process here is that an ac- cess control panel connects to a hub which communicates wirelessly to the lock. This eliminates that greatest cost and difficulty of wired access control, the wiring at the door, providing greater flexibility to bring access control to more openings and more applications.
Hybrid. We’re now seeing a blurring of lines in the wireless space 0318 | SECURITY TODAY
municate with one another. While there are true wireless solutions, the term “wireless” can also include many solutions and applications that might be more accurately called “less wires” or, in some cases, a hybrid of wireless technologies with traditional hardwired systems.
It’s critical to understand these differences, because when seeking out a solution for a particular building, the appropriate buildout may come down to the facility itself, network capabilities, or the level of comfort an owner or IT department has with a technology. Under- standing the many types of offerings under the “wireless” umbrella means more opportunities to solve the challenges a location is facing. It is not uncommon to run into an administrator who initially says no to wireless, only to find that some of the “less wired” solutions actually work well in their environment. Nor is it rare to find loca-
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WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY