Access control.
Smart locks, keypad entry, fob and card readers, gate communication, and intercoms. Right-sized for one entry door at a vacation rental or fifty doors across a commercial property. Replace lost keys with a click; know who came in and when.
What we install.
Access control covers a wide range of needs — from one front door to a multi-building commercial property. Most setups combine two or three of these.
Smart locks (residential)
Replaces the existing deadbolt. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or Z-Wave. Auto-locks behind you, unlocks via app, fingerprint, or PIN. Integrates with the alarm system to arm/disarm on departure or arrival. Yale, Schlage, Lockly, and others — chosen to match the door hardware.
Keypad entry
Standalone keypad on the door or attached to an electric strike. Issue PINs to family, staff, cleaning, or contractors — each can have its own schedule. Useful for rentals where you don't want to give out physical keys.
Card and fob readers
Standard for commercial properties. Each user gets a card or fob; central system manages who can access which doors during which hours. Lost fob? Deactivated in seconds. No need to rekey doors. We install Brivo, Openpath, and HID — chosen by use case.
Mobile credentials
Modern systems use the smartphone as the credential — Bluetooth, NFC, or just app-based unlock. No fobs to manage, no cards to lose. Particularly useful for rotating staff and rental property guests (issue a credential by email, expires on the checkout date).
Gates and intercoms
Driveway gates, pedestrian gates, and parking-lot gates — all controlled by the same access control system. Add a video intercom (DoorBird, 2N, BAS-IP) at the gate or door to see and speak with visitors before granting entry. Integrates with your phone, so you can answer the gate from anywhere.
Biometrics (fingerprint, face)
Where appropriate — generally commercial back-of-house, sensitive areas, or homes that want a no-credentials approach. Modern biometric readers are reliable, fast, and tamper-resistant. We install only ULC- and BC-licence-compliant systems.
How it works in practice.
For homes
Smart locks on the front door, garage, and side entry. Family members use phone or PIN. Cleaning service gets a Tuesday-morning-only PIN. Contractors get time-limited PINs that expire when the job ends.
For vacation rentals
Each guest gets a unique PIN issued via email at booking, valid only for their stay. No physical keys, no key handover, no lockouts. Audit log shows every entry — useful if there's a guest dispute.
For small businesses
Card or mobile credential at the front and back entries. Open/close reporting tells you when staff arrived and when the building was last secured. Integrate with the alarm system for one-credential entry-and-disarm.
For larger commercial
Multi-door, multi-zone access control with role-based access (e.g. office staff get office floor, warehouse staff get warehouse, both groups see common areas). Web dashboard for managers. Audit logs for compliance.
For estates with gated entries
Gate communication system (intercom + camera) at the driveway. Residents and approved staff get fobs or app access. Visitors call the intercom, you see them on your phone, you grant access remotely.
For multi-building properties
Single credential works across all buildings. Central management of who has access to what, when. Real-time alerts on access events (e.g. door held open too long, forced entry attempt).
What access control costs.
Pricing varies dramatically with scale. Single-door retrofits are inexpensive; multi-door commercial systems are an investment.
Door condition matters — a flimsy frame or worn strike plate may need replacement before electric hardware can be installed. We assess and quote before any work begins.
Common questions.
What's access control compared with a regular smart lock?
A consumer smart lock works for a single door and one or two users. Access control is a managed system — multiple doors, dozens or hundreds of users with their own credentials, scheduled access (e.g. cleaning staff only on Tuesday mornings), audit logs of who entered when, and central management from a phone or web dashboard.
Can I see who came in and when?
Yes. Every entry is logged with the user's name, the door, and the timestamp. Useful for businesses (knowing when staff arrived), rental properties (verifying guest arrivals), and home security (knowing exactly when the cleaner arrived).
What kinds of credentials can people use?
Card readers, key fobs, keypad PINs, smartphone apps (Bluetooth or HomeKit), and biometrics (fingerprint or facial). Most of our installations use phone-based access plus a backup keypad PIN — no cards or fobs to lose.
Can I grant temporary access — like to a guest or contractor?
Yes. Issue a one-time PIN, time-limited PIN (e.g. valid Monday 9–5), or app-based access with an expiry. The credential becomes invalid automatically — no need to chase down a key.
Does access control work without internet?
Yes. Access control panels store credentials locally and continue to work during internet outages. Remote management (granting new access from your phone) requires internet, but doors keep working for already-issued credentials regardless.
Can it integrate with my alarm system?
Yes — and we recommend it. Disarm the alarm by entering through a controlled door (your credential disarms it for you). Or arm the alarm automatically when the last person leaves. The two systems work as one.
What about gates and intercoms?
Same system. Driveway gates, pedestrian gates, parking gates — controlled by the same credentials that work on doors. Add a video intercom to the gate and you get a doorbell at the perimeter, not just at the front door.
Can I install access control on existing doors?
In most cases, yes. Access control hardware retrofits to standard residential and commercial door frames. We assess door condition (the strike plate and frame need to be solid for an electric strike or maglock to work properly) before quoting.
Get a free assessment.
Tell us how many doors, what kind of users, and how you want to manage access. We'll design the right-sized system and quote it before any work begins.
Request my free assessment →