Question 1

What is the difference between 125kHz and 13.56MHz fobs?

Accepted Answer

125kHz (EM4100 / EM4102, often sold as "proximity" or "ID") broadcasts a fixed number and can be cloned with an inexpensive duplicator. 13.56MHz (MIFARE / NFC, ISO14443A) uses an encrypted exchange and is far harder to copy. A reader accepts only the frequency it was built for, so match the fob to the reader — they look identical and are not interchangeable.

Question 2

What holding force does my maglock need?

Accepted Answer

Match it to the door, and to whether it is a single leaf or a pair. Alignment matters as much as the number: the rated force is a straight pull on an armature sitting flat against the magnet, so a bracket that corrects the alignment on an inward-opening or glass door buys more real security than the next size up.

Question 3

Are magnetic locks fail-safe or fail-secure?

Accepted Answer

Fail-safe, always — remove the power and the door opens. That is correct on an escape route, and it is why a maglock is the wrong lock for a store room or comms room that must remain locked in a power cut.

Question 4

Can a maglock be fitted on a fire escape door?

Accepted Answer

Only with a compliant release arrangement: an emergency release wired to cut power to the lock directly rather than through the controller, plus a request-to-exit device, and on many doors a link to the fire alarm. Requirements vary by building and by the responsible person’s risk assessment, so agree the arrangement with the fire officer before installing.

Question 5

Do I need a controller, or will a standalone keypad do?

Accepted Answer

One or two doors with a stable set of users are fine standalone. Once you have several doors, staff turnover, or a need to prove who opened a door and when, a controller pays for itself: one user list, one place to remove a leaver, and an event log.

Question 6

Can access control trigger the CCTV recorder?

Accepted Answer

Yes — a dry contact from the controller into an NVR alarm input bookmarks the footage at the moment of the door event, which turns "we think it was Tuesday" into a clip you can find in seconds.

Door Access Control Systems

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