For most small commercial premises, a networked fob or card system (such as Paxton Net2) on the main entrances is the right starting point: credentials cost pennies, lost fobs are revoked in seconds, and every entry is logged. Keypads suit single low-risk doors, smartphone credentials suit dynamic teams and multi-site management, and biometrics belong where identity genuinely must be proven — server rooms, labs, pharmacies — implemented with proper GDPR care.
From simple keypads to biometric readers, the options have never been wider. The right choice depends on your risk, your people and how your building is actually used. Here is an honest comparison.
The credential types
Keypads
Cheap, simple, and fine for a single internal door where the worst case is inconvenience. Their weakness is that codes are shared, written down and never changed. The day someone leaves on bad terms, your “security” is whatever they remember.
Fobs and cards
The commercial workhorse. Each person carries their own credential, so access is individual: grant it by door and by time, revoke it the moment someone leaves, and read the audit trail when something happens. Encrypted credential technologies have closed the cloning weakness of older formats — worth checking which your installer proposes.
Smartphone credentials
The phone becomes the fob. Credentials are issued and revoked remotely — useful for contractors, new starters and multi-site teams — and people rarely forget their phone. Expect this to be the default within a few years; today it pairs well with fobs as a hybrid.
Biometrics
Fingerprint and face readers prove the person, not the token, which makes them right for high-security rooms and wrong, usually, for the front door. Biometric data is special category data under UK GDPR: you need a documented justification, an impact assessment and a non-biometric alternative for staff who object. Done properly it is excellent; done casually it is a complaint waiting to happen.
Standalone, networked or cloud?
Standalone systems control one door each and suit very small sites, but every change means a visit to the door. Networked systems put every door on one management platform on your premises — the right answer for most SMEs. Cloud-managed systems move that platform online, so an operations manager can unlock a door, add a starter or pull a report for any site from anywhere; you trade a small monthly fee for never owning a server.
The questions that decide the specification
- Which doors actually need control — and which need only mechanical locks?
- Who needs access where, and does it vary by time of day or role?
- How often do people join, leave or change role? High churn favours fobs or phones, never codes
- Do you need the audit trail for compliance — CQC, ISO, insurance — or just for incidents?
- Should it integrate with CCTV (see who used the credential) and the fire alarm (doors release on activation — non-negotiable)?
Costs, honestly
A single professionally installed networked door typically runs £1,600–£3,000 including hardware and commissioning, with each additional door costing less. Smartphone and cloud options shift some cost to subscription. Use our pricing calculator for an instant range, or ask us to survey the building — the survey is free and the recommendation is honest, including when the answer is “you don't need this on that door”.
One company, one accountable system
As Paxton Gold Partners we design, install and maintain access control as part of one integrated security system — access, CCTV, intruder and fire working together with one point of contact. Every system comes with handover training, documentation and ongoing support.