Commercial access control: the short answer
Access control replaces keys with cards, fobs, phones, PINs or biometrics, so you decide who can open each door and when, and every entry is logged. It suits any business with staff turnover, restricted areas or more than one entrance. The system standard is BS EN 60839-11-1, and doors on escape routes must release safely in a fire. As a guide, a single professionally installed networked door costs £1,600 to £3,000, confirmed at a free survey.
The standards that apply
BS EN 60839-11-1. The standard for electronic access control systems and components. It sets four security grades based on risk, and covers how the system identifies users, controls doors, records events and handles faults. BS EN 60839-11-2 gives the application guidance. We agree a grade for each door with you, because a stationery cupboard and a server room don't need the same thing.
Fire safety and BS 7273-4. Doors on escape routes must let people out in an emergency. BS 7273-4 is the code of practice for how a fire alarm releases doors, with three categories, A, B and C, set by how critical the door is to escape. Controlled escape doors typically use fail-safe locking that releases when power is removed, plus a green emergency door release unit beside the door. Your fire risk assessment and fire strategy decide which doors need what.
UK GDPR and biometrics. An access log is personal data, and fingerprint or facial templates used to identify people are special category biometric data. Using them needs a documented justification, a data protection impact assessment, and a non-biometric alternative for anyone who objects. The ICO has taken enforcement action against an employer that used biometrics to monitor staff attendance without offering a genuine alternative. We help you decide whether biometrics are justified before we fit them.
Sector rules add their own expectations. Schools manage site security as part of safeguarding, care homes balance security against residents' freedom of movement, and multi-tenanted buildings need separate permissions for each tenant.
How an access control project runs
- Survey. Every door, gate and barrier, how people move through the building, who needs access where, and the condition of the door hardware. Free.
- Design and specification. A door-by-door schedule of reader, lock, exit device, emergency release, fire interface and grade, plus a credential strategy.
- Quote. Itemised by door, with software and any subscriptions shown separately.
- Installation. Locks, readers, controllers and cabling fitted by our own engineers, keeping doors in use wherever possible.
- Commissioning and certification. Every door tested for entry, exit, fire release and power failure, with the fire alarm interface proved, and the system commissioned under our SSAIB registration.
- Handover and training. Users and permission groups set up, plus training on adding starters, revoking leavers, running reports and unlocking doors remotely.
- Maintenance. Planned visits, software updates and fault response. Maintenance contract customers get a 4-hour response to emergencies and a same-day response to non-emergency faults.
What's included in the price
Our quotes include the survey, design, readers, controllers, locks and door hardware, exit buttons, emergency door release units, power supplies with battery backup, cabling, software set-up, the fire alarm interface, commissioning, the credentials agreed in the quote, and training. Extra credentials, smartphone or cloud subscriptions and maintenance are priced separately. If a door needs repair or replacement before it can be controlled, we tell you at survey rather than on the day.
How much does access control cost?
Guide prices, confirmed at a free survey:
- Single professionally installed networked door: £1,600 to £3,000, including hardware and commissioning
- Basic system, 1 to 3 doors: £1,600 to £3,000 installed per door
- Mid-range, 5 to 15 networked doors with management software: £6,000 to £18,000 in total
- Enterprise, 50+ doors integrated with IT identity systems: £25,000 to £150,000+
Each additional door costs less than the first. Credential type, biometrics, smartphone credentials, gates and lift integration all move the price. See our access control guide and commercial security cost guide, or use the pricing calculator for an indicative range.
Who needs access control in East Anglia
- Food production: hygiene and high-care zones restricted to trained staff, with audit trails for food safety and customer audits.
- Logistics and warehousing: vehicle gates and barriers, ANPR, and restricted areas for high-value stock.
- Care homes: secure entrances, medication rooms and staff areas, balanced with residents' freedom of movement.
- Schools: controlled entrances and visitor management that support safeguarding.
- Offices and multi-tenanted buildings: permissions by tenant, and time-based access for cleaners and contractors.
- Retail: stockrooms, cash offices and back doors.
- Housing: communal entrances, bin stores and plant rooms, with fobs managed centrally instead of keys being copied.
Access control maintenance
Locks, closers and power supplies do the physical work, and they wear. A maintenance visit checks every door's locking, release and closing, tests emergency release and the fire interface, checks standby batteries, updates software and firmware, and reviews the user database for leavers who still have access. Maintenance contract customers get a 4-hour response to emergencies and a same-day response to non-emergency faults. As Paxton Gold Partners we also service and extend Paxton systems we didn't install, subject to a site check.
