Securing the Glass Entrance - Wireless reader plays significant role in company security

Securing the Glass Entrance

Wireless reader plays significant role in company security

  • By Wendy Bowman
  • Jun 01, 2015

A dramatic entryway makes a brand’s first impression and sets the tone for visiting customers and staff.

As a high-tech IT company that offers intelligent network security solutions, Axis Communications desired a crisp, clean feeling, achieved by installing a 30 foot glass entryway at their new Axis Experience Center (AEC) in Chicago. This dramatic exterior front entrance also required an equally impressive access control solution.

Adding access control to any glass door can be a challenge, especially when trying to maintain an uncluttered appearance. Conventional technology requires running wires through the building perimeter wall, trenching and burying wire, and then running it into a pedestal. However, strict Chicago building codes require that cable must be contained in conduit, which adds ex.pense and results in a messy and chaotic look, especially in the case of a glass entrance. A custom pedestal drilled into the exterior marble floor for a mounted card reader would have ruined the clean look and added an astronomical cost which the building management company wouldn’t approve. A more innovative solution was required.

Going Wireless

In addition to the aesthetic and cost challenges, Axis required a scalable system that would ensure data security and could enroll its 1,600 global employees using their existing HID iClass credentials. Working together on a solution, HID recommended the Securitron R100, a small surface mounted wireless reader powered by Aperio technology. The R100 supports HID credentials and can communicate with an existing access control system through the Aperio wireless hub, allowing a seamless integration.

The Aperio hub features an open architecture with simple Wiegand connection that in this case allowed it to directly interface with the AXIS A1001 Network Door Controller by Axis Communications without any modifications; and with fully encrypted AES128 wireless communication between the R100 and Aperio hub, Axis could be certain that its data was protected.

Installation was quick and easy. In less than a minute, the R100 was mounted on the glass wall, ready to connect. The Aperio hub was wired into the access control system and installed out of sight in the drop ceiling. By deploying PoE, AXIS A1001, Axis reduced the need, and cost, for separate power and proprietary data cables. In 30 minutes, the reader was up and running without a hitch.

Saving Time and Money

By eliminating the need for drilling through the perimeter wall, custom pedestals and running wires to the door, Axis not only saved time and money by choosing the Securitron R100, but also completed a stunning entrance renovation and implemented a reliable access control security solution.

This article originally appeared in the June 2015 issue of Security Today.

About the Author

Wendy Bowman is the director of marketing communications at Securitron/ASSA ABLOY.

Featured

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services

  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.