Read on for four handy tips to help you choose the best access control lock for your control systems such as electric drop bolt locks and maglocks.
Access control electric door locks are a vital aspect of any access control system. If you imagine that the entire system was a human, the electric lock would be like the human’s feet and hands. The lock is important to maintaining the stability of the control system in its entirety. If the card reader and the controller for the access system are both functional the electric lock is of low quality, and the usage of the lock system will suffer as the door will not open as intended.
1st Tip: Decide Whether To Buy An Electric Drop Bolt Or A Magnetic Lock
To decide the best type of lock to install, it’s first necessary to determine the type of door. For glass doors that are bidirectional, electric drop bolt locks are the best choice. For unidirectional internal doors, electromagnetic locks are ideal. Installation of these locks takes place inside the door’s upper frame.
The electromagnetic lock’s stability is greater than that of an electric lock, but the trade-off is the higher safety of an electrical lock. However, regardless of the type of lock used, it is essential to ensure that the lock is rainproof and rustproof.
We would recommend avoiding locks that have not undergone thorough testing. For example, there is a lock on the market that will prevent the door from opening in the event of a power failure. And while consumers may be happy with the idea of this lock, it will not pass firefighting requirements. Such a lock will also cause problems during installation due to the less than ideal thickness requirements of the door frame. For these reasons and others, we do not recommend using underdeveloped and undertested electric locks.
2nd Tip: Whether To Purchase From The Manufacturer Or An Access Control Supplier
The price may be lower if you purchase directly from the manufacturer; however, if you’re purchasing a small number of locks you may not achieve the best service or the best price.
It’s probably not advisable to purchase access controls from one company and locks from a different company. It may be difficult to resolve problems when you’re dealing with two separate entities. We suggest that you purchase both items from one supplier.
3rd Tip: The Smart Way of Choosing An Electric Lock
The surface of the lock cannot have any obvious scratches – it must have a metallic luster.
The current of the lock in standby mode should be approximately 300mA, with the operating current less than 900mA. The surface can be warm to the touch, but not hot.
Test the bounce strength of the lock to ensure that it bounces back sufficiently when pressed.
4th Tip: Should You Purchase Two Lines Or A Multi-Line Electric Lock?
Similar to five lines and eight lines electric locks, multi-line electrical locks have a single chip. These locks will have an intelligent microcontroller with a delayed control function and a magnetic door detection function.
It is possible to adapt poor spring doors to delay control functions to allow for real-time open and close status monitoring. While you may never need to use these functions, it remains true that a single chip electric lock is preferable – in both stability and overall quality – to a lock without a single chip.
It may be tempting to purchase a cheaper lock to save money, but this will only end up costing you money in the long run. Electrical locks with two wires use a simple internal structure made up of an electromagnetic coil mechanism driven by the current. With a large working current, a cheaper lock will overheat and can cause serious damage to the electric lock. As always, you get what you pay for.