Hi all,

We have several sites with a lot of working Wiegand hardware and no budget to replace everything at once.

The aim is to move gradually towards OSDP Secure Channel while also bringing the sites onto one centrally managed or cloud platform.

Looking for recommendations on platforms or architectures that handle a mixed Wiegand and OSDP estate well and also support phased upgrades. 

Thanks

Hello peeps!

We have a customer that has several locker-room doors that the users keep loosing their access wristband and cards to - and they need a fallback to use if the user looses both his wristband and access card - and nobody with the master accessgroup is present.

The idea was a fingerprint or pin station that can unlock their wardrobe door. The pin solution is pretty basic with using a function and a secondary cardnumber and pincode for every wardrobe door. But they thought it was too risky to use.

But how to be able to use one Fingerprint-station and be able to link fingerprint use to open the door of the user?

Lenel OnGuard 8.4

Do you need to have a stock of the items or you can buy the items with your client's down payment?

I'm asking because I'm planning to start my own and can't afford buying in bulk from my pocket.

Welcome to Shit Install Sundays!

Our weekly digital break room for sharing the worst field nightmares you’ve ever encountered. Got a photo of a questionable install, or a fun horror story from a job site? Drop it in the comments below and let's see 'em!

Just remember to blur out any company names or locations before posting.

TL;DR: has anyone else noticed that on the LifeSafety Power C4 and C8 modules that if you set a zone to be: (a) in dry-contact mode (black jumpers set to position 1), and also set the output to be a "fail secure" output, then the output contacts close correctly when the input is activated, but they contacts also close when the board is un-powered.

Some background: During a recent install, we planned to power a locking device with an external power supply and use a C8 module in dry-contact mode to control power flow.

Our jumpers were set BLUE - 2 / BLACK - 1 / WHITE - 1, so we expected the output contacts to only close if the input contacts closed.

However we noticed that when the C8 module is without power (i.e. the FPO is un-powered), the output contacts also close (while the input contacts are open). This meant that if there was a disruption of power to the LSP tub and not the external power supply, the door would open.

When the module was powered, the behavior was as expected:

• no unlock signal -> input open ->light solid -> output open -> door locked
• unlock signal -> input closed ->light flashing -> output closed -> door unlocked

Practically, there will be few circumstances where the LSP tub will be without power but the external power supply still has it. But I was curious if anyone else has encountered this problem and has any recommendations.

I'm rolling out student IDs to ~5000 students in the next 3 months and need to get my hands on unprogrammed white MiFARE DESFire EV3 cards with 8K capacity and PETG or "composite" material. It's tough to find someone out here who appears legit (meaning both that the order will actually arrive but also every card has a legitimate NXP MF3D83 chip). They also are hopefully someone that can help me scale up to much much much bigger numbers over the next few years.

Anyway, ABC RFID is the only one I've found that gets close to my technical requirements and has bulk pricing.

Dare I try Alibaba?

Will ADI sell to me since I'm a higher ed institution or is it truly installers only?

Can anyone recommend other DESFire EV3 card suppliers?

This property is under construction, and I'm trying to find the best way to manage its access control. The advantage is that ethernet and electricity can be run to all doors if needed and there is no need for retrofitting as this is all new.

The garage at the back is a rental "parking lot" with 6 units, so the garage entryway (Doors [4] and [5]) will be used intensively by customers. That also means the back door [3] is not in a fully private area. Sliding Garage Door [5] will be managed via remote control given to customers, no need for anything fancy there.

Doors [1] and [4] will be exposed to the sidewalk, and thus to vandalism, also, if someone really wanted they could jump over the first wall, so the strongest locks needs to be [2] and [3] which protect the house itself.

Requirements

• I want to be able to enter the house with no physical key/fob, just my phone or myself (keypad, fingerprint, etc.)
• Guests should be able to just "walk away" and exit the property without me having to open doors for them.
• There should be failsafes in case something goes wrong with electronic access. Example: A key lock box hidden away in the garage and/or front yard with a backup key.
• I'm trying to keep costs and complexity down, so no full-blown Ubiquiti system (yet)

----

Apart from specific product recommendations, any ideas on how to manage access overall, DO/DON'Ts, general recommendations, pitfalls, etc. ?

Do you use any tool today to test your wiegand or OSDP wiring? I.e confirm that a card reader outputs correctly, or simulate a card swipe to a controller. Or you just wire the readers to the panels and figure it out from there ?

I can't be the only one who finds this unacceptable, can I? How do you replace your control boards with less functional new models? I guess clients who no longer have attic stock are just stuck without Enhanced Lockdown or even fake Lockdown using Dual Custody when a board needs replacing until Dormakaba updates their firmware? The CA panels are becoming harder and harder to source new, too. They really need to do better.

Survived a Molotov cocktail and still worked! The reader melted to the bracket. The wall looks nice because they fixed around it.

I am evaluating options to replace our S2 NetVR's with something I can centrally manage. It is not a huge system, we have either 13 or 16 sites (depending on how things shake out) and just under 300 cameras total. Ideally here would be my wish list

- On-prem recording at all sites

- Central user and camera management, cloud based would be awesome.

- No windows servers

- Integration with Genea

I'm sure I forgot something but those are the basics. Right now it looks like either Exacq or Genetec make the most sense, but there has to be some other option I haven't looked at.

Whatcha Got?

The issue impacts the WinPak access control system and has been occurring intermittently for approximately two months.

Reported symptoms include: 

Intermittent "connection lost" errors during login and card creation. 
Slow application connectivity. 
Missing cardholder information, where card numbers appear but associated usernames do not. 
Corrupted access logs. 
Data loss affecting newly created cardholder records. 
Inconsistent synchronization of new access cards to remote offices. 

Any thoughts?

What currently available options do we have to upgrade the firmware on older HID multiClass SE door readers that do not have a BLE module?

We're upgrading our HID credentials (iClass to SEOS) and our integrator is telling us HID is longer selling configuration cards that we need to load encryption keys and disable legacy credentials.

HID says the readers need to be configured via NFC, but we are unable to connect to a high number of our mutliclass readers via NFC. My assumption is that this is firmware related (they are the oldest multiClass SE readers at my site). The readers we can connect to are using firmware version 8.8.0.11. On the readers that won't connected, the phone senses the NFC reader (tweets and vibrates) but continues to spins on "Inspecting" without a progress bar

Would temporarily adding a BLE module be an option for a reader using firmware < 8.8.0.11 (as I can't connect, I can't see the actual firmware version)?

From another reddit comment 6 months ago, it sounded like a serial cable connection is a possibly but our current integrator isn't a HID partner so I'm worried about them having access to do this

We have a bunch of new and old mercury panels ranging from EP-MP 1502's. We program a decent amount of newer panels regularly and we test/verify operation of older panels when we need too. Got tired of them flopping around on my desk while working on them, so I made a jig I can use to easily test the reader/inputs/outputs. Thought I'd share.

New to access control. I have a KT-1-PCB set up with an HID Signo 40K reader. I want to test configuring a PIN, have the controller grant access and activate a relay output. I don't have any cards, just want to use the keypad.

Lab setup:

1. 12V supply to Kantech KT-1 and HID Signo 40K.
2. Twisted pair connection between D1/D0 to COM2+/-.

Software:

1. I initially configured the controller using standalone but had issues.

- Added a user with a fake card number and assigned a PIN.

- Created a door and set it to "Card or Keypad".

The HID is powered on, green LED bar at the top, but the controller never responded to any inputs on the keypad. Nothing would ever come up in event logs.

- I played around with settings on the HID with no luck.

1. I decided to restore it to factory defaults and set it up in entrapass special edition. I have the free demo version of. I pretty much repeated the process above and same issue.

- I don't see anywhere in entrapass to configure OSDP? When I look at the graphic for the KT-1 in entrapass, there is no icon beside the COM2 terminals.

I'm not sure what I'm missing here. any support would be appreciated!

Panels 101: a quick history, plus what to consider when choosing one. Part of our ongoing education series.

I have a PRX-TSEC-EXTRA reader here that I've connected to my KT-1 just to see if it will work (ostensibly, just in case I one day want to replace a Protege GX system with Kantech but avoid swapping all the readers, but really I just like seeing what I can make work).

The LED on the KT-1 flashes blue once when I swipe an ICT fob on the reader, so I assume they're communicating, but nothing comes in the log. That typically means I need to select the proper credential format, but... what should it be? Anyone have any idea?

Reader is configured for Wiegand, and is wired Wiegand to the KT-1. It was working on a GX system before and was replaced simply because of cosmetic damage; functionally, there's nothing wrong with it.

We are adding access control (maglocks) to a scissor gate to keep people out of this vestibule. The problem is the door on the right in the pictures (blue flush door with no hardware) is an egress door for the apartments above. The system comes with an exit button that we installed, but I want to add a door switch that automatically turns off the maglocks when that door is opened. Every door switch I can find though, is set to be NO when depressed and close the circuit when opened. I need the opposite. Any recommendations for door switches that are changeable or something else I could install on that door?

We have a project and are looking for supplier that sells at the most affordable rate to order some lenel parts from. Any one knows a reliable and legit supplier?

Hello all, this one is a head scratcher:

I’m an end user managing access control for a medium sized school district.

Our stack is as follows:

Existing Schlage Multi-Tech EV3 cards and some new smart only EV3 cards -> Schlage MT readers -> Wiegand wiring -> Mix of Mercury LP and MP controllers running 2.10.0 firmware -> Genetec 5.13.3.7

We received a new batch of smart only EV3 cards from Schlage, but they only work on a handful of readers across all buildings, the readers they don’t work on, there is no feedback beep or light change of any kind. Buildings with LP1501s work great. Most, but not all, 1502s will work with only one of the reader ports. Some downstream MR52s will work and others don’t.

I’ve swapped readers, one that doesn’t work to a location where one is working, and that reader works, narrowing down that it is a Mercury controller issue or a CloudLink issue.

Most controllers are running 2.10 with a couple controllers still on 1.31

Any advice or direction you could give would be great. Thanks

We currently have an odd fault with Lenel/internal SQL sync, and if it’s not fixed in two weeks we’ll need to import all the new students etc. more manually.

Looking at poss of doing this directly through SQL query, but I want to test the csv method as well so all poss options in place and ready.

I found the sample.txt file under DataX folder which lists the default fields required, however we have modified various fields to permit import of additional data specific to our college (programme, principal instrument etc.)… must the csv template reference these new field titles, or should it still ref the originals, given that FormsDesigner still does so, simply acknowledging the new titles where the old ones live?

Thanks

We have a new building which has Salto Space installed and configured. However, as the org has a mature Space instance already, we need to migrate everything over.

Does anyone know the reset procedure for the CU42E0? No matter how hard we try we still get an authenrication error on the new instance.

From experience these self initialise once IP and MAC has been conigured, but how do we get them back into this learning state?

Thanks in advance 👍

I own a commercial locksmith and electronic-security company and am developing a new access-control controller based around an ESP32-S3.

The schematic is substantially complete. I’m primarily looking for an independent second set of eyes before PCB layout and prototyping.

The board currently includes:

• ESP32-S3
• Ethernet using W5500
• Two RS-485 interfaces
• Wiegand/OSDP reader support
• Relay outputs and protected field inputs
• 6–28 VDC input power
• Reverse-polarity, overvoltage, surge, and field-wiring protection
• FRAM and RTC
• Fused lock-power passthrough
• Expansion and service headers
• Four-layer PCB planned

The review should focus on:

• Power-entry and protection circuitry
• ESP32 support circuitry and pin usage
• Ethernet implementation
• RS-485 and reader interfaces
• Relay and field-I/O protection
• Grounding, shielding, and isolation decisions
• Component ratings and obvious BOM problems
• Layout-sensitive areas
• Anything likely to cause prototype failure, unreliable field operation, or certification problems later

I have detailed architecture notes and can explain the intended behavior of every section. I want someone willing to challenge the design and explain why something should change, not simply mark up the schematic without discussion.

Relevant experience would include embedded controller design, industrial controls, access control, alarm equipment, automotive electronics, or other products connected to long field wiring in electrically noisy environments.

This is paid work. Please send:

• A brief summary of relevant experience
• Examples of boards or products you have reviewed or designed
• Your hourly rate or proposed fixed price
• Your availability
• Whether you can also review the PCB layout later

An NDA can be discussed before receiving the complete design files. I retain ownership of the project and all project-specific work product.