An ROI On Wireless

Aug 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Lester Lapierre

The value proposition for implementing wireless access control systems in a variety of applications is compelling. Wireless systems use less hardware and can be installed faster, even in situations that might once have seemed impossible or impractical.

Today's wireless locking systems also provide the same online, real-time capabilities as wired systems. Likewise, they are compatible with most brands of access control panels. With wireless access control, access privilege changes and audit records are available at the central control terminal, all from a common database, which simplifies data entry and management. This also eliminates the need to go door to door to upload changes and download records, making wireless locksets a good alternative to offline, standalone locking systems. All wireless transmissions are encoded using 128-bit private keys for heightened security.

For outdoor applications, like vehicle and pedestrian gate access, wireless links will bridge up to 1,000 ft., eliminating costly trenching. As such, wireless systems are suitable for garages, parking lots, airports, utility companies and military bases. They are especially cost-effective for controlling gates around a facility. Optional directional or gain antennas are available for longer distances of up to 4,000 ft.

Reduce installation time

If for no other reason, every door access control application user should consider wireless because a wireless locking solution takes only 45 minutes to install, rather than an average of eight hours for wired systems. Savings include materials (no wire to install) and labor.

As a result, wireless systems are less invasive and often eliminate carpentry, patching and repainting, making them suitable for difficult-to-wire situations as well as new construction projects. They also retain the integrity of historical buildings and avoid potential asbestos issues in older buildings.

Elevators are prime candidates for a wireless system. While traveling cables are routinely included at the time of installation, they are often ill-equipped to transport credential data reliably from the cab to the elevator controller. Elevator shafts are harsh electrical environments and are often the source of noise that can corrupt the data on card reader lines. The resulting inconsistent performance often gets worse over time as cable shielding decays due to continual movement.

Wireless solutions, in contrast, eliminate the need for the data lines in elevators up to 1,000 ft., providing consistent and reliable data transport that doesn't wear out. Wireless alternatives can also save traveling cable installation costs ranging from $2,600 to $13,000 or more per cab.

Proven and secure

Wireless access systems have been used on tens of thousands of doorways across the country for more than five years, protecting facilities ranging from government agencies to university residence halls. Open architecture designs mean wireless solutions seamlessly integrate with existing access control systems. There is one access system for both traditional wired openings as well as wireless ones, giving the user only one database to manage and one transaction screen to monitor.

With advanced transmitters and high sensitivity receivers providing optimal coverage throughout an area, today's wireless access control is robust. Moreover, technology that encodes card data with 128-bit keys and transmits them over many frequencies simultaneously makes wireless transmissions difficult to decode and, thus, secure. Wireless solutions also have a built-in red alert. They are supervised by a signal that if, for some reason, it is interrupted, a warning signal is generated and displayed on the access control alarm screen.

Radio frequency coverage testing is essential to a successful wireless installation. Test kits are available that are purposely detuned to 50 percent power and are recommended to validate system designs and to optimize placement of panel interface modules. This ensures reliability prior to installation. Any weak spots are detected, and corrections can be made before implementation.

Even in installations where conditions appear too extreme for wireless signals, such as thick concrete walls with steel rebar, the capabilities of the system's 900 MHz transmissions will often exceed expectations. Whatever the application, it's important that wireless be considered. It might be the right choice for the job.

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Lester LaPierre is marketing manager for Schlage Electronic Access Control, Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies.

Calculating the Savings

It is important that the choice between wired versus wireless access control not be made in the dark. From an investment standpoint, it is easy to determine whether to use wired, wireless or a combination of the two.

By analyzing the chart above, let's determine costs for an 11-story building of 830,000+ sq. ft. with 15 access points per floor. In the fourth column, we can see the savings one would achieve with a wireless system. For instance, there are 83 percent less SKUs, 99 percent less wire and 91 percent less connections. Depending on the time it takes to wire the building, the amount of time saved runs between 75 to 95 percent.

How did we come up with those percentages? Look at the spreadsheet at left. With Panel Interface Modules (PIM) that average 12 doors per PIM, note all the blank spaces versus a wired system. With a wireless system, you avoid hardware such as the reader, lock, door position switch (DPS), request-to-exit device (REX), electronic strike, reader interface module, door wiring, wiring from the door to the panel and other equipment, replacing all with wireless access control cylindrical locks with proximity systems and the PIM. Wired cost is $12,216.73 versus $12,923 for the wireless system. That's close but isn't the whole story.

Go down to the “labor” costs. To implement the wired system would cost $5,440 in labor; the wireless system labor costs are only $680.

With wireless, you save $4,054.06 — a savings of 29.8 percent.

At www.ir-swa.com under “Wired vs. Wireless Cost Comparison,” users can find this sheet and put in their own numbers to evaluate a choice of wired, wireless or a combination of both.

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© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

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