Guide · Access control
Designing an access control permission scenario
The hardware of an access control system goes in within a day; the part that causes trouble is the permission scenario. Who can pass which door at what time? If that is not written down before installation, the system becomes a door-wedge in its first week.
5 min read · Related solution: Intruder Alarm & Access Control
User groups
The first step is grouping users: staff, management, technical team, cleaning, security, visitors, suppliers. For each group the "where and when" question is answered. Group-based permissions, rather than per-person ones, make joiners and leavers easy to manage.
Door levels
Doors are tiered too: main entrance, floor doors, office doors, technical rooms, system room. The higher the tier, the fewer groups pass. Only the technical team and management enter the system room; cleaning enters escorted, and that rule is defined in the software.
- Main entrance: all groups, working hours
- Floor doors: staff on that floor and management
- Technical rooms: technical team at all hours; management in working hours
- System room: named individuals, every entry logged
Time windows
At least four windows are defined: working hours, out of hours, weekend and holiday. Shift-based sites add shift windows. Time windows multiplied by group permissions form the scenario table; that table is approved with the business before installation.
Common mistakes
Giving everyone every door (the system becomes meaningless), not cancelling a leaver's card, issuing visitor cards without an expiry and not defining what doors do in a fire. These four are the most often corrected after installation.
FAQ
Most asked during site surveys
How do visitors get in?
With a time-limited visitor card or QR code. The card works on set doors at set times and expires on its own.
What if a card is lost?
It is cancelled instantly in the software and the last use is visible in the log. A new card is issued; the old one works nowhere.
How long are access logs kept?
It follows the business's policy. Because logs are personal data, retention and access rights must be defined from the start.