Access Control Systems & Door Entry in Los Angeles

How we plan access control

A UniFi Access door has a few parts: a hub that controls the lock, a reader or intercom at the door, a lock that suits the door, and a way for people to leave. We look at every door first. A glass door, a wood door, a steel warehouse door and a stairwell door each need different hardware, and an existing electric strike can often stay. Every situation is different, and we aim to meet your requirements.

We also plan around the building rules. We plan around exit rules and power-loss behavior. People must be able to leave freely, and what each door does in a power loss or an alarm should be a decision, not an accident. Everything lives in one UniFi Access system on your network: you add and remove people, set schedules, read the door log and get alerts.

Gates and intercoms

We install UniFi Access intercoms and gate hubs that connect to your existing gate operator. A visitor calls from the intercom, you answer on your phone, and you open the gate from the app. The operator itself stays with your gate company. For a multi-tenant building, the intercom can call each tenant on a regular phone number, so nobody needs an app. See the multi-tenant DoorKing intercom upgrade. See also the gate intercom upgrade write-up and the post on replacing a video intercom with a G3 intercom and gate hub.

Questions to settle before we start

• How many doors and gates are there, and who uses each: staff, residents, guests, deliveries?
• What door and lock do you have today?
• How should people get in: phone, card, fob, PIN or face?
• Should access change by time of day or by role?
• Is there a gate operator already, and who services it?

Mistakes we see with access control

• Choosing a lock before checking the door and how people exit.
• Handing out one shared PIN. When someone leaves, you cannot tell who used what.
• No plan for power loss. Decide whether each door stays locked or unlocks, and back up the doors that matter.
• Expecting one company to do everything. Intercom and access work is separate from gate operator repair, so know who to call for each.
• Forgetting the cable to each reader. See our note on typical UniFi Access wiring.

Where we install

We install access control across Los Angeles and the Valley, including Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and the Westside, Downtown Los Angeles and Glendale and Burbank. Want a ballpark for the equipment and installation first? Sketch your property in Sight.