You do not have to replace your door handles to get UniFi Access. An electric strike lets you keep the existing door hardware, with the original knob, lever or latch, and still control the door with a card, phone or intercom.
Older or decorative hardware is often part of how a building looks, and swapping it can mean new holes, new finishes and a door that no longer matches the rest. A strike changes the frame, not the handle. This is general advice on how we plan it, not a claim about any one property.
How a strike works
A normal door latch sits in a metal plate on the frame. An electric strike replaces that plate with one that can release on command. When locked, the latch cannot pass. When the system unlocks it, the plate lets the latch swing free and the door opens as usual.
From the inside, the handle still works the way it always did. Turning the lever retracts the latch and you walk out. That is one reason strikes are popular on doors people already know how to use.
Where a strike fits and where it does not
A strike is a good match when:
- The door has a spring latch or latch bolt that can be released by the strike.
- The frame is wood or hollow metal and can take a pocket cut.
- You want the outside to stay locked and the inside to stay free.
- You want to keep the existing handle, finish or antique hardware.
It is a poor match when the door only uses a deadbolt, when the frame is too thin or cracked, or when the door does not close squarely. In those cases a different lock type, or a small hardware change, is the honest answer. Glass storefront doors usually need something else entirely, such as an electrified push bar or a maglock, and that is a separate conversation.
Fail-secure or fail-safe
Strikes come in two types, and the choice matters.
- Fail-secure stays locked when power is lost. The inside handle still lets people out.
- Fail-safe unlocks when power is lost. It is used where the door must open without power.
Which one is right depends on the door, how it is used and what code applies. Doors on an exit path, and doors with a fire rating, have their own rules. We confirm the requirements for the specific door rather than guess, and the strike and frame prep need to suit the rating.
What we check before ordering
A strike is a small part with a lot of fit issues. On a walk, we look at:
- The latch type and how far it projects.
- Frame material and how much room there is for the pocket.
- Whether the door binds against the latch. Ubiquiti strikes do not support operating under preload, so we fix alignment first.
- Voltage and current the strike needs, compared with what the hub can supply.
- Whether the strike should be paired with a door position sensor so the system knows if the door is open or closed.
Ubiquiti makes its own fail-safe and fail-secure strikes, and Access also supports third-party electric locks that run on 12 V DC at up to 1 A, or up to 30 V DC at 1 A with a separate power supply. AC locks are not supported. Never add another power source to the powered terminal. UniFi provides the brains: a hub handles the lock output and door sensing, and a reader or entry camera handles credentials.
The UniFi Access side
For a single door, there are two hubs to choose from:
- Door Hub Mini: one door, one lock output, request-to-exit and door-position inputs, and two PoE ports.
- Door Hub: also one door, with more inputs and outputs and four PoE ports.
Only the Enterprise Access Hub handles multiple doors.
On the lock output, a fail-safe strike wires to NC and COM, and a fail-secure strike wires to NO and COM. A door position sensor is a normally closed dry contact into the DPS input.
For readers, options include the G6 Entry and G6 Pro Entry, which pair a reader with a camera, and standard readers where you only need credentials. PIN and QR unlock are available on the G6 Pro Entry only.
Access runs on your own UniFi console. We set up cards, phone unlock and schedules, then hand over an admin login and a short walkthrough.
Cable and power
Readers and hubs need a cable run back to the rack, and strikes need low-voltage control cable in the door frame path. We plan the pathway first, because that is where most of the labor is. Our Access control service covers the full scope, and our structured cabling work covers the pulls.
More reading
For the wider picture of UniFi entry systems, see entry management for LA businesses and modern access control and automation. When we plan a mixed job, for example strikes on solid doors and something different on glass, the projects page shows how we document it.
We work primarily in UniFi, and we also service and troubleshoot other systems. If you already have another access system on some doors, we can look at what it takes to live alongside it.
FAQ
Will an electric strike weaken my door frame?
A properly cut strike pocket in a sound frame is fine. A cracked or thin frame gets repaired or reinforced first.
Can I still lock the door from inside with the key?
Usually yes. The strike controls the outside. The existing hardware keeps working as it did.
Does this work on antique hardware?
Often, if the latch is a standard type. We check the latch and frame before promising anything.
Do I need a new door?
Not for a strike. That is the point.
Ask before you buy
Request an estimate. If cameras are part of the plan too, sketch your lot in Sight for a ballpark, or contact us and tell us what your doors look like today.
