Nine councils for ACS installers

1. Use supply line filters

Set protection against microsecond voltage surges on all data transmission lines and on all cables conducting to terminals of your ACS. Make sure that a power supply is brought to each controller through the filtering devices. Certainly, they should be well grounded — otherwise they are useless. Of course, it will not protect a system from direct hit of a lightning, but your system will not fail during the next thunderstorm from voltage surges.^[1]

2. Do not connect locks and the controller to the same circuit of a power supply

Electromechanical and magnetic locks have the reactive components creating "emissions" of EMF in a power supply circuit. It can lead to errors in data transmission or, at worst, even to damage of the ACS controller. Spend for independent packages of a power supply for each locking device.

3. Order spare components

It is always better to have one spare printed circuit board for the ACS controller and two spare readers — at the rate on 10 doors. With these components you will be able quickly to "lift" a system after lightning stroke or other large-scale machine failure. If components do not appear available, a system will remain disabled until they are delivered. At least, you will save yourself from excess trips to the supplier.

4. Select the correct cable

Many control systems of access allow to use "twisted pair cable" of the 5th or 6th categories for RS-485 interface — for example, for communication between the computer and the ACS controller. In the popular Wiegand interface (we will remind that in many ACS it is applied to data transmission between the reader and the controller) the 6-wire cable without twist — same, as for industrial RS-232 interface is used. For each communication channel use only that cable type which is specified in the specification.

5. Learn to work with the locking devices

You can understand automation systems, security software, signallings, video surveillance, other low-current systems — but it does not mean at all that your assemblers will be able correctly to cut the electric or magnetic lock in a door. Perhaps, you will spoil expensive, intended for commercial application doorframe, or the valuable, having art value door. If there are doubts, then it is better to attract competent subcontractor to the project.

6. Learn to work with electronics

Or, perhaps, you the professional - "zamochnik" who only began to work with access control systems? Perhaps, you should employ subcontractor too — the company which will carry out cable works and will set up network equipment. If at you it is impossible to find a profile installer of the ACS, address to the company which is engaged in a security alarm or smart homes. They, most likely, will cope with a task.

7. Correctly select readers

If you are engaged in updating of already installed system, you need to learn everything about the ACS terminals standing on an object: not only producer, but also exact name of model, its nomenclature index, version of the hardware (audit), version of the built-in software, logical format of the output data. Send to the producer or the distributor of a photo of the reader it will not turn out — many vendors use the same body for different models. To find the necessary information, to you, most likely, it is necessary to dismantle one ACS terminal.

8. Order suitable cards

If you issue a new series of admissions for the existing system, then you need to learn about physical technology, a format of data, range of available card numbers and field value "the code of an object" (in specifications — "facility code"). New cards should be compatible to already issued admissions; field values "the code of an object" should match (however, some architecture of the ACS allow to use several different codes of an object; keep in mind that even at different values of this field all of you cannot equally duplicate identification numbers of cards). In the majority of systems the card number registers in two bytes — therefore, it cannot be more than 65535. If you order not those cards, then after a firmware the producer, most likely, will not accept them back. And cards of some formats cost expensive.

9. Make test installation

The pilot installer will never go to an object, without having tested a system at itself at office. Especially, if it did not work with the equipment of this brand earlier. Collect the test stand: spread out the equipment on a big table, attentively study installation guides, then connect the equipment short cables. Check how assembly works; try all possible options of use. If something is wrong, you will have time to contact technical support of the producer and to solve a problem. But on an object at the client everything will pass quickly — and it will do good to your reputation of the professional.

Notes