Access Control Industry Revving Up

IT’S been an unusual time for security industry types, with 2 exhibitions back-to-back and a spate of recent road shows meaning a lot of work has been done showing off new product over the past couple of months. The abundance of new stuff tends to give the impression of an industry in motion and that’s a nice feeling to have, given the slow couple of years we’ve experienced.

The overarching feeling for me is that mid-year and leading into year-end we’re going to see more new product than we might have expected and a lot of it is going to be in access control, an area that’s been subdued for some time. In fact, for a long time, integration with CCTV systems has seemed to onlookers as the biggest deal in access control.

This year there is a stack of major new software releases both happening now and pending soon, including new DAS Security Commander software for Challenger, Protege’s GX flexible management software and later in the year we’re going to see big new things from Inner Range.

With increased activity from CEM Systems, Kantech, Salto and ASSA ABLOY there’s going to be growth in this area of the like we’ve not seen since the froth and bubble that surrounded Cardax, Tecom, Inner Range and Genesis back in the mid-1990s.

What’s interesting is the breadth of the new products we’re seeing. It’s not just a matter of a couple of new software releases – competitiveness is noticeable at all levels of this market. There are new readers from HID, Sagem, Hitachi, CEM Systems and others.

High quality network-based product is coming from Chase with PCSC, HID with Vertx, ongoing enhancements to controllers from that perennial over-achiever, Gallagher with CardaxFT, as well as ongoing enhancements to the controllers of Australia’s most popular access control solutions.

Automation is also sparking up with Protege’s GX claimed to be especially capable and interesting applications taking place in Australia and overseas with Concept where automation and integration capabilities are being leveraged to offer operational functionality in industrial and service applications.

It’s always risky to predict anything about the future of biometric readers but there are more of these readers visible and they are smaller, less expensive and more appealing than they’ve ever been. The range of Sagem fingerprint readers deserves attention more than ever and Hitachi’s Finger Vein ID has big wins in Japan.

When it comes to wireless linking of mechanical or locally powered locking solutions you’re talking about gear from the likes of Salto, and ASSA ABLOY with Aperio. There are applications where these technologies are an excellent and cost effective way to increase security levels on large sites.

Another area of access control where we are seeing ongoing development is intercoms, which are increasingly networked, surveillance-capable and downright functional for domestic and commercial applications. Taken as a whole, my expectation is that increased competition in the access control segment will deliver improvements in both technology and functionality in all areas. Seldom do we see so many key releases occurring virtually simultaneously, in the scheme of typical R&D timelines.

Some of these improvements will be expected, others will be inventive and unusual, such as FSH’s integration of a CCTV camera into its delayed egress MEM 2400EXTC delayed egress lock. All these improvements will demand a reaction from competitors, driving the next generation of access control solutions to ever greater levels of sophistication.

Source: http://www.securityelectronicsandnetworks.com.au/NewsDetail/11-08-17/access_control_industry_revving_up.aspx


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Gallagher Security Releasing Command Centre v9.40 At SAGE 2025 In Canberra November 20.


Gallagher Security Releasing Command Centre v9.40 – Gallagher Security will be bringing its newly released Command Centre v9.40 management software to Security & Government Expo, to be held at the Realm Hotel in Canberra, November 20.

According to the Gallagher Security team, Command Centre v9.40, a major upgrade that significantly enhances the capabilities of the Controller 7000 product range.  With Command Centre v9.40, Gallagher’s Controller 7000 product range, including the Standard, Enhanced, and High Security variants, now supports up to 24 doors per controller, more than doubling the previous limit of 10.  

This advancement reduces infrastructure costs and simplifies system architecture, while maintaining high performance in demanding environments. Additionally, support for HBUS readers has increased from 20 to 40, and OSDP readers from 16 to 32, enabling larger and more flexible installations.

A standout new feature is Lock Cycle Counting, which enables proactive lock maintenance to prevent costly failures and downtime.  

Also available with v9.40 is Entra ID single sign on. The Command Centre integration with Microsoft Entra ID enables secure and seamless single sign on authentication using OpenID Connect.

This integration allows customers to align with their organisation’s cloud-first identity strategy, reduce reliance on legacy AD infrastructure, and benefit from centralised access control, multi-factor authentication, and conditional access policies – all managed through Microsoft Entra. This simplifies user management, enhances security, and supports smoother migration to modern identity platforms.

 
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Brett Gallen and the team at iKey Security have been awarded the security upgrade work to be completed in Puddle Duck Ln, Erina. The scope of works was to install IP CCTV cameras over a wireless link to the clients office in their house as well as a video intercom at the main gate which was approx 300m away from the clients house. Brett worked on the wireless link using the latest Ubiquiti antennas and receivers to ensure the very best in wireless video transmission. Brett also recommended the client use the Panasonic Intercom to guarantee the operation of the video feed from the clients entry gate to the house would not falter. …


Brett Gallen and the team at iKey Security were engaged to design and install the new Security System for the new Bayswater, Kings Cross Fine Wines Bottle shop. Brett worked closely with their operations manager, to design and install the new security system which included Intruder Alarm with Back to Base Monitoring and an IP CCTV Surveillance system. …