An electric strike is the most common way to add access control to an existing aluminum storefront door without replacing the mechanical lock. The strike sits in the frame where the strike plate normally goes. When the system is locked, the strike lip holds the latch bolt in place. When access is granted, the strike releases and the latch can pass, the door opens.
The beauty of the setup is that the mechanical lock stays in place. If the power fails, the lock still works with a key. The electronic layer adds convenience and logging. The mechanical layer keeps the door secured.
How an Electric Strike Works
A standard strike plate is a fixed metal pocket bolted to the frame. The door’s latch bolt enters the pocket when the door closes, and the lip of the strike keeps the bolt from pulling back out. The door stays closed.
An electric strike replaces that fixed plate with a mechanism that has two states. In the locked state, the strike lip is rigid, the latch bolt can’t escape. In the unlocked state, the strike lip pivots or releases, the latch bolt can pull free and the door opens. The state is controlled by an electrical signal from the access control system.
Electric strikes come in two configurations: fail-secure and fail-safe. A fail-secure strike stays locked when power is removed, it requires power to unlock. This is used on doors that need to stay secure during a power outage, like server rooms and records rooms. A fail-safe strike unlocks when power is removed, it requires power to stay locked. This is used on egress doors, where free exit must be maintained at all times per life safety code.
Installing on Aluminum Storefront Frames
Aluminum storefront frames present specific challenges for electric strike installation. The frame extrusion has a specific profile, it’s not a standard wood or steel frame with a flat jamb. The strike has to mount inside the aluminum extrusion, which means the frame has to be prepped correctly: a cutout for the strike body, a recess for the faceplate, and a routing path for the wiring.
The strike has to be the correct profile for the frame. Not every electric strike fits every storefront extrusion. The two most common profiles are the 4-7/8 inch ANSI faceplate (used on most standard commercial frames) and the narrow stile profile used on aluminum storefront doors with thinner rails. Installing a standard strike on a narrow stile frame doesn’t work, the faceplate extends beyond the frame.
The wiring path matters. The cable from the strike to the access control controller has to get from the frame to the controller location. On a storefront door, that usually means routing through the frame extrusion, down through the threshold or floor, and to a controller box mounted nearby. The wiring has to be low-voltage, typically 12V or 24V DC, and it has to be protected from physical damage and from water intrusion at the threshold.
What Fails
Electric strikes fail in predictable ways:
Wire breakage. The most common failure. The cable that runs from the strike through the door frame to the controller chafes or breaks at a bend point, especially where the cable exits the frame and enters the floor. The fix is re-running the cable with proper strain relief and a flexible conduit at transition points.
Water intrusion. On exterior storefront doors, water gets into the frame at the threshold. If the strike isn’t rated for wet locations, the internal solenoid corrodes. The fix is using a strike with an appropriate environmental rating and sealing the wiring entry points.
Mechanical binding. If the door shifts or the frame settles, the latch bolt no longer aligns with the strike opening. The strike releases but the bolt can’t pass, the door won’t open. The fix isn’t adjusting the strike, it’s correcting the door alignment first, then verifying the strike position.
Wrong voltage. A 12V strike wired to a 24V power supply will fail quickly. A 24V strike wired to a 12V supply will buzz but not release. The voltage has to match the strike rating, and the power supply has to be sized for the current draw of all strikes on the circuit.
Pairing With the Right Lock
The electric strike works with the mechanical lock, it doesn’t replace it. On a storefront door, the lock is typically a cylindrical mortise lock or a rim cylinder with a mortise exit device. The latch bolt profile has to be compatible with the strike. A deadlatching bolt is preferred, it prevents the bolt from being shimmed (a credit card slipped between the door and frame to push the bolt back). A standard spring latch can be shimmed, which is a security weakness on any access-controlled door.
ADA Considerations
If the door is in an accessible path, the lock hardware has to comply with ADA requirements, lever handles, not round knobs, and an opening force within the 5 lbf limit. The electric strike doesn’t change the opening force, the door still has to be pushed or pulled open manually. If the door is too heavy to open, an automatic door operator may be needed in addition to the electric strike.
What Pro Locksmith Does
Pro Locksmith LLC installs electric strikes on commercial aluminum storefront doors throughout Broward County and Miami-Dade, including Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Davie, Pompano Beach, Coral Springs, and Miami. We use listed electric strikes from approved manufacturers, and we pair them with existing or new mechanical locks to maintain security during power failures. The company is licensed and insured, with a certificate of insurance provided for commercial property managers. Flat-rate pricing is quoted up front. Employees, not subcontractors.
If you’re adding access control to storefront doors or repairing a strike that’s stopped working, call Pro Locksmith LLC at (954) 406-8266.
Sources
- ANSI/BHMA A156.31, Electric Strikes
- NFPA 80, Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives (fire-rated strike requirements)
- ADA Standards for Accessible Design, Section 404 (door opening force and hardware)
The Parts of a Complete Electric Strike System
An electric strike is one component of an access controlled door, not the whole system. When planning an installation on a storefront, it helps to understand every piece, because each has to be chosen, mounted, and wired correctly for the door to work reliably.
- The credential reader or keypad. This is what the user interacts with outside the door: a card reader, fob reader, keypad, or intercom.
- The controller. It decides whether a credential is valid, and when it is, sends the signal to release the strike. It also holds schedules and, on networked systems, logs events.
- The power supply. It provides the correct voltage and current to the strike and often to the reader. Many power supplies include battery backup.
- The request to exit device. A motion sensor or button on the inside that tells the system someone is leaving, so the exit is not logged as a forced door.
- The door position switch. A small magnetic contact in the frame and door that tells the system whether the door is actually closed.
- The strike itself, sized and configured for the frame and the lock.
A storefront where only the strike is replaced, without attention to the rest, is where most intermittent problems begin.
Keeping a Mechanical Way In
Every access controlled storefront should have a mechanical override that works when the electronics do not. With an electric strike, the existing keyed cylinder on the door typically fills that role, since the key retracts the latch whether the strike is powered or not. Before the installation is finished, confirm that the right people have working keys and know where they are kept. Power outages during summer storms are common in South Florida, and a system that depends entirely on electricity will eventually leave someone standing outside.
Strikes for Doors With Rim Exit Devices
Many storefront doors that serve as exits use a rim exit device, where the latch is mounted on the surface of the door at the end of a push bar rather than mortised into the stile. A standard mortise style electric strike does not fit that latch. Rim exit devices need a surface mounted electric strike designed to catch the rim latch, or a different approach entirely.
That different approach is often electric latch retraction, where a motor or solenoid inside the exit device pulls the latch back on command. The frame keeps its ordinary strike, and the electrical work moves into the door. Electric latch retraction avoids cutting the frame for a strike and works well on pairs of doors and high traffic entrances, but it requires a way to get power into the door, usually a power transfer hinge or an electric transfer device built into the hinge side.
Pairs of Doors
Double storefront doors add complications. If the pair closes against a center mullion, each door can latch to the mullion and each can get its own strike or electrified device. If the pair has no mullion and one door is held by flush bolts or a surface bolt, putting an electric strike on the inactive leaf does not help, because the active door latches into the inactive door, not the frame. In that arrangement, electrified exit devices, a removable mullion, or controlling only the active leaf are the usual options. We look at how the pair actually latches before recommending hardware.
Electric Strike or Magnetic Lock?
Business owners sometimes ask whether a magnetic lock would be simpler. A magnetic lock mounts on the header, uses an electromagnet to hold a plate on the door, and releases when power is cut. It does not require cutting the frame for a strike.
The tradeoffs are significant. A magnetic lock always fails safe, so it unlocks during a power loss unless backup power keeps it energized. It also requires specific egress provisions, such as a request to exit sensor and a separate manual release, and these are areas where fire officials look closely. An electric strike working with a mechanical latch keeps the door latched by the lock even when power is off, allows normal mechanical exit through the existing lever or push bar, and leaves a keyed override in place. For most retail and office storefronts, a properly selected electric strike is the more practical choice.
Buzz-In Setups for Small Businesses
Not every storefront needs cards and a controller. A jewelry store, a salon, a small medical office, or a pharmacy counter may only want staff to be able to let visitors in with the push of a button. In that setup, a doorbell or intercom outside alerts staff, and a release button behind the counter energizes or de-energizes the strike to let the visitor in. The door relocks as soon as it closes.
Buzz-in systems are simpler and less expensive than full access control. They can later be expanded with a reader or keypad for employees if the business grows.
Schedules and Business Hours
A networked access system can hold the strike unlocked during business hours so customers walk in freely, then lock it automatically at closing. Staff use credentials before and after hours. This removes the daily chore of unlocking and relocking with a key and eliminates the risk that someone forgets to lock up.
When using a schedule, think about holidays, early closings, and what happens if the store opens late. A schedule that unlocks the front door at a set time whether or not anyone is there is a risk. Many systems offer a first person in rule, which keeps the door locked until an authorized employee presents a credential during the scheduled window.
Monitoring What the Strike Is Doing
Some electric strikes include switches that report whether the latch bolt is in the strike and whether the strike is locked or unlocked. Paired with a door position switch, this tells the system not just that the door is closed but that it is actually latched. For a business that wants alerts when the storefront is left ajar at night, that difference matters. A door can look closed while resting against the frame with the latch sitting outside the strike.
Power Supplies and Backup
Power supply choices affect reliability more than most owners realize. A supply sized too small can deliver enough current to buzz the strike but not enough to release it under load, especially if a preloaded door is pushing on the latch. Battery backup keeps fail secure strikes operable, and keeps readers and controllers running, during short outages. Batteries should be tested and replaced on a schedule, because a backup battery that has quietly died provides no protection. In buildings subject to fire alarm tie-ins, the power supply may also need to respond to the fire alarm signal, which is a coordination point with the fire alarm contractor.
Working With Landlords and Property Managers
Storefronts in shopping centers and office buildings often have rules about altering the frame, adding wiring, or tying into building systems. Before an electric strike installation, check the lease and ask the property manager whether approval is needed. Some landlords require that the frame be restored at the end of the lease. Others require use of specific hardware to match the rest of the center. Handling this first prevents disputes later.
Signs an Existing Strike Needs Service
Electric strikes rarely fail all at once. They usually give warning signs first, and catching them early avoids the morning when nobody can get in.
- Employees have to push or pull on the door before presenting their card for it to open.
- The strike makes a clicking or buzzing sound but the door stays locked.
- The door opens only on the second or third try.
- The strike works in the morning but not in the afternoon heat, when aluminum frames expand.
- Staff have started propping the door or taping the latch because the strike is unreliable.
- The faceplate is loose or the screws are backing out of the frame.
Most of these trace back to alignment, preload on the latch, or power. A technician can usually find the cause by watching the door cycle, measuring voltage at the strike while it is energized, and checking how the latch sits in the keeper.
Retrofitting Older Storefronts
Many storefronts along Broward’s commercial corridors have frames that have been drilled, patched, and reworked by several tenants. An old strike cutout may be oversized, a previous installer may have run wiring along the outside of the frame, or the frame may be a discontinued profile. These conditions do not rule out an electric strike, but they change the approach. Filler plates can close oversized cutouts, surface raceway can be replaced with concealed routing where the frame allows, and when a frame is too damaged, a new jamb section may be the honest recommendation. We would rather tell a tenant that up front than mount an expensive strike in a frame that cannot hold it securely, because a strike is only as strong as the metal around it. When the existing frame is sound, we note any earlier damage in writing before work begins so there is a clear record of the condition of the opening.
Testing Before Handing Over the Door
A finished installation should be tested as a whole, not just by swiping a card once. We check that:
- The strike releases every time a valid credential is presented, including when the door is being pushed or pulled.
- The door relatches and relocks on its own after each cycle.
- The key override still retracts the latch.
- Exit from inside works with a single motion, with power on and off.
- Invalid credentials are refused.
- Status switches and the door position switch report correctly.
- The wiring is protected where it passes from frame to floor or ceiling.
Pro Locksmith installs and services electric strikes and related storefront hardware for retail, office, and warehouse clients across Broward County, from Hallandale Beach and Hollywood up through Pompano Beach and Deerfield Beach, as well as in Boca Raton, Aventura, North Miami, and Miami. Before we cut a frame, we confirm the frame profile, the lock type, and how the door is used, so the finished door works for your staff and your customers from the first day.