A property manager calls and says they want “keycards on the doors.” That’s the starting point, not the answer. Before anyone installs hardware, you need to answer three questions: what credential type fits how your building operates, what locking hardware is appropriate for each door, and what happens to those doors when the power goes out or the fire alarm activates.
At Pro Locksmith LLC, we design and install access control systems for small commercial buildings across Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, and Plantation. This article covers the decisions that actually matter — not the marketing brochures, but the trade-offs a property manager needs to understand before signing off on a system.
Credential Types: Keypad, Fob, or Mobile
Keypads are the simplest option. Users enter a PIN code on a wall-mounted pad to unlock the door. No physical credentials to issue, lose, or recover. Inexpensive to install on a single door. Best for small teams, back offices, mechanical rooms, or as a backup method alongside another credential type.
The problem: codes get shared. If the code is on a sticky note under the receptionist’s monitor, you’ve lost your audit trail. Modern keypads support unique PINs per user and time-based access windows, but enforcement requires discipline. [SOURCE: AlarmSys.com — “Codes get shared. In any office where the code is on a sticky note under the monitor, you’ve lost the audit trail.”]
Key fobs are the most common credential type in commercial buildings. Each user carries a small fob with an embedded RFID chip. They present it to a reader, the reader checks the credential against the controller’s database, and the door unlocks. Fobs can be revoked instantly from the admin software without changing any locks. Replacement cost is typically $3-$15 per fob depending on the technology tier. [SOURCE: Tec-Tel — “Typically $3 to $15 per fob depending on technology tier and vendor. 125 kHz Prox fobs are cheaper; HID iCLASS SE and SEOS cost more.”]
The security of a fob system depends entirely on the credential technology. Legacy 125 kHz proximity fobs can be cloned with cheap devices available online. Modern encrypted credentials — HID iCLASS SEOS, MIFARE DESFire — use cryptographic authentication that makes cloning impractical. [SOURCE: Systems Integrations — “Some legacy credential formats (especially older, low-frequency proximity credentials) can be cloned using low-cost devices sold online.”] If you’re installing fobs today, use encrypted credentials. If you’re inheriting an old system with 125 kHz Prox fobs, plan to upgrade it.
Mobile credentials let users unlock doors with their smartphones via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or NFC. No physical token to lose or replace. Credentials can be issued and revoked over the air through a cloud-based admin portal. Onboarding a new employee takes minutes — no one has to physically hand them a fob. [SOURCE: Edmonton Lock & Safe — “New employees can receive access permissions before their first day, contractors can be granted temporary access without visiting the office.”]
The trade-off: phone dependency. A dead battery or a forgotten phone means no access. Most systems support a backup credential (a keypad PIN or a physical fob for emergencies). And some organizations don’t want employees using personal phones for building access.
For most small commercial buildings in Fort Lauderdale — offices with 5 to 50 employees, medical suites, retail back doors — fobs are still the sweet spot. They’re reliable, the technology is mature, and users don’t need to think about phone batteries. Mobile credentials make sense if you have multiple buildings, frequent contractor access, or a cloud-based system already in place.
Locking Hardware: Maglock vs. Electric Strike
This is the decision that determines what happens when the power goes out. Getting it wrong is a life safety issue.
Electromagnetic locks (maglocks) use an electromagnet bonded to a steel armature plate. When powered, the magnet holds the door closed with 600 to 1,500 pounds of force. When power is cut, the magnet releases and the door opens freely. Maglocks are always fail-safe — power off means door unlocked.
Because maglocks hold the door by magnetic force alone, they must have a secondary means of egress. NFPA 101 requires either a motion sensor (request-to-exit, or REX) that detects an approaching occupant and releases the lock, or a manual push button that interrupts power to the lock. [SOURCE: I Dig Hardware (Allegion) Decoded Series — “Lock is unlocked for egress via a sensor detecting an approaching occupant. Manual release device (w/ sign) unlocks door for 30 sec, independent of access control system. Power loss unlocks the door for egress.”]
Maglocks must also release on fire alarm activation. When the building fire alarm triggers, power to the maglock is cut, and the door opens. This integration is not optional — it’s required by NFPA 101 and the Florida Fire Prevention Code. [SOURCE: TechnoGuru — “Every door on an egress path must be fail-safe and must release on a fire-alarm trigger, no exceptions.”]
Electric strikes replace the strike plate in the door frame. When powered, the strike’s keeper either releases the latch (fail-safe) or stays locked (fail-secure). The door itself still has mechanical hardware — a lever, a panic bar, or a mortise lock — so free egress is always available by turning the lever or pushing the bar, regardless of the strike’s power state.
This is the critical difference: with an electric strike, the mechanical exit hardware always provides egress. With a maglock, the magnetic bond physically holds the door shut, so you need the REX sensor and the fire alarm release to comply with egress code.
Fail-safe vs. fail-secure:
- Fail-safe = unlocked on power loss. Used on egress paths, stairwell doors, and any door that occupants must be able to exit through during a power failure or fire. Maglocks are always fail-safe. Electric strikes can be ordered fail-safe.
- Fail-secure = locked on power loss. Used on perimeter doors, server rooms, and high-security areas where you don’t want a power cut to give someone access. Electric strikes can be ordered fail-secure. [SOURCE: I Dig Hardware — “Fail Safe: access-side lever is unlocked upon loss of power. Fail Secure: access-side lever is locked upon loss of power. Both typically allow free egress.”]
The rule: any door on the path of egress must be fail-safe. No exceptions. If occupants need to pass through that door to get out of the building, it has to unlock when the power dies or the fire alarm sounds. [SOURCE: TechnoGuru — “Is this door on an egress path? If yes, it must be fail-safe.”]
Fire-rated doors have an additional requirement: electric strikes used on fire doors must be fail-secure and must be listed for fire door use. [SOURCE: I Dig Hardware — “Electric strikes used on fire doors must be fail secure. Fail safe electric strikes may not be used because they are not listed for use on a fire door.”] This sounds contradictory, but it works because the mechanical exit hardware on a fire door always allows free egress — the strike just controls whether the latch can be pulled back from the outside.
Fire Alarm Integration: Not Optional
If your access control system includes maglocks, the fire alarm system must release them on activation. This means:
- The fire alarm panel sends a signal to the access control system (or directly to the lock power supply) when an alarm is triggered
- Power to all maglocks on egress paths is cut immediately
- All doors on the egress route open freely
- The system must also release on sprinkler activation, if the building has a sprinkler system
[SOURCE: I Dig Hardware Decoded Series — “Actuation of fire/sprinkler system (if provided) unlocks door.”]
This integration requires coordination between the access control installer and the fire alarm contractor. If you’re retrofitting access control into a building with an existing fire alarm, we verify compatibility before installing anything. If the fire alarm panel can’t signal the access control system, maglocks are off the table for egress doors — we use electric strikes with fail-safe configuration instead.
What We Do — and What We Don’t
Pro Locksmith LLC is platform-agnostic. We don’t partner with or resell any access control platform. We spec whatever fits the building, its existing infrastructure, and the customer’s budget — not what we’re contracted to sell. That’s an advantage for property managers: you get hardware chosen for your building, not for a vendor relationship.
Our scope is the hardware side of the opening: electric strikes, maglocks, REX sensors, door position switches, power supplies, wiring, door prep, and integration with existing door hardware and the fire alarm system.
Not our scope: controller software, cloud platform administration, credential management, and ongoing system administration. If a customer needs a managed cloud platform, that’s a separate vendor — we handle the physical installation and make sure it works with their doors.
What We Actually Install
For most small commercial buildings in Fort Lauderdale — a medical office with a front door and a back door, a restaurant with an office door, a retail space with a stockroom — the typical system looks like this:
- Front door: Electric strike (fail-safe) integrated with a fob reader and keypad backup. The existing mechanical lock stays for free egress. Fire alarm releases the strike on activation. See our article on panic bars and exit devices for fire code requirements on egress doors.
- Back door / stockroom: Electric strike or maglock with REX sensor and push button. Maglock only if the door has no mechanical hardware that can provide egress.
- Controller: Wall-mounted panel that processes credentials and manages door schedules. We handle the wiring, power supply, and door hardware integration; the customer or their IT vendor manages the software side.
- Admin software: Add users, assign access levels (front door only vs. all doors), set time schedules (access during business hours only), pull audit logs. This is managed by the customer or their access control platform vendor.
Don’t Bolt On Access Control After the Fact
The most common mistake property managers make: buying access control hardware online and calling us to install it. The hardware may be fine, but the system design — which doors, which lock type, which credential, fire alarm integration — has to be figured out before anything gets mounted. Retrofitting a poorly planned system costs more than doing it right the first time.
Call us at (954) 406-8266. We’ll walk your property, identify which doors need access control, and design a system that fits how your building operates and meets Florida fire code. Licensed, insured, employees not subcontractors. COI provided for commercial work.
Pro Locksmith LLC — commercial door hardware and access control in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, and Plantation.