Access Control Systems in Palo Alto, CA.

This page covers access control systems in Palo Alto, from what is included to what to have ready.

Access control replaces keys with credentials you can issue, restrict and revoke from a screen: cards, fobs, PIN codes or a phone. We survey the doors, specify readers and the electrified hardware that actually holds the door, install and wire the system, program users and schedules, and show your administrator how to run it. The hardware on the door is where most installs succeed or fail, which is why a locksmith should be involved rather than only an IT vendor.

The technician comes to your address in Palo Alto, in the Peninsula. The dispatch line at (888) 492-0666 is answered around the clock, and the dispatcher confirms the details and an ETA before anyone is sent.

• Door-by-door survey: door and frame type, current lock, how people exit, where power and network are, and whether the opening is fire-rated
• Reader and credential selection: proximity, smart card, keypad, Bluetooth or NFC mobile credentials, or a mix
• Electrified hardware matched to each door: electric strike, maglock, or electrified lever or exit device
• Request-to-exit sensors or buttons, door position switches, and power supplies so the system knows when a door is open or forced
• Controller and software setup: users, groups, time schedules, holidays, door unlock windows and audit reporting
• Administrator walkthrough and a written door schedule showing what was installed where

• Authorization from the business owner or property manager, and in a leased building the landlord's approval for wiring and door modifications
• A list of doors in priority order and a rough headcount of credential holders
• Who in your organization will administer the system and whether you want cloud or on-premises management
• Photos of each door from both sides and of any existing readers, intercoms, panels or power supplies
• Your IT contact if the system will sit on your network or use mobile credentials

Typically 90-240 minutes per door for a standalone or first door, including the strike or maglock, reader, exit sensor and wiring to a nearby power supply. Long cable runs through finished ceilings, doors without accessible power, and multi-door systems are scheduled as projects over one or more days.

• The wiring and panels already in the building set what is possible. Reusing an older controller may limit credential types; some legacy readers cannot be upgraded without replacing the panel
• Maglocks on exit doors must release on fire alarm activation and have an exit sensor plus a manual release; that often means coordinating with your fire alarm company and local inspection
• Fire-rated doors need fail-secure electrified hardware that is listed for the opening; a maglock or surface strike is not always permitted on them
• Network, cloud accounts and mobile credential licensing are the system provider's territory; we install and program, but subscription terms are between you and the platform
• Larger multi-door low-voltage projects may involve a low-voltage contractor for cabling; we confirm scope and who does what when quoting

Door count, the electrified hardware each door needs, reader and credential type, cable run length and difficulty, the controller or cloud platform, and programming time set the price. Credentials themselves and any subscription are listed separately so you can see the ongoing cost.

The dispatcher gives you a range on the phone, and the technician confirms a written quote before any work starts.

Payment is by Cash, Credit Card, Debit Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and you receive an itemized receipt listing what was done.

• HID Signo, iCLASS SE and ProxPoint readers
• Mobile and cloud platforms such as Brivo, Avigilon Alta (Openpath), Verkada and Kisi
• On-premises controllers such as Keri, DMP and Honeywell
• HES, Adams Rite and Von Duprin electric strikes
• Securitron and Schlage Electronics maglocks
• Altronix and Securitron power supplies
• Bosch and Seco-Larm request-to-exit sensors

Palo Alto is at the northwest corner of Santa Clara County on the Peninsula, bordering Stanford University, Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. It has two downtowns, University Avenue and California Avenue, while El Camino Real, Alma Street/Central Expressway and Foothill Expressway run the length of the city, with Stanford Shopping Center, Stanford Research Park on Page Mill Road and the Baylands preserve on its edges. Homes north of Oregon Expressway include Craftsman and California Colonial houses dating to the 1890s; the south side is largely post-war Eichler and Eichler-style tracts. US-101 and I-280 bracket the city.

Getting to you: US-101 (Bayshore Freeway) runs along the bay side and I-280 along the foothills; Embarcadero Road, Oregon Expressway/Page Mill Road and San Antonio Road are the main cross-town connectors from US-101, with Page Mill Road continuing up to I-280.

ZIP codes served: 94301, 94302, 94303, 94304, 94306. Addresses just over the line in Stanford, Menlo Park and East Palo Alto are dispatched the same way.

For access control systems in Palo Alto, tell the dispatcher your address and what is wrong. You get an ETA before anyone is sent, a written quote before any work starts and a receipt when it is done. The line is answered around the clock.

One & Only Locksmith is bonded and insured; a certificate of insurance is available on request.