Turbulent Times Caused Changes to Access Control, IP Camera Systems, and Intercoms
The Pandemic caused significant disruptions. Our economy and ordinary lives were affected. We had to rethink everything from where we worked to how we stayed safe. These disruptions led to changes in our social and commercial lives. Access control, IP camera systems, intercoms, and paging systems were used to mitigate the disruption. This article describes how the Pandemic caused an upheaval in access control and other technologies that will stay with us into the future.
An article in IEEE Spectrum magazine explains, “it’s already clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has sped up the arrival of the future along several dimensions.” Working remotely has become the status quo in many sectors. Medical consulting, teaching, software development, and litigation are expected to stay partly online. Online stores have supplanted many a retail storefront. There has been an increased interest in technology that controls access to our facilities and monitors our health.
Life is a School that Continues to Teach Us
Because of the Pandemic, the Administrators at the US K-12 schools faced new challenges. They had to provide increased safety from student violence, active shooters, and now from the Pandemic.
“If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?”
― T.S. Eliot
Technology helped them meet the challenge. To keep everyone in the organization healthy and safe, Door Access Control was used to limit entry. IP camera systems provided the essential real-time surveillance of the environment and recordings of any disturbance. IP intercoms and IP Paging systems opened communications to teachers, students, administrators, and security people so they could react quickly to any emergency.
Schools Used IP Camera Systems to Provide Real-Time Emergency Management
Historically, IP camera systems were used to record the video, and if a problem occurred, provided a review of the video. They were used to determine who was fighting in the hallway or who stole the laptop.
With the increase in school violence and the concern for health during the Pandemic, administrators must be notified of current situations. IP camera systems provided this immediate notification.
The artificial intelligence provided by the latest IP camera systems became very useful. It provided immediate alarms of unsafe conditions.
Automated Emergency Notifications and Response
Emergency alert buttons were placed at various places in the facility and connected to the IP security system. Each button provided a different type of alert. For example, they were used to announce a fire or establish a lockdown depending on the button pushed. Please take a look at the article, IP Paging and Automated Emergency Announcements for more information.
Paging Systems Provided Notifications in a Disaster
Now hear this!
Once a threat was identified, the administration needed to alert everyone of the danger. IP paging provided instant communications to everyone on the campus.
Automated emergency notifications allowed the administration to make campus-wide announcements or use a mass emergency notification system that reached people wherever they were. Security personnel could also use their mobile phones to make general announcements or provide mass emergency notifications.
Powered IP Speakers
Powered IP speakers were placed around the facility to make general and emergency announcements. These systems are very easy to install and manage since they are connected to the network and powered over Ethernet (PoE).
Many Organizations Enhanced Their Door Access Control Systems
Do you belong here?
Besides schools, corporate and government organizations were challenged to find new ways of doing things. The Pandemic provided additional motivation to businesses and government organizations to provide access control in their facilities. Not only did they want to prevent the wrong people from entering, but they also wanted to make sure they were not bringing disease into the organization.
The latest access control systems use simple door readers that connect to central controllers or intelligent reader-controllers that connect to the network. Power over Ethernet (PoE) powers the latest access control systems. This makes them very easy to install and expand. You can start with a single door and expand one at a time.
Temperature Monitoring at the Door
Are you sick? Don’t come in.
There continues to be controversy about the best way to prevent the disease from entering the facility. The easiest solution was to monitor people’s temperature before they entered.
Many organizations added touchless temperature screening devices to their entry doors. These panels were designed for today’s demands to improve safety in our organizations. They helped to maintain a healthy environment in schools, hospitals, corporations, and government facilities. The panels include face recognition for access control and thermal cameras that automatically determine a person’s temperature.
Several temperature screening devices are available, including handheld thermometers, thermal scanning cameras that measure many people at a time, and entry panels that check each person at the door. The individual door panels are the most popular.
Please take a look at our comparison chart that describes the three types of temperature screening devices available
Intercoms at the Doors Control Visitors
Who are you?
An access control system allows people with a credential to enter, but what happens when a visitor comes to the door?
The IP intercom is an easy way to check who is at the door. An IP camera, with additional software, can be added to view who is at the door.
Apartment Intercoms Control Entry in a Multi-Tenant Building
Whom do you want to visit?
Many apartments and other multi-tenant buildings found the importance of controlling visitors. The Apartment Intercom panel provides wireless audio and video communication to the tenants. It includes a door relay that can release the electric lock at the door. It is designed for any organization that has multiple tenants.
Summary of How to Enhance Safety
Our society has undergone a significant upheaval that has led to a rapid evolution of social and business practices. We have had to learn how to deal with the new realities. It is an upheaval that has stayed with us.
The world changed, and so did the technology used to protect us. New door access control systems, intercoms, and IP paging systems were installed. IP camera systems were used to manage real-time emergencies.
To learn more about all the new security systems, please contact us at 800-431-1658 in the USA or 914-944-3425 everywhere else, or use our contact form.