Door entry is an important part of home security that needs careful and considered planning to deal promptly and efficiently with visitors while preventing unauthorised access, offering surveillance and protecting those living in the property and their valuables.
James Gray, Project Manager at Videx Security, a leading access control and door entry manufacturer and supplier, explains why entry to and from your home is a vital part of the planning process when designing it. He discusses the advantages of door entry systems and why housebuilders need to understand the significance in having a fully secure yet highly accessible home and looks at the key technologies that can enable this.
You’ve bought land for your dream home and finally secured planning permission for your self-build to go ahead. There’s so much to think about and so much to do. Organised and structured planning is vital to the success of a self-build home. There are many factors to consider, including home security, how to protect those living in the property and their belongings and how to manage entry to and from the property by both residents and visitors.
When considering door entry management options, it’s imperative that self-builders think about this right at the beginning of the build process and ensure that it is factored into drawings and plans of their home and how they want it to look and operate.
If you only start to think about door entry when your home is nearly finished, then you’ve left it too late. By doing this, you’re severely limiting the options available and it’s very likely that you might even eliminate the chance to install a door entry or access control system.
Thinking about door entry and access control at the initial planning stage allows a homemaker to ensure that the right cables are in place in the right locations. During construction, this will allow for an easy installation without any issues and it will give the self-builder all of the integration and functionality they require. For example, a homeowner may want to turn their driveway lights on when the gate opens to allow them access to their home. If this is thought about at the planning stage, it is easily achievable because it ensures that the right system is selected. By doing so, this greatly increases the potential the home has of being highly functional and user friendly.
When planning and putting in place an effective access control system for their home, it’s vital that homeowners selects an entry manufacturer that has a proven track record of support and, crucially, will support the system throughout its lifetime; not just for the first five or even 10 years. When choosing a system, ensure an established, well know brand of system is selected but not one that is likely to be obsolete in five years’ time – it’s vital that the manufacturer guarantees that spare parts will always be available.
In regard to the specific system, homeowners need to ask themselves a number of questions. For example, does the system provide the level of functionality they are looking for? Can they receive calls when they are out of the house? Can they open the door/gate remotely? Can they monitor when their door/gate has been opened?
Not too long ago, door entry and access control systems only offered the most basic of functionality and were strictly hard-wired systems.
Today, developments in technology has enabled door entry and access control systems to be more secure, more convenient yet easier to use more than ever before. GSM and IP technology in particular offer smart home integration with a high level of user functionality.
GSM technology, for instance, has the flexibility of providing wireless audio communication between any landline or mobile phone and the door entry panel. Programming and monitoring of events is available through an app which allows entry codes, proximity fobs, phone numbers to be added and deleted via the app at a press of a button.
IP technology is also a great choice for self-builders because it can be customised to any type of home with specific or non-specific entry requirements. The huge benefit of IP technology is that it doesn’t require dedicated wiring infrastructure and can be used on new or existing networks. These networks can be shared with other technologies such as CCTV, access control and many others.
Videx’s IP solution, for example, provides homeowners with the ability to create a smart home by connecting the system to their home network and operate the door or gate or any other device via the mobile app. The system allows video calling to be made to multiple devices whether to a Videx IP videophone or to a mobile phone or tablet. Users can take video calls over 3G and 4G wherever they are in the world via their mobile, allowing deliveries, or authorised friends or family access to the property.
If there was one piece of advice I would share with self-builders who are about to embark on the biggest project of their life, it would definitely be to ensure entry and access control management of their property is a key priority. In the first instance, they should contact a reputable and recommended door entry and access control manufacturer directly, describe their exact needs and let them create and design a system to match these requirements. Homemakers need to ensure they discuss every last detail with them and, if opting for a hard-wired system, ensure a key focus is put upon cable requirements. On so many occasions, I have personally visited houses where the wrong cable or poor-quality cable has been installed, rendering it unusable. If this happens and the house is completed before it is noticed, there’s not many options other than to re-cable the whole house which is expensive and time consuming and not something you want to be doing post build.
So, do your homework, speak to a genuine, reputable manufacturer, discuss your bespoke needs and ensure their solution covers everything you need, both now and in the future, in case your needs change and your access control solution needs to be modified too.
For more information about Videx and its door entry and access control systems, please visit www.videxuk.com