What does access control installation involve for an Inglewood business?
Access control replaces the metal key with something you can manage: a code, a card, a fob, or a credential presented to a reader. The door still has a lock, but the decision to open it is made by a reader and a controller, and the locking device itself is usually an electric strike or a magnetic lock. We supply and install all of those parts, run the wiring, program the system, and show you how to add and remove people yourself.
Our storefront is at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood, about 11 miles from Inglewood, and we have been working as locksmiths since 1987. David, the owner and lead technician, oversees how systems are planned. That matters because the decisions made before anyone drills a hole, such as which doors, which lock type, and what happens when the power drops, determine whether a system works quietly for years or turns into a daily irritation.
This page covers what we install, how a job runs, what drives the cost, and what is worth thinking about for buildings in Inglewood. If you already know what you want, call (213) 577-1366 and we will talk through your doors.
Why do businesses move from keys to electronic access control?
Keys fail in predictable ways. They can be copied at any hardware counter, they do not tell you who used them, and when an employee leaves you either trust that every copy came back or you pay to rekey. For a shop with two people that is a small annoyance. For an office with several tenants, a clinic with a records room, or a warehouse with rotating staff, it becomes a recurring cost and a real security gap.
Electronic access control, also called door access control or a business access control system, changes the math:
- You remove one person's access without touching anyone else's. Delete a code or deactivate a card and that credential stops working.
- Different people can have different doors. Front-of-house staff, a bookkeeper, and a delivery driver do not all need the same access.
- Schedules can limit entry to working hours, which helps if your business keeps irregular hours.
- Depending on the equipment, the system can keep a record of which credential opened which door and when.
- Keyless entry for business means no lost-key calls and no copies circulating outside your control.
Which access control hardware fits which door?
There is no single best system. The right pick depends on the door, the number of people, and how much you want to track. These are the building blocks we install:
- Keypad access control: a code entered at the door. It is the simplest form of commercial keyless entry and works well for a back door, storeroom, or small office. Its weakness is that codes get shared, so we usually set individual codes where the equipment allows it.
- Card access system or key card entry system: staff present a card to a reader. Each card is its own credential, so losing one means deactivating that card, not changing everything.
- Key fob access control: the same idea in a small fob that goes on a key ring. Fobs hold up better than cards in a pocket and suit people who handle gear all day.
- Electric strike installation: the strike replaces the standard strike plate in the door frame and releases the latch when the reader approves entry. The door stays locked from the outside at all times, and people can still leave by turning the lever. Strikes suit doors with an existing latch and a solid frame.
- Magnetic lock installation: an electromagnet on the frame holds against a steel plate on the door. Maglocks are common on glass and aluminum doors where a strike is hard to fit, but they need correct alignment, a reliable power supply, and a code-compliant way to exit.
- Multi-door access control: a controller that manages several readers under one set of users, so one change applies across the building. This is the sensible route once you pass a handful of doors.
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Call (213) 577-1366How do fail-safe, fail-secure, and exit rules affect the choice?
Every electric lock has to decide what to do when power is lost. A fail-secure device stays locked without power, which suits storerooms and server closets. A fail-safe device unlocks without power, which is how maglocks normally behave and which suits doors people must be able to leave through. Which one belongs on a given door is a safety and code question as much as a security one, and we talk it through with you at the site visit.
Life-safety rules require people to be able to leave a building freely, and the details depend on the occupancy and the door. Where a door needs exit hardware, we can coordinate it with panic bar installation. If your doors need new levers, closers, or frames before electronics make sense, that falls under commercial door hardware. For rules specific to your building, check with the city or fire authority; we will tell you what we see but we will not pretend to be the final word on your occupancy.
How we install an access control system, step by step
A good installation is mostly planning and testing, with the drilling in the middle. Here is how a typical job goes:
- You call (213) 577-1366. We ask how many doors you want controlled, how many people use them, what is on the doors now, and whether you have any existing system.
- We walk the site. We look at each door's material (wood, hollow metal, aluminum storefront, glass), the frame, the closer, and where power and wire can run without damaging finishes.
- We propose the plan: which doors get which hardware, fail-safe versus fail-secure on each, how credentials will work, and what parts are needed. You see the scope in writing before work starts.
- We install the readers or keypads, the strikes or maglocks, the power supplies, and the controller, and run and terminate the wiring. We check that closers pull doors fully shut, because an access system is only as good as a door that latches.
- We program users, schedules, and door groups, and load the cards, fobs, or codes you need.
- We test every door repeatedly, including how it behaves with power removed, and confirm that people can exit freely.
- We hand over admin access and show you how to add and remove credentials. Administrator control belongs to you, not to us.
What affects the cost of access control installation in Inglewood?
We do not quote numbers on a web page, because two doors that look identical can differ a lot once we open the frame. We give you a firm scope after we see the site. These are the factors that move the cost:
- Number of doors. Each controlled door needs a reader, a lock device, and wiring back to a controller.
- Door and frame type. A solid hollow-metal frame takes a strike easily. A narrow aluminum storefront stile or a glass door may need a maglock or specialized hardware.
- Wiring distance and building construction. Running wire through open ceilings is quick. Finished walls, masonry, and long runs take more labor.
- Credential type. Keypads are simpler; cards and fobs add the credentials themselves and the programming of each.
- System size and features. A standalone keypad on one door is usually the more economical route. A networked multi-door system with schedules and entry records costs more up front and saves effort once you have many users.
- Existing hardware. Reusing sound doors and frames lowers cost; replacing worn closers or damaged frames adds to it.
- Power and backup. Power supplies, and optional battery backup, are part of doing it right.
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Call (213) 577-1366What should Inglewood businesses think about for access control?
Inglewood is a mix of older neighborhoods and new development, and the doors in each are different. Downtown Inglewood's Market Street is a storefront district, and storefront doors are often glass or aluminum with narrow frames. That usually points toward a maglock or a specialty strike, and it is where a fresh look at the door's condition pays off. If your front door already sticks or drags, storefront lock repair may need to come first, since no reader can fix a door that will not latch.
In Fairview Heights and Morningside Park, the housing is mostly 1920s–1940s Spanish bungalows with postwar stucco homes mixed in. Where a small business or office occupies an older building of that age, expect older wood or hollow-metal doors and frames. We check frame condition before mounting anything, because a strike set into a worn frame will not hold up. Gate and security-door hardware are common in Morningside Park, and a keypad or reader on a gate is a different job from one on a building door; we plan the power and weather exposure for it separately.
The Century Boulevard and La Brea corridors carry a large apartment stock, and most Inglewood residents rent. For owners and managers there, shared entrances, laundry rooms, and trash enclosures are the usual candidates for a keypad or fob reader, so you stop rekeying every time a tenant moves out. If you manage rentals, see our page on locksmith services for landlords. Newer condominium and apartment buildings are going up with the Hollywood Park development near SoFi Stadium. Individual unit locks there fall under smart lock installation, while shared entrances and back-of-house doors are access control work.
Businesses near SoFi Stadium, the Kia Forum, and Intuit Dome may keep unusual hours around event days. Time-based schedules and individual credentials make that manageable: extra staff get access for the days they need it, and it ends when you say so. Inglewood's marine-layer mornings and mild climate with little salt exposure are gentle on hardware, though we still use weather-rated readers for anything mounted outside. We serve all of Inglewood's ZIP codes, 90301 through 90305, with mobile vans and a storefront in Westwood behind them.
Can you repair or upgrade an existing access control system?
Yes. Access control repair is a large part of the work, because many systems are installed once and then left alone until something fails. The usual culprits are simple: a power supply that has died, a strike that no longer lines up with a door that has sagged, a maglock that is not pulling against its plate, a worn keypad, or a controller nobody has the admin code for.
An access control upgrade is common too. Typical examples are replacing a shared-code keypad with individual credentials, adding a second and third door to a one-door setup, or moving from keys on a main entrance to cards and fobs. Where the existing wiring and door hardware are in good shape, we reuse them so you are not paying twice. If a system is proprietary or discontinued and parts are no longer available, we will say so plainly and explain your options rather than patch something that will fail again.
If you also still use mechanical keys on some doors, a master key system can sit alongside the electronics so that each person carries only what they need. For the broader picture of door hardware, locks, and business security, see our commercial locksmith service.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for access control in Inglewood?
Access control involves electrical work, door hardware, and security planning, and it goes wrong when those pieces are handled by different people who never talk to each other. Here is what we offer:
- In business since 1987, serving 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
- A real storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood, plus mobile service vans that come to you.
- One company from first call to final test. We do not hand your job to a dispatch middleman or an unknown subcontractor.
- David's oversight on how systems are planned and set up.
- Phones answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, at (213) 577-1366.
What should you ask any locksmith before they install access control?
California requires locksmith companies to hold a license from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS), called an LCO license. Ask any locksmith for that number and check it with the state before work begins. Ask us the same question and expect a direct answer.
Also ask these questions. Which doors will be fail-safe and which fail-secure, and why? What happens to each door during a power outage? Who holds the admin credentials after the job, and can you change them? Will you get written documentation of what was installed? A company that cannot answer these clearly should not be wiring your front door. If a lockout happens on a door while a system is down, our business lockout service can get you back inside while the problem is fixed.
Frequently asked questions
How much does access control installation cost in Inglewood?
It depends on the number of doors, the type of door and frame, how far the wiring has to run, the credential type, and whether it is a single standalone keypad or a networked system. A standalone keypad on one door is usually the more economical route. We give a written scope after seeing the doors, so the quote reflects your building and not a guess.
Should I choose keypads, key cards, or key fobs?
Keypads are simple and need no credentials to carry, but codes get shared. Cards and fobs give each person their own credential that you can switch off individually. Fobs hold up better for people who are always on the move. Many businesses mix them: a keypad on a storeroom and card readers on main entrances.
Can you add access control to a glass or aluminum storefront door?
Usually yes. Narrow aluminum frames often make an electric strike hard to fit, so a magnetic lock or specialized storefront hardware is common. We check the door, the frame, and the closer first, since the door must latch or seal correctly for any reader to work.
Is an electric strike or a maglock better?
Neither is better in every case. A strike works with a regular latch, stays locked when unpowered if it is fail-secure, and suits solid frames. A maglock handles glass and odd frames, but it releases when power is lost and needs a code-compliant exit. We pick door by door.
What happens to my doors if the power goes out?
It depends on how each door is set up. Fail-secure devices stay locked and fail-safe devices release. We decide this with you for each door, and add battery backup where it makes sense. We test power-loss behavior before we leave.
Can one system control several doors and different employees?
Yes. Multi-door access control lets you assign each person to the doors and times they need. When an employee leaves, you deactivate one credential and the change applies across every door on the system.
Do you repair access control systems you did not install?
Yes, in most cases. We diagnose power supplies, strikes, maglocks, readers, and controllers. If the equipment is discontinued or locked to a vendor and we cannot get parts or admin access, we will tell you directly and discuss an upgrade instead of a short-lived patch.
Do I need approval before putting electronic locks on my doors?
Requirements depend on your building, its occupancy, and the door, especially for exits. We design with free exit in mind, but we recommend you confirm any permit or fire authority requirements with the city or your landlord. If you rent, get your landlord's okay before we modify doors or frames.
Do you work evenings and weekends in Inglewood?
Our phones are answered around the clock, every day of the year, at (213) 577-1366. Planning and install visits are best scheduled with you directly, and we can talk through your options at any hour.
More locksmith help in Inglewood
Access Control Installation near Inglewood
Reviewed by David, Owner & Lead Technician, Wilshire Lock & Key — in the locksmith trade since 1987.
Last updated 2026-10-11.