Why are Lake View Terrace properties moving away from keys?
Metal keys work until they don't. A key gets copied without anyone knowing, an employee leaves and nobody can say which keys are still out, or a tenant moves and the lock stays the same. Every one of those problems has the same root: a key can't tell you who used it or when, and you can't cancel one key without changing the lock for everybody.
Electronic access control fixes that by replacing the key with a credential: a code, a card, or a fob. Each person gets their own, and you can switch off one credential without touching the others. Depending on the system, you can also limit which doors a person can open and during which hours.
We install this for small offices, shops, workshops, apartment and condo buildings, and larger gated properties. The hardware is not complicated, but the planning is. A good system starts with a clear look at how people actually move through your doors, and that is where we start.
What types of access control can we install?
Most systems are built from the same few parts. What matters is picking the right combination for your doors, your staff, and how much you expect to grow.
- Keypad access control: a code entered at the door. It is the simplest keyless entry for business use, and works well for small teams, storerooms, and back doors. The tradeoff is that codes get shared, so we talk through how you will manage them.
- Card access system or key card entry system: each person carries a proximity card. Lost cards are deactivated individually, which is the main advantage over a keypad.
- Key fob access control: the same idea as cards, but on a keychain. Many people prefer fobs because they are hard to leave in a pocket and put through the wash.
- Credential-based entry combined: some doors accept a card plus a code for areas that need more protection, such as a records room or a cash office.
- Electric strike installation: the strike replaces the standard strike plate in the frame and releases electronically so the door can open on a valid credential.
- Magnetic lock installation: a maglock holds the door shut with an electromagnet and lets go when power is cut or a valid credential is presented.
- Multi-door access control: a controller manages several doors, so one credential list covers the whole building and you see one set of records.
How do we install an access control system, step by step?
Every site is different, but the process is consistent. We don't sell a boxed kit and walk away; we work through the same sequence each time.
- Walk the doors. We look at each door you want controlled: the material, the frame, which way it swings, what the existing lock is, and where power and wiring can realistically run.
- Talk through who needs to go where. Employee access control is mostly a scheduling question. Who needs the front door, who needs the stockroom, and who should never enter after hours?
- Choose the locking method for each door. Strikes and maglocks behave differently and suit different doors. We explain why we recommend one over the other for each opening.
- Plan power and wiring, including what happens during a power outage. Every door should have a defined behavior when power fails, and we confirm it with you before we begin.
- Install the hardware: readers or keypads, the strike or maglock, the controller, power supply, and any exit device or request-to-exit button needed so people can always leave.
- Enroll credentials and set the rules, such as who gets which doors and during what hours.
- Test every door under normal conditions and with power removed, then show you or your manager how to add and remove credentials yourselves.
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Call (213) 577-1366Electric strike or magnetic lock: which one fits your door?
This is the question we get most, and the honest answer is that it depends on the door and on how the door must behave when power is lost.
An electric strike works with a lock already in the door. It can be set to stay locked when power fails, which is called fail-secure, or to release when power fails, called fail-safe, depending on the model. It suits many wood, hollow metal, and aluminum doors, and it keeps a familiar latch-and-lever feel.
A magnetic lock holds a door with magnetic force and releases when power is cut. That makes it a common choice for doors that need to unlock automatically in an emergency, and it works on doors where cutting a strike into the frame is impractical. It also needs the right exit hardware and release arrangements so no one is ever trapped behind it.
Exit rules are the part nobody should guess at. Where a door is part of an exit path, egress requirements apply, and we plan around them. If your door also needs panic hardware, see our panic bar installation work, and for the frames and hardware these systems mount to, our commercial door hardware page covers that side.
What affects the cost of access control installation?
We don't quote numbers on a web page, because two jobs that sound the same can end up very different once someone has looked at the doors. These are the real factors that move the cost:
- Number of doors. One office door and a building with several controlled doors are different jobs, even though the controller can often be shared.
- Door and frame condition. A solid, straight frame accepts a strike easily. A warped or worn frame may need repair first.
- Locking method. A strike, a maglock, or an electrified lock each carries different hardware and labor.
- Wiring distance and difficulty. A short run through an accessible ceiling is simple. A long run, concrete walls, or an exterior door far from power takes more time.
- Credential type and number of users. Keypads, cards, and fobs differ in upfront hardware and in how you add people later.
- Exterior exposure. Outdoor readers need weather-rated, sealed hardware, and that affects both the equipment and the install.
- Reporting and scheduling features. If you want records of entries or time-based rules, the controller and software requirements grow.
- Whether you are installing new or upgrading. An access control upgrade that reuses some existing wiring and doors can be the usually more economical route, but only if the existing parts are sound.
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We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366What does access control look like in Lake View Terrace?
Lake View Terrace in 91342 is not one kind of property, and the right system differs a lot between its parts. Our storefront is at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood and our vans come to you, so we plan around what each property actually needs.
Along the Foothill Boulevard corridor, apartment and condo complexes are the obvious fit for door access control. Shared entries, laundry rooms, mailrooms, and garage pedestrian gates are the places where keys multiply fastest. A fob or card system lets a manager deactivate a former tenant's credential without rekeying the building. If you manage rentals, our page for locksmith services for landlords covers the lock side of turnover, and a master key system can sit alongside electronic doors where individual units still use mechanical keys.
Out along the Wentworth Street equestrian corridor, the picture is different. Many properties are horse-zoned lots with barns, corrals, and long gated driveways. A keypad or card reader at the driveway gate lets family, a trainer, or a farrier in without handing out copies of a gate key, and a controlled barn door can keep tack and feed secured. Gates take more abuse than building doors, so for existing hardware needing attention first, see gate lock repair.
Climate matters here too. Foothill heat and strong seasonal Santa Ana winds blow dust and grit through the Hansen Dam basin, and that grit can foul exterior gate locks and padlocks. For any reader or keypad installed outdoors in the Hansen Dam area, we favor sealed, weather-rated units with the electronics protected, and we plan the install so debris has less chance to work into the mechanism. Properties near Little Tujunga Canyon, Shadow Hills, and Kagel Canyon tend to sit on larger, more exposed parcels, so a gate or outbuilding entry may be a long way from the house. That makes wiring, power, and the failure behavior of the lock part of the discussion up front.
We have no territory we are unwilling to drive. Lake View Terrace is part of the 140 cities we serve across Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
Can you repair or upgrade the access control we already have?
Often, yes. Access control repair is a large part of this work. Typical problems include a reader that works intermittently, a strike that buzzes but doesn't release, a maglock that doesn't hold, a controller that has lost its settings, or a power supply that has failed. Most of the time the fault is a power issue, a wiring connection, or a door that has shifted out of alignment, not the whole system.
If the system is old, we tell you whether repair or an access control upgrade makes more sense. Sometimes a reader or controller swap solves a lot while reusing the wiring and the doors. Sometimes the older equipment is no longer supported and a partial replacement just postpones the problem. We will say which situation you are in rather than push replacement.
If you are mostly interested in a residential door with a keypad or app, that is closer to smart lock installation, which is a different service from the commercial systems on this page.
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?
Access control touches both the lock and the electrical side of a door, and there is value in dealing with one company that understands both.
- In business since 1987. We have been working on doors, frames, and locks for a long time, and that experience shows up in how we judge a door before we install on it.
- A storefront and mobile vans. We have a real shop at 10740 Wilshire Blvd, and our vans bring the tools and parts to your site.
- One company, no dispatch middlemen. The people who answer your call are with the company that does the work.
- David's oversight. David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the design, so the system is planned by someone accountable for it.
- Open when you need us. The phone at (213) 577-1366 is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, which matters if a door is not securing at night.
- Straight talk. We will tell you when a simpler keypad does the job, or when a door has to be fixed before electronics belong on it.
What should you ask any locksmith before hiring?
California requires locksmith companies to hold a license from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, known as a BSIS LCO license. Ask any locksmith you are considering for their license number and confirm it with the state. That applies to us as well as anyone else.
Beyond the license, ask who will be doing the work, how the system will behave when the power goes out, and whether you will own and control the credential list afterward. You should be able to add and remove users yourself, or at least know exactly who can. If you would like a second opinion on a quote or a system already in place, call us, or reach us through our contact page.
If your need is broader than access control, our commercial locksmith page covers the rest of the business side.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a keypad, a card reader, and a key fob system?
A keypad uses a code. A card reader uses a proximity card, and a key fob system uses a small fob that works the same way. Keypads are simplest, but codes get shared. Cards and fobs let you cancel one person's credential without affecting anyone else, which is usually the deciding factor for employee access control.
Can you install access control on more than one door?
Yes. Multi-door access control uses a controller that manages several doors from a single credential list. We plan the doors together so each one has the right locking method and so adding a door later does not mean starting over.
Should I use an electric strike or a magnetic lock?
It depends on the door and on what must happen when power fails. Strikes use the door's existing latch and can be set to stay locked or to release on power loss. Maglocks release when power is cut and suit certain doors well, but they need correct exit arrangements. We look at the door before recommending either.
Will outdoor keypads hold up to dust and wind around the Hansen Dam area?
Santa Ana winds and foothill dust are rough on exterior hardware, so we recommend sealed, weather-rated readers and keypads for outdoor use. No exterior device is maintenance-free, but the right equipment and a sound install give it a fair chance in this environment.
Can access control work on a driveway gate for a horse property?
Yes. A keypad or card reader at a gate can replace shared gate keys, and a controlled barn entry can protect tack and equipment. Gates need the right power, weatherproofing, and a clear plan for what happens if the power drops. If the existing gate hardware is worn, we check it first.
Can you repair my existing access control system?
In many cases, yes. Common faults are power supplies, loose connections, misaligned doors, and worn readers. We find the actual fault first and then tell you whether repair or an upgrade makes more sense, instead of defaulting to replacement.
What happens to my doors if the power goes out?
It depends on how the lock is set up. Fail-secure locks stay locked and fail-safe locks release. We decide this door by door, with egress in mind, and test with power removed before we finish, so you know exactly what to expect.
How do I remove a former employee or tenant from the system?
With a credential-based system you deactivate that one card, fob, or code and everyone else keeps working. We show you or your manager how to do it before we leave, so you aren't dependent on us for routine changes.
Do you handle this outside normal business hours?
Our phone at (213) 577-1366 is answered around the clock, every day of the year. For a door that won't secure at night, call right away. For a planned installation, we can discuss the schedule that works best for your business.
More locksmith help in Lake View Terrace
Access Control Installation near Lake View Terrace
Reviewed by David, Owner & Lead Technician, Wilshire Lock & Key — in the locksmith trade since 1987.
Last updated 2026-10-11.