What does access control installation involve for a North Hills business?
Access control replaces the question "who has a key?" with "who is allowed through this door, and when?" Instead of a brass key that can be copied at any hardware counter, each person gets a credential: a PIN code, a key card, a key fob, or a phone-based credential, depending on the system. The door itself is held by an electric strike or a magnetic lock, and a reader or keypad tells that hardware when to release.
That is the whole idea, but the installation is where it succeeds or fails. A reader is only as good as the door it is mounted on, the frame behind it, the wiring that feeds it, and the way it behaves when the power drops. We install commercial access control, business access control systems, and keyless entry for business in North Hills, and we pay as much attention to the door and the wiring as we do to the electronics.
This page covers new installations, multi-door systems, upgrades from older systems, and access control repair. If you only need a standard lock swapped or rekeyed, that is a different job, and our commercial locksmith service covers it.
When does a key-and-lock setup stop working for a business?
Most businesses do not wake up and decide to install electronic access control. They get pushed there by a problem that keys cannot solve cleanly. The common ones we hear about look like this:
- An employee leaves and you cannot be sure every copy of their key came back, so you rekey, and then you hand out new keys, and the cycle repeats.
- Several people need different levels of access: the front office all day, a stockroom only for two people, a server closet for one.
- You need to know who came in and when, whether for a dispute, an inventory problem, or simply peace of mind.
- Someone needs temporary entry, such as a contractor, a part-time hire, or a cleaning crew, and you would rather not cut a key you can never fully retrieve.
- An existing keypad has been worn down, shared around, or never had its code changed, so it controls nothing in practice.
- A door has a card reader that no longer responds, and nobody remembers who installed it or how it was wired.
How do we install an access control system, step by step?
Every job is a little different, but the sequence is consistent. We would rather spend time at the start than patch problems after the system is live.
- Walk the doors. We look at each opening you want controlled: door material, frame, swing direction, existing hardware, and what is on the other side of the wall where cable has to run.
- Talk through who needs access. We ask how many people, which doors, what schedules, and whether you want records of entries. This decides how simple or how capable the system needs to be.
- Choose the locking method for each door. Some doors suit an electric strike, some suit a magnetic lock, and some are better served by an electrified lockset. We explain the reasoning so you understand the tradeoffs.
- Plan for power failure and exit. We decide whether each door should stay locked or unlock when power is lost, and we make sure people can always leave. Exit paths are never compromised for convenience.
- Run wiring and mount hardware. Readers or keypads go at a sensible height and location, the lock hardware is fitted to the frame, and the power supply and controller are placed where they can be reached for service but not tampered with.
- Program credentials and schedules. We set up codes, cards, or fobs, assign who gets through which doors, and set any time-of-day rules you want.
- Test every door under real conditions. We test with the door open and shut, with credentials valid and invalid, and with the power cut, so you see how each opening behaves.
- Walk you through it. You learn how to add and remove people, and we leave you with a clear picture of what is installed and where.
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Call (213) 577-1366Which hardware fits which door: keypads, card readers, strikes, and maglocks?
The reader or keypad is the part people see, but the locking hardware decides how secure and how reliable the door is. Here is how we think about the common options.
- Keypad access control: a code is entered at the door. It is simple, needs no cards to hand out, and works well for small teams. The weakness is that codes get shared, so changing them when staff turn over matters.
- Card access and key card entry systems: each person carries a card that can be disabled individually. This suits businesses with more than a handful of employees, because losing one card does not mean changing everyone's access.
- Key fob access control: same logic as a card, in a form that sits on a key ring. Many people prefer a fob because it is harder to leave behind.
- Electric strike installation: the strike replaces the standard strike plate in the frame and releases the latch when the reader approves. The door stays physically latched and is usually the more conventional choice for office and interior doors.
- Magnetic lock installation: an electromagnet on the frame holds a plate on the door. It is strong and quiet, but it relies entirely on power and needs a proper, code-aware exit method. We only use maglocks where the door and the exit plan suit them.
- Multi-door access control: a controller manages several readers together, so you can add, remove, and review credentials from one place instead of door by door.
What affects the cost of access control installation?
We do not quote numbers on a web page, because two businesses asking for "access control" can be asking for very different jobs. What we can do is tell you exactly what moves the cost up or down, so you can think about your own situation honestly.
- Number of doors. Each controlled opening needs its own reader, lock hardware, and wiring, so a multi-door system grows with the door count.
- Type of locking hardware. Electric strikes, maglocks, and electrified locksets are different products with different installation labor.
- Door and frame condition. A solid, well-hung door in a good frame is a straightforward job. A warped door, a damaged frame, or a glass storefront door can add work.
- Wiring difficulty. Running cable through open ceilings is quicker than fishing it through finished walls or across a concrete slab.
- Credential type and system size. A single keypad is simpler than a card system with dozens of users, schedules, and entry records.
- Power and backup. Battery backup, extra power supplies, and fail-safe versus fail-secure configurations all change the parts list.
- New installation versus upgrade. Reusing sound existing wiring or hardware can reduce the work, while removing a failed older system can add to it.
- Required exit hardware. If a door needs a panic device or special egress hardware, that is part of the job. Our panic bar installation work covers those openings.
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Call (213) 577-1366How does access control work in North Hills, from Nordhoff to North Hills West?
North Hills sits in the north-central San Fernando Valley, about 15 miles from our Westwood storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd, and the 405 divides it into North Hills West and North Hills East. That split is useful when thinking about access control, because the two sides tend to ask for different things.
Along the Nordhoff Street business strips, the typical request is for a small to mid-sized business: a front door with a keypad or card reader, a back or stockroom door that only certain employees can open, and a way to stop worrying about who still has an old key. Those are usually a handful of doors, and the choice often comes down to an electric strike on a standard commercial door versus a different approach for a glass storefront. Parthenia Street and the Sepulveda Boulevard corridor have apartment clusters, where property managers and owners sometimes want controlled entry for laundry rooms, mail areas, or utility doors rather than a loose ring of keys. If you manage rental property, our locksmith for landlords service pairs well with an access control plan.
In North Hills West, gated townhome and condo communities are a different case. Pedestrian gates, clubhouse doors, and common-area entries in a community like that benefit from credential-based entry, since a board or manager can disable a lost fob without rekeying every resident. If an existing gate latch or operator is the problem, rather than the credential system, our gate lock repair service is the place to start. In the 91343 ZIP code, we also work around the VA Sepulveda campus area, where nearby offices and service businesses sometimes want controlled entry that is easy for staff to use.
One local note on climate: North Hills has hot valley summers, and doors and weatherstripping expand and shift with the heat. That matters for access control, because an electric strike or maglock needs the door to align accurately with the frame. A door that sags or sticks in summer can cause a strike to fail to release or a maglock plate to misalign. We check alignment during installation and adjust the door when needed. North Hills is inland, so there are no coastal corrosion concerns, though exterior readers should still be rated for outdoor use.
Can we repair or upgrade the access control you already have?
Often, yes. Access control repair is a large part of our work, and an upgrade does not always mean tearing everything out. When a system is not working, we start by figuring out which part is actually failing. A reader that seems dead may have a loose wire, a power supply that has failed, or a strike that is binding against a misaligned door. Replacing the wrong part wastes your money, so we diagnose first.
If your existing system is old, an access control upgrade can mean replacing readers while keeping sound wiring, moving from shared keypad codes to individual cards or fobs, or adding doors to a controller that already runs the front entrance. Sometimes we find that an older system has been abandoned in place, with credentials nobody can manage. In that case, it is usually better to be honest about whether the system is worth saving.
We will tell you plainly when an existing system is still serving you well and a repair is the more economical route. We will also tell you when the components are too worn or unsupported to be worth another repair.
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Call (213) 577-1366How do access control, door hardware, and key systems fit together?
Access control rarely replaces every key in a building. Many businesses keep mechanical keys for certain doors and use electronic credentials for others. The best setups divide the work sensibly: electronic control on the doors where you need records and easy changes, and mechanical locks on the doors where simplicity is fine.
If you want to keep mechanical keys organized, a master key system can work alongside electronic access control. And because access control sits on top of the physical door, the door hardware matters. Closers, hinges, frames, and latches all affect whether an electric strike or maglock works properly, which is why our commercial door hardware work often goes hand in hand with an installation.
If your goal is a single residential-style electronic lock rather than a commercial system, our smart lock installation service is the better fit. And if you are locked out of a business while your current system is down, our business lockout service is the right call, and we can discuss a permanent fix afterward.
Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for access control?
We have been in business since 1987, and we serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties. That is long enough to have seen access control change from key switches and basic keypads to card systems, fobs, and networked controllers, and long enough to have learned which shortcuts cause trouble later.
We have a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood plus mobile service vans, so work gets done by our own people rather than being passed along. You are not talking to a call center that dispatches to whoever is available. David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work, so the person responsible for the quality of your installation is not an anonymous name on a work order.
Our phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round at (213) 577-1366. Most access control installations are scheduled work, but doors fail at inconvenient times, and a business that cannot secure its entrance does not want to wait for an office to open.
What should you ask any locksmith before hiring them for access control?
California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license, issued through the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Ask any locksmith you are considering for that license number, and check it yourself. That applies to us and to everyone else.
Beyond that, a few questions will tell you a lot. Ask which locking method they plan for each door and why. Ask what happens to each door when power fails. Ask how exit will work on every controlled door. Ask who manages credentials after installation and how you will add or remove people. And ask whether you will own the system outright, including the ability to manage it without calling the installer every time.
A good installer answers these directly. If the answers are vague, or if the proposal is about the equipment brand rather than your doors, keep looking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an electric strike and a magnetic lock?
An electric strike replaces the strike plate in the door frame and releases the latch when the reader approves entry, so the door stays physically latched. A magnetic lock uses an electromagnet to hold a plate on the door. Maglocks depend entirely on power and need a proper exit method, so we choose based on the door and how it must work in an emergency.
Can you install access control on a glass storefront door in North Hills?
Often, yes, but glass doors have narrow stiles and limited room for hardware, so the approach differs from a standard commercial door. We look at the door before recommending a locking method, and sometimes a different lock type suits it better than a strike.
Is a keypad or a key card system better for a small business?
A keypad is simple and needs no cards, but codes get shared and must be changed when staff leave. Cards or fobs let you disable one person without affecting everyone else. For a very small team, a keypad can be enough. Once turnover or door count grows, credentials usually make more sense.
What happens to the doors when the power goes out?
It depends on how each door is configured. A fail-secure door stays locked and a fail-safe door unlocks when power is lost. We decide this door by door, based on what is behind it and how people need to exit, and we test it by cutting power during installation.
Can you add doors to an access control system I already have?
Frequently we can, if the existing controller supports more readers and its equipment is still in good shape. We inspect the system first. If it is outdated or unsupported, we will tell you honestly whether expanding it makes sense or whether a newer system is the better route.
Can you repair an access control reader that stopped working?
Yes. We diagnose before replacing anything, because a dead reader is often a wiring, power supply, or door alignment problem instead. Fixing the actual cause is usually the more economical route than swapping parts blindly.
Do you install access control for apartment or townhome communities?
We do work involving common areas, such as laundry rooms, mail areas, and pedestrian gates. Gated townhome and condo communities in North Hills West are a good example of where credential-based entry helps, since a lost fob can be disabled without rekeying for everyone. We can also look at gate hardware through our gate lock repair service.
How much will access control installation cost?
It depends on how many doors you are controlling, what locking hardware each needs, the condition of your doors and frames, how difficult the wiring is, and what kind of credentials and backup power you want. We explain these factors during a walkthrough rather than guessing over the phone. You can reach us any time at (213) 577-1366.
Will I be able to manage the system myself after it is installed?
That is how we prefer to set it up. We show you how to add and remove users and change schedules, so ordinary changes do not require a service call. We will explain exactly what you can manage yourself before the work begins.
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Access Control Installation near North Hills
Reviewed by David, Owner & Lead Technician, Wilshire Lock & Key — in the locksmith trade since 1987.
Last updated 2026-10-11.