What does access control installation involve for a West Hollywood business?
Access control replaces a metal key with something you can manage: a code, a card, a key fob, or in some systems a phone. Behind the door it is a short chain of parts that all have to work together. Get one link wrong and the door either won't open for the right person or won't stay secure against the wrong one.
A commercial access control system is built from the same handful of pieces whether it guards one back door or a whole floor:
Our job is to choose parts that suit your actual door, wire them cleanly, and hand over a business access control system your team can run without phoning us every time someone is hired. If your doors need ordinary mechanical upgrades first, that overlaps with our commercial door hardware work.
- The credential: a keypad code, a proximity card, a key fob, or a mobile credential, depending on the system.
- The reader or keypad on the outside of the door, which collects the credential.
- The controller, which decides yes or no and, on larger systems, keeps a record of who used which door.
- The lock hardware: an electric strike, a magnetic lock, or electrified hardware that physically releases the door.
- The power supply, the low-voltage wiring, and the exit device or button that lets people leave.
Why do businesses move from keys to credential-based entry?
Keys fail in predictable ways. They get copied without anyone knowing, they leave with former employees, and nobody can say who was in the stockroom last Thursday. When a key goes missing, the honest fix is rekeying the door, and then the same thing happens again a year later.
Credential-based entry changes that. With employee access control you give one person a code or card and cancel just that one when they leave. Depending on the controller, you can limit people to certain doors or certain hours and review a door's activity afterward. That is the real reason to upgrade: control and accountability, not novelty.
It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Many businesses keep a mechanical key as a backup on the main entrance and put electronic control on the interior doors that matter most, such as an office, a cash room or a storeroom. If you want a mix, a master key system on the mechanical side can sit alongside the electronic side so you aren't carrying a pocketful of keys.
How do we install an access control system, step by step?
Every site is different, but the order of work is the same. We don't start drilling until we know what the door is made of and what it has to do.
- We talk through your doors and your people: which doors, who needs to use them, at what hours, and what happens at closing time. This can start on the phone.
- We look at each door in person. Material, frame condition, glass or wood or metal, swing direction, existing hardware, where power and wiring can realistically run, and whether the door sits on an exit path.
- We recommend hardware door by door and explain why, including anything we would leave alone or skip.
- We explain the scope and the factors driving cost before any work starts, so there are no surprises mid-job.
- We install: prepare the door and frame, mount the lock hardware and reader, run the low-voltage wiring and set up power.
- We program and test. Credentials get enrolled, schedules get set, and we test with power on, with power off, and by leaving from the inside.
- We walk through it with whoever will manage the system: how to add and remove people, what to do if something fails, and who to call.
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Call (213) 577-1366Electric strike or magnetic lock: which one belongs on your door?
This is the most common decision on a keyless entry for business job. Both release a door electronically, but they behave differently and suit different doors.
Fail-safe and fail-secure matter too. A fail-safe device unlocks when power is lost; a fail-secure device stays locked. The right choice depends on how the door is used and on life-safety rules, which require that people can leave a building without a key or special effort. We design for that first and security second, because a door that traps people is not a secure door.
Where a door is part of an exit path, we'll talk about panic bar installation or other compliant exit hardware, and we'll tell you plainly if your landlord, the fire authority or a building inspector may need to weigh in.
- Electric strike installation: the strike in the door frame releases the latch when powered, so you keep a normal latching lock in the door. It suits many wood and metal doors, and in fail-secure form the door stays locked through a power cut while still opening from inside by the handle or exit hardware.
- Magnetic lock installation: an electromagnet on the frame holds a plate on the door. There are no moving parts, which makes it popular on glass doors and heavy doors where cutting a strike is awkward. It is only locked while powered, so it needs reliable power, a dependable way to exit, and careful planning.
- Electrified door hardware: a lever or exit device that is electronically controlled. It can be the cleaner answer when a door is both an entrance and an exit and you want one piece of hardware doing both jobs.
Keypad, key card or key fob: which credential fits your business?
The credential is what your staff will touch every day, so it should match how they actually work. Here is how we think about the choices for commercial keyless entry:
If you only need electronic control on one door in a small office, a full controller system may be more than the job calls for, and a standalone electronic lock could fit; see our smart lock installation page. We would rather tell you that than sell you a bigger system. If you plan to grow, multi-door access control on a shared controller is easier to expand later, and we'd pick the equipment with that in mind.
- Keypad access control: nothing to carry, nothing to lose. It works well for back doors, storerooms and small teams. The weakness is that codes get shared, so change them whenever staff changes.
- Card access system or key card entry system: each person has a unique card that can be cancelled individually. It suits staffed offices, shops and any place where you need to know who went where.
- Key fob access control: the same logic as a card in a form that hangs on a keyring, handy for people who already carry keys all day.
- Combined credentials: card plus keypad on a sensitive room, so a lost card alone doesn't open the door.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366What affects the cost of an access control system?
We don't quote a number over the phone for this work, because the same word, access control, covers jobs that are nothing alike. What actually moves the cost:
Because those variables change from door to door, we look first and then tell you what is driving the cost and where you can scale back. Starting with the doors that matter most and adding more later is often the more economical route, as long as the controller is chosen with growth in mind.
- How many doors, and whether they are on one controller or separate standalone units.
- The door itself: material, thickness, glass or solid, and whether the frame is straight and sound.
- The type of lock hardware: strike, maglock or electrified hardware, and its fail-safe or fail-secure setting.
- The credentials: how many users, and which type of credential.
- Wiring: distance, finished walls and ceilings, and how easily we can reach the door.
- Power and backup for the system.
- Any connection to an existing intercom, alarm or fire system.
- Exit hardware and code requirements on that door.
- Repairs the door or frame needs before electronics can work properly.
Can you repair or upgrade an access control system that already exists?
Yes. Access control repair and access control upgrades are a regular part of the work. The usual culprits are not exotic: a door that has dropped slightly so the strike no longer lines up, a worn reader or keypad, a failed power supply, a door that doesn't close fully so the latch never engages, or a system whose original installer is long gone and nobody knows the admin code.
We start by working out whether the problem is electronic, mechanical or power-related. A surprising number of access control failures turn out to be a door that isn't closing squarely, so we check the door as carefully as the reader.
If a failed reader or lock has left you outside your own premises or unable to secure them, that is a business lockout first and a repair second. We get the door safe, then fix the cause.
When you want to upgrade, for example from a keypad to cards, add doors to an existing controller, or replace a system whose maker has moved on, we'll tell you honestly whether the existing wiring and hardware can be reused or whether starting fresh is cleaner. Whether we can work with your equipment is something we confirm at the door, not promise on the phone.
Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for commercial access control?
We have been in business since 1987, and David, our owner and lead technician, oversees the work. We are a locksmith first, which matters here: electronic hardware only works if the door, frame and latch under it are right, and that is the part of the job we have done for decades.
When you call (213) 577-1366, at any hour on any day, you are reaching our company, not a dispatch middleman who will pass your job to a stranger. We have a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood and mobile vans, so we can work at your door and use the shop when a job needs it.
One more thing we tell every business: California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license, and you should ask any locksmith you hire for that license number before they start work. That includes us, and it is a fair question to ask anyone who is about to control your doors.
- In business since 1987, serving 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
- One company from the first call to the finished install, with David overseeing the work.
- Storefront in Westwood plus mobile service vans.
- Answered 24/7, year-round, because a failed door doesn't wait for business hours.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366What does access control look like around West Hollywood?
We serve West Hollywood from our Westwood base, about seven miles away, across ZIP codes 90069, 90046 and 90048. The city is dense and varied, and the right system depends heavily on which street you are on.
On the Sunset Strip, venues and nightlife businesses put heavy use on their doors at odd hours. That is where we would typically look at electronic control on the back-of-house doors, the office and the storeroom, and leave public entrances to purpose-built commercial hardware. Staff turnover in hospitality is a good argument for credentials that can be cancelled one person at a time instead of rekeying.
Along the Melrose Avenue corridor and in the West Hollywood Design District, small boutiques usually need something modest: a keypad or card reader on a stockroom or back door, with the front door staying on a strong mechanical lock. If your front door is giving trouble, our storefront lock repair page covers that side.
In the Eastside and along Santa Monica Boulevard in the Rainbow District, multifamily buildings are the norm, and controlled-access entries, buzzer and intercom systems and shared mailbox banks are standard. In a renter-heavy city, a key fob entry that can be cancelled when someone moves out is easier to manage than chasing down copied keys. Property managers can read more on our locksmith for landlords page, and a shared mailbox bank is a separate job covered under mailbox lock replacement.
Older 1920s and 1930s courtyard buildings, many with original wood doors and vintage locksets, need extra care. Cutting an electric strike into an old wood frame that has settled over a century is not the same as working on a new steel frame, so we assess the frame before we commit to a design. Sun is a smaller factor: the city is mild, but strong summer sun on south-facing entries can dry and fade finishes, so for exposed doors we pick readers and keypads with durable finishes rather than assuming every unit will age the same way.
Frequently asked questions
Can you add keypad access control to a door I already have?
Often yes. Many existing doors can take an electric strike or an electrified lock without replacing the whole door, but it depends on the door material, frame condition and the hardware already on it. We check the door in person, then tell you what is practical and what would need to be replaced.
Should my West Hollywood business use an electric strike or a magnetic lock?
It depends on the door. Strikes suit many wood and metal doors and keep a normal latch. Maglocks are common on glass or heavy doors but only lock while powered and need a dependable way out. Exit rules matter more than preference, so we decide door by door.
What happens to the system when the power goes out?
That depends on how the door is set up. A fail-secure device stays locked but can still be opened from inside. A fail-safe device unlocks without power. We choose based on how the door is used and on life-safety rules, and we can discuss backup power for doors that need to keep working.
How do I remove a former employee's access?
With a card, fob or individual code, you cancel just that credential in the system and nobody else is affected. With a shared keypad code you would change the code and tell the remaining staff. This is the main practical advantage over keys, which can only be undone by rekeying.
Do you repair access control systems you didn't install?
We look at them. Many problems turn out to be door alignment, power supplies or worn readers rather than anything exotic. Whether we can work with a particular system, including older ones, is something we confirm at the door. If starting over is cleaner than patching, we'll say so.
Do I need my landlord's permission or a permit first?
If you lease your space, check with your landlord before changing entry hardware, especially on exterior doors. Permit and fire or life-safety requirements vary by building, door and city. We tell you what we think applies to your door, but you should confirm requirements with your landlord and the relevant authority.
Can one system cover several doors?
Yes. Multi-door access control on a shared controller lets you manage everyone in one place, with different people allowed through different doors at different hours. It is also easier to expand later, so if you expect to add doors, tell us up front and we'll choose equipment accordingly.
Can I call you at night if my reader fails and I can't lock up?
Yes. Our phone, (213) 577-1366, is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If a failed lock or reader leaves your business open or locked out, we focus first on getting the door secure, then on fixing the underlying problem.
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Access Control Installation near West Hollywood
Reviewed by David, Owner & Lead Technician, Wilshire Lock & Key — in the locksmith trade since 1987.
Last updated 2026-10-11.