What does access control installation actually involve for a Whittier 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 code, a card, or a fob. The door's lock is released electronically when the credential checks out. When someone leaves the company or loses a card, you cancel that one credential and nobody has to change a cylinder.
That is the whole idea, but the installation is where it succeeds or fails. An access control system is a chain of parts: the reader or keypad people touch, the controller that decides yes or no, the power supply, the wiring, and the lock hardware that physically holds the door. If any link is mismatched to the door it is installed on, you get a system that works in the demo and fails on a Tuesday morning. Most of our work is making sure the chain fits the actual door, frame, and building.
We do this for Whittier businesses that have outgrown a ring of keys: offices with a back-of-house room only some staff should enter, shops with a stockroom, medical and professional suites, and buildings with more than one door that need to be managed together. If your question is simply "my keys keep getting copied and I have no idea who has them," you are the person this page is for.
Which kind of credential fits your business: keypad, card, or fob?
There is no single right answer, and anyone who tells you there is has something to sell. The choice depends on how many people use the door, how often they change, and how much tracking you want. Here is how we think about the common options.
- Keypad access control: a code typed at the door. It is the simplest commercial keyless entry, with no cards to buy or lose. The weakness is that codes get shared. It suits a small team, a single back door, or a low-risk room, and it works best when codes are changed whenever someone leaves.
- Card access system or key card entry system: each person carries a card that is tapped or swiped at a reader. Cards are easy to hand out, easy to cancel one at a time, and work well for larger or changing staff.
- Key fob access control: the same idea as a card, but on a keychain. People tend to keep a fob with their keys, so it gets lost less often than a card in a wallet. Fobs hold up well to daily use.
- Combination readers: a reader that takes a card or a code, or even both together for a more sensitive room. This is how credential-based entry gets tiered, with a front door open to a card and a records room needing card plus code.
- Multi-door access control: several doors tied to one controller so you manage all your employee access control in one place rather than door by door.
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Call (213) 577-1366How we handle an access control installation, step by step
The order matters. Skipping the first two steps is the usual reason a system gets installed twice.
- Walk the doors. We look at each door you want controlled: material, thickness, frame type, which way it swings, what lock is on it now, and how people leave through it. The exit side matters as much as the entry side.
- Decide how each door should behave. The big questions are what happens when the power fails, and how someone gets out in an emergency. These decide which lock hardware is appropriate, and we explain the tradeoff in plain language before anything is ordered.
- Match the hardware to the door. We pick the reader or keypad, the controller, the power supply, and either an electric strike or a magnetic lock for each opening. Different doors in the same building can call for different choices.
- Plan the wiring path. Power and signal wires have to get from the controller to the door. We figure out the route before drilling, so the install is tidy and the door frame is not damaged more than it has to be.
- Install and set up. We mount the hardware, run and connect the wiring, and set up the controller with your users and schedules. If a door has sagged or no longer closes true, we correct that first, because an electronic lock cannot fix a misaligned door.
- Test every condition. We test a valid credential, an invalid one, the exit path, a power loss, and how the door behaves after closing. A door that opens for the right card is only half-tested.
- Hand it over. We show you how to add and cancel credentials, change a code, and what to do if something stops responding, so you are not dependent on a phone call for routine changes. We are still a phone call away when you do need us.
Electric strike or magnetic lock: how do you choose?
These are the two workhorses of door access control, and they work in opposite ways. Knowing the difference helps you ask better questions of any installer.
An electric strike replaces the metal plate in the door frame that the latch bolt catches on. When the system gives the signal, the strike releases the latch and the door can be pulled open. The door still has a normal lock, and the strike is simply an electronic gatekeeper on the frame. Electric strike installation is a good fit for standard commercial doors where you want the door to behave like a normal lockable door and keep its normal hardware. It also usually asks less of the door's surroundings than a magnet does.
A magnetic lock, or maglock, uses a powerful electromagnet on the frame holding against a metal plate on the door. Cut the power and it lets go. Magnetic lock installation suits glass doors and doors where a latch is not practical, and it holds firmly when powered. The catch is that it is only as dependable as its power and its release, and egress rules are the real concern: people must be able to leave quickly, and the way a maglock releases for exit is regulated for life-safety reasons. We plan that release into the job from the start, and we tell you if your door or occupancy calls for an inspector or fire authority to weigh in.
One more distinction worth knowing: strikes and maglocks can be set so they unlock when power is lost, or stay locked when power is lost. Which is right depends on the door. A stairwell or main exit usually leans one way, and a records closet leans the other. This is a decision to make deliberately, not a default we leave to the box.
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 access control installation?
We do not publish numbers here because two doors that look alike can be very different jobs. What we can do is tell you exactly what moves the cost up or down, so you can compare quotes sensibly.
The main factors are:
- Number of doors: each opening needs its own reader, lock hardware, and wiring, so a multi-door system scales with the count.
- Type of door and frame: a hollow-metal door in a metal frame is different from a glass storefront door or an old wood door, and the prep work differs.
- Strike or maglock: the hardware, the power it needs, and the release devices differ between the two.
- Wiring difficulty: a short run through an accessible ceiling is a different job than a long run through finished walls or concrete.
- Credential type and quantity: a keypad needs no credentials to hand out, while a card or fob system needs a supply for everyone who will use it.
- New install versus upgrade: adding to an existing system, or reusing parts that are in good shape, is often the more economical route. Starting from bare doors takes more.
- Door condition: if a door drags, a frame is bent, or a closer is worn, that has to be put right before electronics can do their job.
- Timing: after-hours or urgent work is scheduled differently from a planned install.
Access control in Whittier: what the local buildings and weather mean for your doors
Whittier is not one kind of building, and access control has to respect that. Around Uptown Whittier and the Greenleaf Avenue business district, many storefronts and older commercial spaces sit in buildings that are decades old. Doors and frames there may not be standard, and a frame that has been repainted and patched many times needs a careful look before an electric strike goes in. If you run a shop on Greenleaf and want keyless entry for the back office or stockroom, we start by seeing what the door and frame can take. For the front door of an active storefront, our storefront lock repair page covers the mechanical side.
Out toward Whittwood Town Center, commercial lock and master-key work is a typical scenario, and that is where access control often grows from. A business with several staff, a few shared rooms, and a keyring that has become unmanageable can move to credentials without losing the logic of who may enter where. If you are weighing a conventional key hierarchy against electronic credentials, read about a master key system too. Many sites end up with a mix: mechanical keys on some doors, electronic control on the ones that matter most.
The weather is a practical factor here. Whittier sits against the Puente Hills, runs warmer than the coastal plain, and gets Santa Ana winds that push hot, dry air across the hillsides. Wet winters and dry summers also swell and shrink older wood doors. For access control this matters in two ways. A door that swells in winter can stop lining up with a strike or a maglock plate, so we set the alignment with that seasonal movement in mind and check it. And any keypad or reader on an exterior door takes heat and sun, so we choose exterior-appropriate units and mount them where they are not baking or catching blowing debris.
Whittier covers ZIP codes 90601 through 90606, and we work across all of them. Apartment buildings are concentrated near Uptown and along Whittier Boulevard, so shared entries and common doors are a frequent request from property owners. If that is you, our page for landlords covers how we approach rental properties. Neighborhoods such as College Hills, Michigan Park, and East Whittier have a mix of small offices and professional suites along their commercial streets, and the same planning applies: see the door first, then choose the system.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366Already have a system that is failing? Access control repair and upgrades
A lot of calls we get are not new installs. A reader stopped responding, a keypad works only some of the time, a door will not relock, or a former employee's card still opens things it should not. Access control repair starts with working out which link in the chain has failed. It is often not the reader at all. A tired power supply, a loose connection at the door hinge where wires flex every day, or a misaligned strike can all look like "the system is broken."
An access control upgrade makes sense when the existing system cannot do what you need now: it cannot handle the number of users, it cannot cover another door, or its parts are worn out. We will tell you honestly when a repair is the lighter-cost option and when it is just prolonging something that needs replacing. We can often reuse wiring or sound hardware, and we will say so if that applies.
If you need a conventional lock on a door that is not worth wiring, or you want help with the mechanical parts around an electronic door, see our pages on commercial door hardware and commercial locksmith services. If you are locked out of your business right now rather than planning a system, go to business lockout instead.
Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for access control
We have been in business since 1987. That is long enough to have seen access control go from rare to routine, and long enough to have seen which installation shortcuts come back to bite people.
We are one company. There is no dispatcher passing your job to whichever contractor is available. You talk to us, and the technician who comes is ours. David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work, which matters on a job where the planning decisions are as important as the wiring.
We have a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood and mobile service vans, and we serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, Whittier among them. Whittier is about 24 miles from our base, so we plan trips sensibly, and our phone is answered around the clock at (213) 577-1366 for urgent problems, like a door that will not secure after a failed lock. You can also reach us through our contact page.
One thing to do with any locksmith, including us: ask for their BSIS license number. California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license, and you can check one with the state before you let anyone install hardware that controls your building.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a keypad, a card reader, and a key fob system?
A keypad uses a typed code, a card reader uses a tapped or swiped card, and a fob system uses a small token that works like a card. Keypads need no credentials to hand out but codes get shared. Cards and fobs let you cancel one person's access without affecting anyone else. We help you choose based on how many people use the door and how often staff change.
Can you control several doors from one system?
Yes. Multi-door access control ties the doors to a shared controller, so you manage users and schedules in one place. We look at each opening first, because different doors may need different lock hardware, such as a strike on one and a maglock on another, even though they belong to one system.
Should I use an electric strike or a magnetic lock on my door?
It depends on the door. An electric strike works with a normal latch and suits standard commercial doors. A maglock suits glass or doors where a latch is impractical, but its release for exit is a life-safety matter. We walk the door with you and recommend one, and we tell you if the occupancy calls for an inspector or fire authority to review.
What happens to my doors if the power goes out?
That is something we decide with you in advance. Strikes and maglocks can be set to unlock or stay locked when power is lost. A main exit and a records room usually need opposite settings. We also plan how people leave the building, and we test power-loss behavior at the end of every install.
How much will access control installation cost?
We do not quote prices on a web page because the number depends on your doors. The main factors are how many doors, the door and frame type, whether you use strikes or maglocks, how hard the wiring is, how many credentials you need, and whether you are starting fresh or upgrading something. Call us at (213) 577-1366 and we will talk through your situation.
Can you fix or add to an access control system someone else installed?
Often, yes. Repair starts with finding which part of the system has failed, which is frequently the power supply, a worn wire at the hinge, or a misaligned strike rather than the reader. We will tell you honestly whether repair, adding to the system, or replacing it is the more economical route. We confirm what we can reuse by looking at it in person.
Will the old wood doors in historic Whittier work with electronic locks?
Sometimes, with preparation. Older wood doors swell and shrink with Whittier's wet-winter, dry-summer cycle, which can throw off a strike or maglock alignment. We check the door and frame, correct what needs correcting, and set the hardware to tolerate seasonal movement. Occasionally a door is not a good candidate, and we say so rather than install something that will not hold.
Can I use access control instead of rekeying when an employee leaves?
On doors that have it, yes. You cancel that person's card, fob, or code and no cylinder has to be changed. Doors that still use mechanical keys need rekeying, and many Whittier businesses use a mix. If you are unsure which doors are worth converting, we will go through them with you.
How do I know a locksmith is legitimate before they install access control?
Ask for their BSIS license number. California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license, and the state lets you check it. That applies to any locksmith you hire, including us. It is worth doing before someone installs hardware that controls entry to your building.
More locksmith help in Whittier
Access Control Installation near Whittier
Reviewed by David, Owner & Lead Technician, Wilshire Lock & Key — in the locksmith trade since 1987.
Last updated 2026-10-11.