Education Industry- Door Access System Upgrade project case study
About the company
The Education institute, located in Gooding, Idaho, has a long-standing tradition of excellence in education. Established in 1907, the institute has continually evolved to meet the educational needs of its growing community.The organization encompasses Elementary, Middle and High School, each dedicated to providing a nurturing and challenging environment for students. With a commitment to academic excellence, offers a diverse curriculum that includes advanced placement courses, vocational training, and comprehensive special education programs.
In addition to academic achievements, the institute also focuses on the holistic development of students by offering a wide range of extracurricular activities, including sports, arts, and leadership programs. These opportunities help students develop critical life skills and prepare them for future success. With a clear mission to inspire and empower every student to achieve their full potential, it continues to be a cornerstone of the community, dedicated to preparing students for college, career, and life.
CHALLENGES
Outdated Technology: The school had an outdated door access system with analog keypads installed at each door. The customer sought to upgrade to a modern pass card door access system. Consequently, the PM2Net team of experts was requested to deploy the new system efficiently, leveraging their specialized skills and experience.
Aging Infrastructure: The project encountered significant challenges due to the age of the school building and its infrastructural constraints. The metal door frames and doors made it particularly difficult to run new cabling and mount the door access systems effectively.
Existing Cabling: The existing cabling for the current door access system was incompatible with the new door access and controllers. The team had to install new, higher-gauge cables to support the upgraded system. This task was complicated by the extensive building layout and numerous barriers in the ceiling, making it challenging to run the cables efficiently and pass them through the metal door frames.
Selecting the Appropriate Hardware: Each door presented unique challenges due to variations in metal frames and the difficulty of cutting through concrete and metal. Identifying the appropriate types and models of electric strikers and maglocks to electrify the doors was a complex task for the team.
Project Timeline: An additional layer of complexity was the project completion deadline, set for the end of the fiscal year in June. The PM2Net team had to ensure the project was finished on time, working within the constrained schedule of after-school hours (3:45 PM - 10:00 PM)
Assessment and solution
PM2NET created a scope of work, a project plan and an implementation plan. Afterwards, PM2NET provided a team of experienced FS engineers who worked on multiple challenges faced during the installation.
● Pre-Site Survey
● Identifying the door access locations
● Verifying the existing cables & hardware
● Installation of Access Controllers
● Cabling management
● Door access installation
advantages
The organization needed an efficient team to upgrade from an outdated analog keypad system to a modern pass card door access system which enhances overall security and convenience for the school. Overcoming the challenges posed by the aging building infrastructure and metal door frames has resulted in a more robust and adaptable security system, ensuring reliable operation in a demanding environment. Installing new, higher-gauge cables has improved the overall quality and capacity of the wiring, allowing for better performance and future scalability of the access control system.
Identifying and deploying the appropriate types and models of electric strikers and maglocks for the varied door configurations has resulted in a customized and effective access control solution tailored to the specific needs of each entry point.