Types of Electronic Locks
– Magnetic locks (mag locks)
– Electromagnetic locks
– Stand-alone locks or electric locks
– Mechanical recodable card locks
– Electronic strikes
Electromagnetic Locks
– Simple installation and attack-resistant
– Require unlocking to both enter and leave
– Strict rules imposed by fire marshals
– Can have a lag time and fail unlocked
– Commercial doors moving towards stand-alone or electric locks
Electronic Strikes
– Replace standard strikes on the door frame
– Some designs require heavy modification of the door frame
– Must be installed under listing agency authority for fire listed doors
– Allow mechanical free egress
– Latch guard plates used to cover the gap between the strike and the door latch
Electronic Deadbolts and Latches
– Electric mortise and cylindrical locks
– Additional hole and power transfer hinge required for electric power wires
– Electrified exit hardware used in fire exit applications
– Motor-operated locks used in Europe with day and night modes
– South Korea has widespread installation of electronic locks, mainly by Gateman
Authentication Methods
– Simple PIN electronic lock
– Biometric electronic lock with PIN entry
– Numerical codes, passwords, and passphrases
– Security tokens such as smart cards or smartphones
– Biometrics (fingerprint scanning, retinal scanning, iris scanning, voice print identification)
– RFID technology (used in electronic locks, tags read from several meters away)Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_lock
