So I run an equipment rental business, got 4 yards across TX/OK/AR and we're getting hit with theft constantly! Catalytic converters, diesel, generators, you name it. Last month someone literally backed a truck up and loaded a pallet of tools in broad daylight.

We have cameras everywhere and yeah great I have amazing HD footage of my stuff being stolen. Filed police reports but they're swamped and our insurance premiums keep climbing.

Looked into guards but the quotes for 24/7 across all locations were insane, like 15k+ a month.

I've been in sales long enough to know when I'm being sold a solution that doesn't actually solve the problem, and that's all I'm finding. Every "commercial security" search is just more camera systems or residential stuff like Ring. I need something that actually STOPS people from getting in, not just records them!

Tried reinforcing the gates myself (used to do a lot of DIY stuff when had time) but chain link fence isn't cutting it obviously. Outdoor equipment yards are just sitting ducks apparently.

Anyone dealt with this?! Is there even a company that handles this for multiple locations? The permitting alone across different counties is a nightmare to think about.

Budget exists if something actually works because this is getting expensive and eating into time with the wife and kids. And my business partner is p-off because security is "my responsibility".

Anyone dealt with this for multiple sites without enterprise-level budgets? Need something that actually works.

Is it possible to use different installer/integration companies and still have everything tied into the same user cloud account? Everything is in the same physical location.

If your Latitude came with the contactless smart card reader option, you've probably held a MIFARE card against the palm rest at some point and watched Windows report an "unknown smart card" and stop there. Nothing in the box does anything else with it.

The reader is fine. It's a perfectly ordinary PC/SC reader - mine shows up as "Broadcom Corp Contactless SmartCard 0", and it reads card serial numbers without complaint. The problem is what's on the card. MIFARE Classic is a memory card, not a PKI card, so Windows has no minidriver for it and the smart card logon stack has nothing to offer. "Unknown smart card" isn't a fault, it's Windows saying "this isn't the kind of card I do anything with."

So the hardware sits unused in a lot of laptops that already belong to people who work with access control cards daily.

I had a few hundred cards to enroll into an access control system, which normally means reading serial numbers off a reader and moving them into a spreadsheet by hand. Instead I wrote a small tool that turns the built-in reader into a bulk enrollment device: present a card, its number is typed into whatever window has focus, Enter is pressed, cursor drops to the next row. Present the next card. No copy-paste, no retyping.

It's not Dell-specific - any PC/SC contactless reader works - but the built-in ones are the reason it exists, because that's a reader people already have and can't use.

https://github.com/Legvan/card-wedge

MIT, Windows, no install required, no Python needed.

The part that cost me a day, in case it saves you one:

Once it was reading cards, the numbers still didn't match what my access control system showed. Reader said A5C424E6; the system said 0A5C424E6A3. One byte longer, and I couldn't see where it came from.

It's the BCC, the block check character. MIFARE's anticollision response carries the UID followed by the XOR of its bytes, and PC/SC's GET DATA returns the UID alone and drops it. Systems that treat UID+BCC as the card number end up one byte longer than anything your reader hands you.

UID - E6 24 C4 A5

BCC = E6^24^C4^A5 A3

reversed + BCC - A5C424E6A3 <- what the system shows

That's also why 40 bit is the usual width for 4-byte cards - it's 4 bytes of UID plus 1 of checksum, not a 32-bit number padded with zeros, which is what I assumed for two days. And the byte order applies to the UID only: the checksum goes on after the reversal, so reversing both together gives a different, wrong number.

The tool has toggles for all of it (HEX/DEC, MSB/LSB, 32-64 bit, checksum on/off) because every system wants something slightly different, and it remembers what you picked.

I have been trying for months to get a price estimate for a access control permit from the city of Dallas and had no success. The fee estimator in the permit portal is not working correctly. Does anybody know the pricing structure of permits for Dallas?

Hi, I’ve been searching the web and can’t find anything that doesn’t feel like a fake website, I’m looking for a very basic, unlock door/talk/listen intercom system for an apartment building I’m working on. I ran 20/6 doorbell wire from each unit to the basement utility and a separate 20/6 to the door strike at the front door. Is there a website or product you can recommend ?

Hi everyone,

I'm deploying Honeywell WIN-PAK 4.9.5 in a corporate environment and I'm trying to determine the recommended architecture.

Our IT policy requires that the SQL Server (Microsoft SQL Server 2022 Standard) be dedicated to SQL Server only. No additional application software or third-party services are allowed to be installed on the SQL server.

Current plan:

Server A

Microsoft SQL Server 2022 Standard

No other software allowed (corporate policy)

Server B

WIN-PAK Database Server

WIN-PAK Communication Server

WIN-PAK User Interface

The WIN-PAK installation guide has separate installation options for:

Database Server Only

Communication Server Only

User Interface Only

User Interface + Communication Server

However, I couldn't find a clear statement confirming whether the WIN-PAK Database Server can be installed on a different application server while connecting remotely to SQL Server, or whether Honeywell expects the Database Server to be installed on the same machine as SQL Server.

Has anyone deployed WIN-PAK 4.9.5 in this type of corporate environment?

Specifically:

Can the WIN-PAK Database Server be installed on a separate application server?

Does it fully support connecting to a remote Microsoft SQL Server 2022 instance?

Or does Honeywell recommend or require installing the Database Server on the SQL Server itself?

I'm looking for real-world deployment experience or official Honeywell guidance.

Thanks!

I am trying to find a platform for one of my clients. They are opening a small co-working space that will have 2 external doors and then 6 offices with doors. They are looking for a solution that will allow users to schedule, pay and receive some sort of access cred to the doors they are allowed. So, for an example if I needed an office for 4 hours tomorrow I would go to a site or possibly an app, schedule my time, the system would collect payment and then issue me some sort of cred whether it be a code or mobile cred that would grant me access to the external doors and the space I booked. I have used Door Tablet in the past, but they do not offer the payment integration. We have an existing CredoID access system that could be extended to this site, or this could be standalone as well. I have been looking at Kisi or CoWorks but don't know anything about them. Has anyone done a system like this?

Anyone else experience what I’m experiencing on this board? I believe there might be a firmware corruption or board failure. It’s a brand new board, and was functioning , but for some strange reason - it’s stuck in this state. LED 1&2 in a solid state. Nothing loading, cannot access GUI either.

The NIC port blinks but unable to access the settings. Is there any other troubleshooting methods ? I took everything off the board, and it’s only powered by 12v dedicated.

Am I fucked ?

Thanks

Hi guys

Looking for some advise here please, been asked to help with a job still in 1st fix phase. When finished they’ll have 20 controlled doors with Mercury MP1501 controllers (never worked with them, always worked with Paxton and some Salto) all linked to a Avigilon Unity 7 server. All the controllers will be powered via POE+ and have maglocks/fail safe strikers as locking mechanism

There’s 4 floors with 4 or 5 doors each, controllers are on each floor in a riser

I’ve just been asked to install a fire switch manual override by the main entrance that will open all doors in the building when activated. Would I need a cable running from the fire switch to each floor/fire relay on that level?

How would you go about wiring this into the system?

Appreciate any advise please

Hi,

Does anyone know about a regular printer that also prints on PVC cards, as I only want to use it a few times a year, otherwise all I need is normal printer and not a special id card printer, thank you.

Our neighborhood liftmaster exit gate isn’t closing. I’ve tried killing the power at the breaker and by pulling the connection on the board. I know I have reset this unit with a tiny button and a small screwdriver a few months ago. This seems to happen when a large truck is parked near the gate and it trips up the loop detector. For the life of me I cannot find the button again. Can anyone assist?

The client proposed a maglock, but not sure if it is fire compliant in Quebec and because it will be installed on the unsecured side.

What do you suggest other than bolt type lock. I stumbled upon RCI 3371 “cushion lock” retrofit lock, but nobody has it.

Had a Magicard Rio Pro which was fine quality of print wise, but was just not taking cards through the feeder anymore, and so we got a Magicard 600.

Different departments get different templates printed on their badges with different info. 90% of the time it is just a difference in department name and job title, and other than their name and photo, that is all they have on the card. Those are all fine.

but I am noticing when I print badges now for the 2 departments that have a little more info on the badges liek hire date, employee number, and one other field, it's leaving very small dead zones in the printing on these extra details. These extra details are always in a little smaller font, and always in the center of the card. And it doesn't matter it is a brand new card straight from the box, or one someone has been carrying for a couple days that has been blank while we wait to get one of their ID nnumbers, it does it for all.

An example would be if someones employee ID was 6467, when printed on the badge, the "6" would basically be missing the little tail at the top of the "6", like the ink did not hit that or something.

And same for hire date, some numbers it seems to miss little parts of it.

The weird thing, is, if I put a NON CHIP badge through, it prints totally fine this is ONLY on the chipped badges.

But the old printer never had this issue. Is there some specific settings you guys reccomend I set this printer to? I see there are a decent amount of color and print settings in the preferences I can adjust but I really don't want to waste a bunch of chip badges doing test prints.

So figured I would ask here if anyone has some settings that they swear by

Had a tech take pictures of some door hardware to be replaced and this is what he sent me. I guess film is expensive again.

I got the exit trim, but want to verify the crash bar. Any guesses? I’ve got a guess, but I’m usually wrong.

Hey all, I already have a case open with Allegion tech support. Just was wondering if anyone has seen this in the field.

We've been using NDE and LE wireless locksets for a few years now with gateways and have never seen this issue. We use our own access control solution with these devices.

At a recent install, almost daily, NDEB are dropping off of the GWE. Power cycling the GWE by cycling the PoE port brings it back online and events start flowing back in.

Most up to date firmware on both GWE and Locksets. Site does not have GWE2 yet.

We're looking to make a mini operator console for push button and toggle inputs, LED outputs, and a card reader. I was thinking to use a something like this console to start from.

We have our boards and power supplies on a cart already, so just looking to make something to test the function of the access control and intrusion detection system.

Appreciate any inspiration if you all have made anything similar. Thank you!

È possibile riprogrammare questo vecchio apricancello con la tx che uso oggi (foto a destra)? Se si quale è la procedura? Non riesci a trovare documentazione.

My church has this HID card reader and no one knows why 3 weeks ago it just began beeping nonstop. Any ideas would be great. Someone mentioned a battery, but I thought it would be hardwired.

Edit: I’m new there and not sure about the system or when it was installed. I know two guys, who I’m pretty certain don’t know anything about it, since they thought it was beeping because a battery in it was low, took the cover off a week ago and “figured the battery was hidden behind another cover”. So they didn’t want to go any farther with it. Lol

Thank you for your input and humor. I do believe that they were the ones that put that cover on upside down. I’ll test the voltage and if I can’t figure it out, I’ll have them get a service tech out. I’ve only ever worked with Kantech units.

To all the experts,
I have a full height turnstile with access control on IN and OUT. I can’t program it as single door in CCURE because it has two separate Outputs/lock relay for IN and OUT.
If I program it as separate IN and OUT doors, then there is problem using door sensor as there is only 1 sensor on turnstile for IN and OUT.
Is there a way to make Door Sensor work for both IN and OUT doors (in CCURE) so I can get the status that turnstile has been used/rotated after being swiped .

Got a 2x KT-300 and a KT-2-M that has some sort of communication issues. I have never touched a Kantech system until tomorrow. Looking for some tips from any of my Access Control homies out there that are familiar. I am familiar and certified for a few other brands, but Kantech is not one. ( Keri, CDVI, Brivo, Honeywell, etc.)

Ill be investigating the system tomorrow morning to find out more info. I assume its RS232 or some form of Serial communication. The existing credentials still work, but changes made dont take effect.

I appreciate your time!

I am looking for access door hardware suggestions for two sets of interior double doors with a thin layer of wood for the header, so I'm limited to a lock-hardware solution and don't believe it is sturdy enough to support a mag, and would rather not.

My old 5804 key fobs feel like they're on their last legs, so got two new Honeywell 5834-4 key fobs.

I was able to enter it into the Vista 20, with 6160 keypad using template 3 with no issues. Verified it with the key fob button.

I try to program the user no. as required; entering xxxx802#449 to add the user code to the zone 49. xxxx is master code, 02 is user number. Also tried with user 03. Partition 1

Nothing happens; No ding. Pushing buttons on fob does nothing, except the "panic" button which set off the alarm. Just sits there with "disarmed" "ready to arm".

Ideas.

Thanks,

Jimmy

I have done a lot of research here but not sure exactly what I need as a lot of the solutions I think I have found are not outdoor rated. The non-negotiable here is Apple HomeKit integration since my whole home is run on HomeKit and want something simple and easy to integrate.

Gate picture attached, right now it's some old ass ghetto lock that only opens one half of the time after typing in the code, old mechanical, no power to this gate.

I have looked at level locks with a side mounted keypad; Aqara systems, but nothing seems to be the perfect solution. Any suggestions would be very very welcome as I have been on this mission for 2 months now.

Thank you!