Not All Keypad Entry Systems Offer the Same Level of Security

When people see a keypad beside a door and an electric strike in the frame, it’s easy to think they’re looking at a proper access control system.

Sometimes they are.

A properly designed access control system can provide an excellent level of security. These systems are commonly used in commercial properties, government buildings, offices and public facilities. They can manage multiple users and doors, control different levels of access and, depending on the system, provide records of who entered and when.

But not every keypad and electric-strike installation is that type of system.

Some are much simpler standalone keypad systems. From outside the door they can look quite similar, but there can be an important difference in how the security actually works.

A Proper Access Control System Has a Protected Controller

In a properly designed access control system, the keypad, card reader or fingerprint reader outside the door is essentially an input device.

You enter a PIN, present a card or scan a fingerprint.

That information is then sent to the controller — effectively the brain of the system — which is protected on the secure side.

The controller decides whether your credential is authorised. If it is, the system tells the electric locking hardware to release.

This separation is important.

The equipment accessible from outside collects the information, while the security-sensitive decision about whether the door should unlock is made by equipment protected elsewhere.

A Standalone Keypad Can Work Differently

Some simpler keypad systems don’t have that separate protected controller.

Instead, the keypad mounted outside can perform both jobs.

It accepts the code, but it also contains the control components responsible for releasing the electric strike.

That makes for a simpler system, but it also means security-sensitive components can be located within equipment accessible from the unsecured side of the door.

And that can create a vulnerability.

Why Does That Matter?

Having electronics outside isn’t automatically a security problem.

Modern standalone digital locks also contain electronic components within the external part of the lock.

The important question is how well the components capable of unlocking the door are protected from someone on the unsecured side.

A purpose-built standalone digital lock is designed as a complete locking product. Its electronic and mechanical components are integrated into the lock, with its important internal components protected within the lock itself.

Some basic standalone keypad and electric-strike arrangements are different. The externally mounted keypad can contain components directly responsible for releasing the separate locking hardware.

Those are two quite different designs, even though both allow you to walk up to a door and enter a code.

I’m Not Going to Explain How These Systems Can Be Bypassed

There are known ways in which certain standalone keypad systems can be compromised.

Information about these systems and their vulnerabilities is publicly available, but I don’t believe a locksmith’s website should provide instructions for bypassing security equipment.

You don’t need to know the method to understand the important part.

If the components capable of releasing the door are readily accessible from the unsecured side, the system may not provide the level of security you assume it does.

But It Was Expensive When It Was Installed

Some of these older systems represented a substantial investment when they were originally fitted.

There may have been a keypad, electric strike, power supply, cabling and considerable labour involved. Running wiring through an existing building can also be time-consuming and expensive.

Electronic keyless entry was also far less common years ago than it is today.

So it’s quite possible for an older standalone keypad system to have been expensive to install.

But installation cost and security level aren’t necessarily the same thing.

A system may have required substantial work to install without having the same security design as a proper access control system with a protected controller.

An Electric Strike Isn’t the Problem

There’s nothing inherently wrong with an electric strike.

Electric strikes are widely used as part of properly designed access control systems.

Likewise, an external keypad doesn’t automatically indicate a security problem.

The important difference is what happens behind that keypad.

Is it simply collecting the credential and passing it to protected control equipment?

Or is the externally accessible keypad itself responsible for controlling whether the door releases?

You often can’t answer that question just by standing outside and looking at it.

Proper Access Control and Standalone Digital Locks Serve Different Purposes

A proper access control system is still the appropriate solution for many applications.

A larger commercial site may need multiple doors, individual user credentials, access records, central management or different levels of permission for different people.

That’s a completely different requirement from someone who simply wants convenient keyless entry through one door.

For a single door where those access-control features aren’t required, a modern standalone digital lock can sometimes provide a much simpler solution.

Depending on the model, these locks can offer PIN, fingerprint, card or app-based access without requiring a separate keypad and electric-strike arrangement.

Neither category should automatically be considered “better” without considering what the door actually needs to do.

What If You’ve Inherited an Older Keypad System?

This can be particularly relevant when buying or taking over a property.

You may have a keypad beside the door and know the current code, but know very little about what has actually been installed.

You may not know how old it is, whether it has a separate protected controller, who has previously been given the code or what alterations have been made over the years.

Seeing a keypad and electric strike doesn’t automatically tell you whether you have a proper access control system or a simpler standalone arrangement.

And the fact that the system may have been expensive when originally installed doesn’t answer that question either.

Keyless Entry Doesn’t Automatically Mean High Security

Electronic locking can provide excellent security, but the word electronic by itself doesn’t tell you very much.

A keypad is the part everybody sees, so naturally it gets most of the attention.

But the security of the door depends on what sits behind it — the design of the system, the locking hardware, the door and frame, and how those components work together.

That’s why two doors with very similar-looking keypads can have very different systems behind them.

Replacing an Older Standalone Keypad

If you have an older standalone keypad and electric-strike arrangement and no longer need a full access control system, a modern standalone digital lock may be worth considering.

Whether that’s practical depends on the existing door and lock hardware.

Where the old access control equipment is no longer going to be used, it also needs to be properly decommissioned so the old keypad can no longer independently release the door. That part of the work should be carried out by a suitably qualified person.

For a door where the main requirement is convenient keyless entry rather than a complete managed access control system, a standalone digital lock can provide a much simpler modern alternative.

What If You Don’t Want Keyless Entry Anymore?

There’s another option: you may decide you don’t want electronic access at all.

If you still want keyless entry without electronics, a mechanical keypad lock may also be worth considering for a suitable door.

In that case, properly decommissioning the keypad and electric strike is only part of the consideration. It’s also worth looking at how the existing mechanical lock is designed to operate.

On many doors originally set up for an electric strike, the mechanical lock is configured so the outside is always locked. The electric strike normally provides access from outside, while the inside remains free for exit.

That arrangement makes sense while the access control system is operating.

Once the electronic access is removed, however, it may not be the most convenient way to use the door.

Depending on the existing lock, its function may be able to be changed so the door can remain in passage mode when required and be manually secured with a turn snib when you want it locked.

Alternatively, keeping an always-locked function may still be exactly what you want. Every time the door closes, it’s secure again — although it also makes it very easy to accidentally lock yourself out.

The important point is that removing the electronic access doesn’t necessarily mean the existing mechanical lock should simply be left operating exactly as it did before.

How you want the door to work afterwards should be considered as part of the change.

Know What’s Actually Controlling Your Door

A proper access control system can be a high-quality, high-security solution.

The issue is assuming that every keypad and electric strike is automatically a proper access control system.

Some older standalone installations may look sophisticated and may even have cost a considerable amount when they were installed, but the design behind the keypad can be quite different.

The important question isn’t simply whether there’s a keypad on the wall.

It’s what is actually controlling the door — and how well that part of the system is protected.

If you no longer want the existing arrangement, you also have choices. You may want a modern standalone digital lock, or you may prefer to return the door to conventional mechanical locking.

Either way, the door and existing lock hardware need to suit how you want the door to operate afterwards.

Standalone Digital Lock and Locking Options in Geelong

At A to Z Locksmiths, I supply and install standalone digital locks and mechanical locking hardware for suitable residential and commercial doors across Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and surrounding areas.

If you have an older standalone keypad and electric-strike arrangement and are considering moving away from it, I can advise on suitable locking options for the door once the existing access control equipment has been properly decommissioned.

Considering changing an older standalone keypad setup? Call Li at A to Z Locksmiths on 0481 165 386.