What is an Access Control System?
Access Control system, if translated literally, means access control system, but if we speak in a more easily understandable way, it means a system to control entry and exit. Here we use it for passing in and out of doors or accessing areas. The Access Control system we are familiar with is the Key Card system, a term that has been known for a long time. The old Key Card system used stainless steel keys that had to be inserted into a slot on the front of the door. You couldn't carry it in your wallet.
Until RFID technology came along, the original Key Card system was developed to become more modern. It has the appearance of a card like an ATM card but without a magnetic stripe on the back. It can be carried conveniently. Some designs are even shaped like small keychains the size of a bottle cap opener. The operation has changed with RFID technology, which uses radio waves to transmit the card code to a card reader. This eliminates the need to swipe or insert the card anymore. You just need to place the card in front of the card reader at a distance of approximately 3-6 centimeters, and the door will unlock.
Have you ever wondered how the door unlocks? The working principle is simple. When we bring the card near the card reader, the card reader sends out a radio signal, which is a weak electrical signal emitted from a coil that functions as an antenna. Then the RFID card that we commonly use for Access Control work, which is mostly used in 2 frequency bands: 125 kHz (Proximity Card) and 13.75 mHz (Mifare Card), has a small coil wound in a circle inside and connected to a Chip embedded within the card (RFID Card). When the card is brought close enough to receive the weak electrical signal from the card reader, the card receives an induced current, which creates energy and sends data back to the card reader. The card reader will then decode the received code and check if this code has permission to pass in and out. If it does, the card reader will command the Relay set to operate and switch the electrical circuit that powers the lock set, causing the door to unlock.
Currently, with the development of technology, personal identification by fingerprint (Fingerprint) makes us even more convenient, because we can use our fingerprints instead of keys or cards. With fingerprint scanning equipment, it increases security even more and we can be confident that the chance of anyone impersonating you is eliminated. Besides this, there is also vein imaging technology, which is becoming very popular because it can solve the problem of people who have issues with worn or very faint fingerprints.