Access control installation for Cape Town businesses
Card, fob, PIN or biometric entry at the doors that matter, wired into the same network as your cameras and phones so it’s one system to manage, not three.
Most small businesses manage door security with a bunch of cut keys and a rough idea of who has one. It works until someone leaves and does not hand theirs back, or a key gets copied without anyone knowing, or you need to know who was actually in the building on a Tuesday night. At that point a spreadsheet of who might have a key stops being security and becomes a guess.
We install access control systems for offices, warehouses and light industrial sites — card, fob, PIN keypad or biometric readers on the doors that matter, tied into a central system that runs over the same network as your cabling and cameras. Access can be granted or revoked in seconds from a laptop, which means a departing staff member loses access the moment you decide, not whenever someone remembers to change a lock.
Not every door needs a reader, and we do not sell you one for each. The point is to control the two or three doors where it actually matters — the main entrance, the server room, the stock room — and leave the rest as ordinary doors. Installed alongside cabling or CCTV on the same visit, it shares the same runs and the same visit cost, which is usually the cheapest way to add it.
Scope
What an access control installation includes
- Site walk and door assessment identifying which doors need controlled entry and which do not.
- Door controllers and readers — card, fob, PIN keypad or biometric, chosen per door and per risk.
- Cabling to each door, run and terminated to the same standard as our network and camera cabling.
- Central management software so you can add, remove or restrict access without calling a locksmith.
- CCTV integration where you have or are installing cameras, so entry events and footage line up.
- Battery backup on critical doors so access still works through a power outage.
- Handover and training so whoever manages staff access can do it themselves from day one.
| Reader type | Card, fob, PIN keypad or biometric |
|---|---|
| Door controller | Networked, one per controlled door |
| Cabling | Run to the same standard as data and camera cabling |
| Power | PoE or dedicated supply, with battery backup |
| Management | Add or remove access from a laptop or phone |
| Integration | Works alongside CCTV and your existing network |
| Audit trail | Per-person, per-door entry log |
How the job runs
What happens, in order
Site walk and door assessment
We walk the site with you and identify which doors genuinely need controlled entry, rather than fitting a reader to every door on principle.
Plan and quote
You get a written quote broken down per door, with the reader type and controller specified for each one.
Cable and install
Cabling is run to each door and controllers and readers are fitted, using the same cable runs as cabling or CCTV work happening on the same visit where possible.
Configure access levels
Staff, contractors and visitors are set up with the access level that matches their role, not blanket access to every door.
Handover and training
We show whoever manages staff access how to add, remove and review entries themselves, then hand over documentation for the system.
Worth knowing
Why businesses add this after a staff change
The most common reason we get called is not a break-in — it is a staff departure. A cut key cannot be switched off. Once several people have had one over the years, the only genuinely secure fix is re-keying the whole door, which most businesses put off until it becomes urgent. A card, fob or PIN can be revoked the moment someone leaves, with no locksmith and no disruption to anyone else.
The audit trail is the other part people underestimate. Knowing who opened the stock room and when turns a dispute into a five-minute lookup instead of a guessing game. Entry data is personal information under South Africa’s POPIA in the same way camera footage is, so it is worth being deliberate about who can view the logs and how long they are kept — we set systems up with that in mind.
This is general information rather than legal advice. If your situation is complicated, particularly around monitoring staff movements, it is worth a conversation with a lawyer.
Common questions
Before you call
Do I need access control if I already have an alarm?
They solve different problems. An alarm tells you someone got in after hours. Access control controls who can get in during the day and keeps a record of it. Most sites with both are better covered than sites with either alone.
What happens if the power goes out?
Critical doors are put on battery backup during installation, so they keep working through a normal outage. We size the backup to the door, not a one-size-fits-all battery.
Can I add or remove someone's access without you coming out?
Yes. That is the point of the system — access changes happen from a laptop or phone in seconds, any time, without a site visit or a locksmith.
Can this work with cameras I already have?
In most cases yes, if your existing cameras are IP based. We check the compatibility during the site walk and integrate where we can.
Is this only for offices, or does it work for warehouses too?
Both. Warehouses often need it more — more staff, more turnover, and more value walking through fewer doors than a typical office.
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View service →Where we work
On site across Cape Town
We install and support on site throughout the Cape Peninsula, the Northern Suburbs and the Winelands. If your business sits outside these areas, call us anyway — we travel for larger installations.
- Cape Town CBD
- Century City
- Milnerton
- Montague Gardens
- Paarden Eiland
- Table View
- Blouberg
- Durbanville
- Bellville
- Brackenfell
- Kuils River
- Goodwood
- Parow
- Epping
- Airport Industria
- Woodstock
- Salt River
- Observatory
- Green Point
- Sea Point
- Claremont
- Rondebosch
- Newlands
- Ottery
- Tokai
- Somerset West
- Strand
- Stellenbosch
Get a quote
Get a written quote for access control
Tell us the site and roughly what you need. We quote in writing, with the scope broken down so you can see what each part costs.