Key Card vs. Key Fob Access Control: Which Is Better for Your Business?
Traditional keys can become difficult to manage as a business grows. Employees come and go, keys get lost, restricted areas require different levels of access, and there is typically no easy way to determine who entered a particular door and when.
Electronic access control provides businesses with another option. Instead of relying solely on physical keys, employees can use credentials such as key cards or key fobs to access authorized areas.
But what's the difference between a key card and a key fob, and which is better for your business?
Both can be effective. The right choice depends on how your business operates, how employees will use the system, and the type of commercial access control system you choose.
How Does Key Card Access Control Work?
A key card is an electronic credential assigned to an authorized user. Depending on the system, the employee may swipe the card or present it to a reader installed near a secured entrance.
The access control system then determines whether that credential is authorized to open the door.
Unlike a traditional key, the card can be managed electronically. Businesses can assign different permissions to different employees, restrict access to certain areas, or establish schedules that determine when a credential can be used.
ISSI offers commercial access control systems that support key cards, swipe cards, key fobs, smartphone access, timed access, and individually assigned credentials.
How Does Key Fob Access Control Work?
A key fob performs many of the same functions as a key card, but the credential is typically smaller and designed to be carried on a keychain.
An employee presents the fob to an electronic reader. The system identifies the credential and determines whether that user has permission to enter.
Because fobs are compact and easy to carry with other keys, many businesses find them convenient for employees, tenants, managers, and other authorized users.
Like key cards, individual key fobs can be assigned specific permissions and managed through the access control system.
Key Card vs. Key Fob: What's the Difference?
The biggest difference between a key card and key fob is often the physical format of the credential, rather than its basic purpose.
A key card can work particularly well for organizations where employees already carry identification badges. The access credential can fit naturally into the employee's existing badge or card-carrying routine.
A key fob is smaller and can typically be attached to a keychain, making it convenient for employees who don't need to display an identification badge.
The capabilities available to the business ultimately depend more on the access control system itself than whether the employee carries a card or fob.
That's why businesses shouldn't choose an access control system based solely on which credential looks more convenient.
What Happens When an Employee Loses a Card or Fob?
This is one of the major advantages of electronic access control over traditional keys.
If an employee loses a traditional key, the business may have no way of knowing who eventually finds it or whether someone has made a copy. Depending on the situation, locks may need to be rekeyed or replaced.
With an electronic access control system, a lost key card or fob can generally be deactivated so that the credential can no longer be used.
A new credential can then be assigned to the employee.
The same concept applies when an employee leaves the company. Instead of relying on the former employee to return every physical key, their electronic access credentials can be revoked.
Can Different Employees Have Different Access?
Yes. In fact, this is one of the most useful features of a commercial access control system.
Not everyone who works in a building necessarily needs access to every room.
A business might provide most employees access to the primary entrance while limiting certain areas to managers or authorized personnel.
Restricted areas could include:
Inventory or stockrooms
Server and IT rooms
Administrative offices
Records storage
Equipment rooms
Financial areas
Employee-only entrances
Other sensitive portions of a facility
Access permissions can also be based on schedules. For example, a credential may be authorized during an employee's normal working hours but restricted at other times.
ISSI's access control solutions support privileged and timed access, allowing businesses to manage who can enter particular areas and when.
Can You Track When a Key Card or Key Fob Is Used?
Another important advantage of electronic access control is the ability to maintain access records.
ISSI's access control systems can provide searchable logs showing when a card or fob was used to open a door and which assigned credential was involved.
That information can be valuable when a business needs to investigate an incident or review activity involving a particular secured area.
A traditional key can't provide that same information. It may unlock the door, but it doesn't create an electronic record identifying which credential was used.
Are Key Cards or Key Fobs More Secure Than Traditional Keys?
Electronic access control provides businesses with capabilities that aren't available with a basic lock and key.
The ability to deactivate lost credentials, modify individual permissions, establish access schedules, and review access activity can give businesses significantly more control over who can enter secured areas.
However, the effectiveness of any access control system depends on more than the credential itself.
The system needs to be properly designed around the property's entrances, users, restricted areas, security requirements, and day-to-day operations.
What About Smartphone Access Control?
Businesses are no longer limited to cards and fobs.
Some modern access control systems allow a smartphone to function as an access credential. ISSI offers smartphone access control as one of its commercial access-control options.
Mobile credentials can be attractive for organizations looking to reduce the number of physical credentials employees need to carry.
That doesn't necessarily make smartphone access the best solution for every organization.
Some businesses may prefer cards, others may prefer fobs, and others may benefit from a combination of credential types.
The appropriate solution depends on the property and its users.
Which Is Better for a Large Business?
For larger businesses, the capabilities of the overall system become particularly important.
An organization with hundreds of employees, numerous entrances, multiple departments, or several facilities needs more than a convenient credential.
It may need the ability to efficiently add and remove users, establish different permission levels, restrict areas according to schedules, review access activity, and expand the system as the organization grows.
ISSI specifically offers expandable access control solutions designed to manage credentials for larger commercial properties and organizations.
In this situation, scalability and system management should carry more weight than simply deciding between a card and a fob.
Can Access Control Work With Security Cameras?
Access control and video surveillance perform different jobs, but they can be valuable components of the same commercial security strategy.
Access control provides information about which credential was used at a secured entrance.
Video surveillance can provide visual information about activity occurring in that area.
For example, an access log may show that an employee's credential opened a particular door at a specific time. A security camera covering that entrance may provide additional visual information about what occurred.
ISSI provides both commercial access control and video surveillance systems as part of its broader commercial security services.
Key Card or Key Fob: Which Should Your Business Choose?
There isn't one credential that's automatically better for every business.
A key card may make sense if employees already carry identification badges or your organization prefers a card-style credential.
A key fob may be preferable if employees want a small credential that can remain attached to their keys.
But before making that decision, consider the larger questions.
How many entrances need to be secured? How many employees need access? Do certain employees need different permissions? Are there restricted areas? Do you need scheduled access? Do you want a record of access activity? Will the system need to expand as your organization grows?
Those factors can be much more important than whether the credential itself is a card or a fob.
Commercial Access Control Systems in Maryland and Florida
Innovative Security Systems, Inc. provides commercial access control solutions for businesses throughout Maryland and Florida, as well as service areas in Washington, DC and Virginia. ISSI's access control options include key cards, key fobs, smartphone access, electronic locking solutions, credential management, timed access, and searchable access records.
Whether your business is replacing traditional keys, upgrading an existing access system, or securing a larger commercial facility, the system should be designed around the way your property actually operates.
Upgrade Your Business Access Control
Choosing between key cards and key fobs is only one part of developing an effective access control system.
ISSI can help evaluate your property's entrances, number of users, restricted areas, existing equipment, and security requirements to develop a customized commercial access control solution.
Contact Innovative Security Systems, Inc. today for a free quote and learn which access control solution is right for your business: https://www.innovativesecurity.com/commercial-security-company-near-me
Comments