Access control replaces keys with a record: who opened which door, and when. The right reader depends on the door, the people using it and what happens when something goes wrong.
PIN keypads
Cheap and simple, but a PIN is easily shared and hard to trace to one person. Fine for a store room; weak for a server room.
Proximity cards and fobs
Quick to use and easy to cancel when someone leaves. Cards can be lent or lost, so pair them with a PIN on sensitive doors. They also double as staff ID badges.
Fingerprint readers
Cannot be lent, and there is nothing to lose. Fingerprint readers can struggle with dirty, dry or worn fingers, which matters on industrial and construction sites.
Face recognition
Touch-free and fast, and increasingly common at staff entrances and turnstiles. Placement and lighting matter: a reader facing a bright doorway works poorly.
Think about the whole door
- Power: electric locks and controllers need battery backup, and you must decide whether each door fails locked or unlocked when power is lost. Fire exits must release.
- Exit: a request-to-exit button or sensor inside, and an emergency break-glass release.
- Records: most systems can export clock-in and clock-out times for attendance.
Personal data
Fingerprint and face templates are personal data. Under Ghana's Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843), tell staff what is collected and why, keep it secure, and delete it when they leave.