Access Control Chelsea Keypad Fob and Entry Systems
We carry out access control installation in London from our base in Chelsea SW3, fitting keypad, fob and card entry to office doors, mansion block entrances and mews gates across SW3, SW10 and the neighbouring postcodes. Because every door, frame and power supply is different, wired systems are priced on the phone or after a short site visit, and you get the figure before anything is ordered. Fitting a battery keypad lock you have bought yourself is £50 to £75 labour. There is no call out fee and the person you speak to is the person who fits it.
- DBS checked locksmith
- Public liability insured
- Over 5 years working in Chelsea
- Price agreed before work
- No call out fee
Why Chelsea buildings move to fob and keypad entry
Metal keys have one big weakness for shared doors: once copied, you can never be sure where they are. A small office in a King's Road townhouse may have had dozens of staff over the years. A mansion block street door may have keys out with cleaners, builders and short let guests. Every leaver or lost key means another lock change.
Access control fixes that. Each person gets a fob, card or code. When someone leaves or loses a fob, you delete that one credential and the rest carry on. Many systems also keep a log of which credential opened the door and when, which helps an office manager or porter answer questions after an incident.
It is not right for every door. For a single household front door, a good British Standard lock is usually the better answer, and our page on choosing the best door lock covers that. Access control earns its cost where many people share one or more doors.
Keypads, fobs and cards compared
| Credential | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Keypad code | Small offices, bin stores, cleaner access | Codes get shared; change them when staff leave and look for worn buttons that give the code away |
| Proximity fob | Mansion block street doors, residents and porters | Older low frequency fobs can be copied cheaply, so choose encrypted fobs for anything sensitive |
| Card | Offices where the card doubles as staff ID | Cards get left in jacket pockets; a lost card must be deleted the same day |
| Code plus fob | Server rooms, stockrooms, high value areas | Slightly slower at busy times, so keep it to inner doors |
The reader is only half the system. Behind it sits a controller that decides who is allowed in, and a lock that physically holds the door. That lock is where most of the planning goes.
Access control and keypad lock prices
Wired access control is priced after we see the door, while related items follow our published list with no call out fee.
| Job | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Smart or keypad lock fitting (labour, customer's lock) Fitting a battery keypad or smart lock you supply | £50 to £75 |
| Door closer fitted or repaired Closer strong enough to pull the door onto an electric lock | £40 to £75 |
| Gate lock Mechanical gate lock alongside or instead of a keypad | £40 to £75 |
| Access control installation Reader, controller and lock release, figure agreed after a site visit | Priced on the phone |
Prices include parts and labour. The lower figure is a standard daytime job, the higher figure covers nights, weekends and high security parts. Your exact price is confirmed on the phone before we travel, with no call out fee. See the full Chelsea price list.
Maglocks versus electric strikes
There are two common ways to make a door release electrically, and the choice depends on the door and on safety.
Magnetic lock
A powered magnet on the head of the frame holds a steel plate on the door. Strong, simple and suits glass or aluminium doors where a strike is hard to fit. It releases when power is cut.
Must have a release button and a fire alarm link
Electric strike
Replaces the keep in the frame and works with the door's existing latch or lock. Neater on period timber doors and leaves the key working as a backup.
Good fit for Chelsea timber doors
Motorised lock
The lock inside the door is driven electrically. Higher security, more cabling through the door via a power transfer hinge.
For higher risk inner doors
On a listed or period front door, an electric strike is usually the least visible change. On a fire exit or a glass shop door, a magnetic lock with proper release controls is often more practical.
Fail safe, fail secure and the fire alarm
Every electric lock has to answer one question: what happens when the power goes off?
- Fail safe locks release when power is lost. Maglocks always work this way. They suit doors on escape routes, because nobody can be trapped if the power or system fails.
- Fail secure locks stay locked without power and still open from inside by handle. They suit external doors and stockrooms where the building must stay secure during a power cut, provided escape is never blocked.
Doors on escape routes should also be linked to the fire alarm so they release when it sounds, and normally have a green break glass unit beside them. Battery backup keeps the system working in a short power cut. We fit the locking side to match your fire risk assessment; the alarm interface itself may need your alarm engineer, and we will say so at the site visit. Our fire door and fire exit hardware page explains the mechanical exit devices that can sit alongside an access system.
Access control installation for offices, blocks and mews
Offices and shops
A single door system with a fob reader and electric strike suits most small Chelsea offices. Larger floors may add a reader on a stockroom or file room. If you are replacing keys after a run of leavers, see our commercial locksmith services for Chelsea businesses for the mechanical side.
Mansion block street doors
Many red brick blocks already have an intercom with a door release. Adding fob entry for residents and the porter, and keeping the intercom for visitors, is a common upgrade. The heavy entrance door will also need a closer strong enough to pull it shut against the lock; our mansion block locksmith page covers the rest of the communal hardware.
Mews gates and rear yards
Gated mews and service yards often use a keypad on a post with an electric lock on the gate. Outdoor readers need to be weather rated, and the gate must still close fully every time, so we check hinges and the closing mechanism alongside the lock. See gate locks in Chelsea for mechanical gate options.
Managing users after we leave
A system is only as good as its user list. Before we fit anything we agree who will add and remove users, whether that is the office manager, the porter or the managing agent, and how lost fobs get reported.
Simple standalone readers are programmed at the door with a master card. Networked systems are managed from a computer or phone app. In either case, keep a written register of who holds which credential, delete leavers on their last day and change keypad codes at least whenever a staff member with the code leaves.
Smaller job, smaller budget
If you only need one door to open by code, a battery smart or keypad lock fitted to the existing door may do the job without any wiring. Fitting one you have bought is £50 to £75 labour.
For larger multi site or multi floor networks, a dedicated security systems installer may suit you better, and we will tell you that honestly at the visit. Our full list of trades is on the Chelsea locksmith services page and published prices are on our price list.
Common questions
How much does access control installation cost in London?
It depends on the number of doors, the lock release needed, cable routes and whether the system is standalone or networked. We price it on the phone or after a short site visit and give you the figure before ordering any equipment, with no call out fee.
Is a maglock or an electric strike better?
A maglock suits glass and aluminium doors and always releases when power is lost, so it needs a release button and a fire alarm link. An electric strike suits timber doors, is less visible and lets the existing key keep working.
Can fob entry be added to an existing mansion block intercom?
Often yes. Many block intercoms already release the street door, and a fob reader can be added for residents and the porter while visitors keep using the intercom. We check the existing release and power at the site visit.
What happens to the door in a power cut?
A fail safe lock releases, so the door opens. A fail secure lock stays locked from outside but still opens from inside by handle. Battery backup keeps most systems running through a short outage.
Can a lost fob still open the door?
Not once it has been deleted. That is the main advantage over keys. Delete the fob as soon as it is reported lost, and issue a replacement to the holder.
Are you certified access control installers?
We do not claim any installer certification. We are a DBS checked, insured locksmith with more than five years in Chelsea, fitting locks and simple entry systems. For large networked systems we will recommend a specialist security installer.
Related pages
Planning fob or keypad entry?
Call 07520 643913 to arrange a site visit and get a price before anything is ordered.