Hear from Our Customers
When you’re managing a building in Twin Oaks, you can’t afford to guess who’s coming and going. Former employees shouldn’t still have building access. Contractors shouldn’t be able to enter after hours. And you definitely shouldn’t need to rekey an entire facility because someone lost a key.
A properly installed access control system gives you real-time control. You can grant access remotely, set time restrictions for different users, and get alerts when doors are accessed outside normal hours. No more tracking down keys or wondering if the person who quit three months ago still has a way in.
The right system also creates an audit trail. You’ll know exactly who entered which door and when. That matters when something goes missing, when you need to verify contractor hours, or when you’re trying to understand traffic patterns in your building.
We’ve been in the locksmith business for over 140 years. We started with mechanical locks when Twin Oaks was a different place entirely, and we’ve adapted as technology changed. That means we understand both the old systems you might be replacing and the new technology you’re considering.
We’re not a franchise or a call center with a local number. We’re a family operation with a physical storefront in Prospect Park, and we’ve been serving Delaware County businesses longer than most security companies have existed. When you call, you’re talking to people who’ve actually installed these systems, not someone reading from a script.
Most of our commercial clients in Twin Oaks are in the professional services sector—offices, medical facilities, and small commercial buildings where security matters but budgets are real. We get it.
First, we walk your property. You show us which doors need control, who needs access to what, and what problems you’re trying to solve. We’re looking at door types, existing hardware, power access, and network infrastructure. This isn’t a sales call—it’s a technical assessment.
Then we recommend a system based on what you actually need. Card readers for most doors. Biometric for high-security areas if that makes sense. Mobile credentials if your team already lives on their phones. We’ll tell you what works and what’s overkill for a building your size.
Installation happens on your timeline. We typically schedule it during off-hours or weekends so we’re not disrupting your business. Our techs mount the hardware, run the wiring, connect everything to your network or our standalone controller, and program the system. Before we leave, we test every door, train your key people on the software, and make sure you can add or remove users yourself.
You’ll get documentation on everything—wiring diagrams, user credentials, admin access, and our direct number. If something stops working, you’re not calling a 1-800 number. You’re calling us.
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You’re getting hardware that works with your existing doors—electromagnetic locks, electric strikes, or panic hardware that meets fire code. We use commercial-grade components, not residential stuff that’ll fail in six months.
You’re also getting a control system that makes sense. For smaller buildings in Twin Oaks, that might be a standalone controller that doesn’t need network access. For larger operations, it’s a networked system you can manage from anywhere. Either way, you can add users, set schedules, and pull reports without calling us every time.
Most of our Twin Oaks clients also want integration with their existing security cameras. We handle that. You’ll be able to see video of who accessed a door and when, all from the same interface. It’s not required, but it’s helpful when you’re trying to piece together what happened.
We also set you up with backup credentials. If your card system goes down, you need a way in. We make sure you have override codes or physical keys for emergencies, because technology fails and you can’t be locked out of your own building.
For a small commercial building in Twin Oaks—let’s say three to five doors—you’re typically looking at $3,000 to $8,000 depending on what you need. That includes the controller, card readers, electric strikes or mag locks, cards or fobs, and installation labor.
The range exists because not all doors are equal. A simple office door with an electric strike is cheaper than a glass storefront that needs a magnetic lock and door position sensor. If you want biometric readers instead of cards, that adds cost. If your doors need new frames or fire-rated hardware, that adds cost.
The system itself—the brain that controls everything—runs $800 to $2,500 depending on how many doors it manages and whether it’s network-connected. Then each door costs $400 to $1,200 in hardware and labor. Most of our Twin Oaks clients end up somewhere in the middle of that range because they’re securing main entries and a few interior doors, not the entire building.
You can manage it yourself. That’s the whole point. We set you up with admin access and train you on how to add users, remove users, set time schedules, and pull reports. It’s usually a web interface or desktop software—nothing complicated.
When an employee starts, you add their name, assign their credential number, and choose which doors they can access. Takes about two minutes. When they leave, you deactivate their credential immediately. No waiting, no service call, no wondering if they still have access.
Where people usually call us is for hardware issues—a reader stops working, a door won’t lock, something got damaged. Or when they want to add new doors to the system. The day-to-day user management is all you, and we’ll walk you through it as many times as you need until you’re comfortable.
If you lose power, your access control system has a battery backup that keeps it running for several hours—usually 4 to 8 hours depending on the system. That gives you time to get power restored without losing security. The doors will still lock and unlock based on credentials.
If you lose internet, it depends on your system type. Standalone controllers don’t need internet at all—they operate independently. Networked systems will keep working locally because the access decisions are made at the door controller, not in the cloud. You just won’t be able to make changes remotely until internet comes back.
What you won’t have is a system that defaults to unlocked when something fails. That’s a safety risk and a security risk. We design systems to fail secure, meaning doors stay locked if there’s a problem. You’ll have backup credentials—override codes or physical keys—so you’re never locked out during a failure.
Usually, yes. Most commercial doors in Twin Oaks can be retrofitted with access control without replacing the entire door. We add an electric strike to the frame or a magnetic lock to the top of the door, mount a card reader on the wall, and integrate it with your existing door hardware.
There are exceptions. If your door frame is damaged, too thin, or not built to code, we might need to reinforce it or replace it. If you have residential-grade doors on a commercial building, those typically need upgrading because they won’t hold up to electric lock hardware. And if your doors are fire-rated, we need to maintain that rating with approved hardware.
During the walkthrough, we’ll tell you exactly what works and what doesn’t. Most of our clients are surprised by how much of their existing setup we can use. The goal is to add security without rebuilding your entire entrance.
For a three to five door system, plan on one to two days. We’re running wire, mounting hardware, drilling into frames, programming the system, and testing everything. It’s not a quick job if it’s done right.
Larger buildings take longer. A 10-door system might take three to four days depending on how far apart the doors are and whether we’re running new conduit. If we’re integrating with cameras or tying into an existing network, add time for that.
We usually schedule installations during evenings or weekends so we’re not blocking your doors during business hours. You’ll have access the whole time—we work on one door at a time and make sure it’s functional before moving to the next. The last thing you need is all your doors torn apart at once.
Card readers use a physical card or fob that you tap or swipe. They’re reliable, inexpensive, and easy to replace if someone loses theirs. The downside is cards can be shared or stolen, so you’re not 100% certain who’s actually using them.
Biometric readers use fingerprints or facial recognition. You know for sure who’s accessing the door because they have to physically be there. No sharing credentials. The tradeoff is cost—biometric readers run $400 to $800 each compared to $150 to $300 for card readers. They also require more maintenance and can be finicky in cold weather or if someone’s hands are dirty.
For most Twin Oaks businesses, card readers make sense for general access and biometric for high-security areas like server rooms or pharmaceutical storage. You don’t need fingerprint scanners on every door. Use the right tool for each situation and you’ll save money without compromising security.
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