Transitioning readers and/or credentials can be a very daunting and time consuming task. Whether you’re looking at a brand new install, wanting to upgrade your readers or migrate to new credential technology… or both, we can help make the process easier for you and your facility.
Below we outline the top four most common transition strategies we see and provide you with recommendations on how to make the move to a Wavelynx solution.
Scenario: You’ve got a brand new install or a site that is completely ripping out all existing readers and upgrading cards at the same time.
Recommendation: We recommend strictly installing secure readers and secure credentials, like the -6WS readers and the 50H4 or 50h8 cards. If the access system is capable of OSDP communication, we recommend using this as well.
Scenario: Depending on your budget or existing systems, you may want to upgrade credentials first followed by the readers. Often this is the case if you strictly have proximity readers and/or credentials.
Recommendation: In this scenario, we recommend moving to a dual-tech credential. This will continue working on existing proximity readers. Once the credentials have been fully upgraded, secure 6WS readers should start to be installed, replacing the previous proximity readers. These readers will not have proximity, guaranteeing a secure read from the dual-tech credentials.
Scenario: Readers can also be transitioned first, followed by credentials. This can occur whether you have proximity or multi-tech readers and credentials.
Recommendation: For a reader first transition, the tri-technology -7WS readers should be used to read legacy proximity credentials. If the legacy credentials are dual-tech, CSN’s should be disabled on the new Ethos readers. Once the readers are fully transitioned, we recommend using strictly high frequency part numbers. Finally once all legacy credentials have been replaced, it is recommended to disable low frequency on the readers for security.
Scenario: The final common transition strategy we’d like to discuss is a simultaneous transition. This can occur with proximity or multi-tech readers and credentials.
Recommendation: For this transition strategy we recommend using the tri-tech 7WS readers and dual-tech credentials. If the legacy credentials are dual-tech, the Ethos readers will need to have CSN’s disabled to avoid receiving incorrect ID’s. If the legacy readers are multi-tech, the legacy readers will also need to have CSN’s disabled to prevent reading a card serial number as well. Once the readers and credentials have fully been transitioned, it is recommended to disable proximity on the readers.