By interconnecting access control with intrusion detection or video surveillance systems, integrators can make their customers' systems more powerful - although ironically, what customers often like is the simplicity.
"We see a lot of clients that don't man their guard booth 24/7," Albrect says. "They use integration as a management tool. If it's after hours and a door is left propped open, they want it reported to the central station." That capability is easy to obtain with access control systems that can be easily integrated with alarm systems using RS-232 connections, Albrect adds.