In a move that surprised some, but delighted many industry professionals, Axis Communications, Chelmsford, Mass., announced it has entered the physical access control market with the introduction of its first network door controller: the open, IP-based AXIS A1001 Network Door Controller. AXIS A1001 was exhibited to the industry for the first time at ASIS 2013 held in Chicago in September.

“Bringing product innovation to the physical access control market is a natural step in Axis’ development as there is a strong connection between access control and video surveillance,” said Ray Mauritsson, president and CEO, Axis Communications. “As the market leader in network cameras, Axis plays an important role in driving convergence to IP-based products in video surveillance. We now apply that expertise in IP technology to the physical access control market in the same way. The physical access control market is primed to make the shift to open IP technology.”

AXIS A1001 Network Door Controller is the first non-proprietary and open IP-based access controller on the market, the company described. The network door controller with its built-in Web-based software is a complement to Axis’ portfolio of network video products. The AXIS A1001 platform creates unique integration possibilities for partners and end-users with two different solutions:

• AXIS A1001 coupled with the built-in, Web-based AXIS Entry Manager software is a ready-made solution for small- to mid-sized installations, such as at offices, industrial buildings and retail stores, with typically 10 doors and basic access control requirements.
• For larger enterprise systems, the open application programming interface (API) of AXIS A1001 enables Axis’ Application Development Partners (ADPs) to design software solutions that meet specific customer requirements such as video integration and advanced access control functionality. Initially, Axis ADP partners Aimetis, Genetec, IMRON, Milestone Systems, Next Level Security Systems and OnSSI are engaged in the development of solutions.

“This is really exciting for us,” said Ola Jönsson, product manager for AXIS A1001 Network Door Controller, based in Lund, Sweden (Axis headquarters). “For us it’s quite natural. We have had a lot of requests from partners and customers for Axis to do this. About 50 percent of all video surveillance products are somehow integrated with access control. Most of the market wants to have that kind of integration, but it’s often very cumbersome and very difficult, or very expensive to do. Our entrance will make it a lot easier.”

Systems integrator Wachter Inc., Lenexa, Kansas, which has been testing the new access control product, attests to its ease of installation. “As a systems integrator, Wachter typically tries to choose partners that offer support and cutting-edge new products. This is one of the reasons we chose Axis. They have simplified installation to the point where it allows us to utilize technicians more effectively,” said Mario Palmietto, solutions engineer/architect, Wachter Inc.

“It is very simple for us to take [the AXIS A1001 Network Door Controller] in house in our lab and actually configure the system before we deploy. We can print out the installation wiring diagrams and …hand those to our installation team and let them do the install. It makes it a lot easier; they don’t have to figure that stuff out on site… In addition to that, the open API allows you to integrate with other systems such as video management or other types of analytics or even intrusion alarms.”

The main features of AXIS A1001 Network Door Controller are:

• open architecture that allows easy integration of video, intrusion detection and other systems;
• support for Power over Ethernet to reduce the need for separate power and proprietary cables;
• UL 2043 listing for plenum-rated products that comply with fire performance response for smoke and heat release in air-handling spaces;
• automatic synchronization and storage of cardholder data and system configuration information between controllers, with units manageable from any network computer;
• enablement for a fully scalable “edge” solution with one controller for each door at a fixed price per door, eliminating traditional central controller multiples of 4, 8, 16 or 32 doors;
• support for most existing reader protocols and reader types, as well as standard IT and security equipment such as door locks and door-position sensors;
• installation wizard and unique wiring printouts that correspond to the unit’s color-coded connectors, which help integrators complete installation and verify that door locks, readers and other equipment are connected properly; and
• open API designed for compliance with ONVIF Profile C, which will enable interoperability between clients and devices of physical access control systems and network-based video systems.

Axis will launch AXIS A1001 Network Door Controller first in the United States, currently scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2013, at a MSRP of $599. The United States was an early adopter of network video technology and is a significant market for physical access control, Axis summarized.

“Axis started its innovative quest back in 1984 by developing protocol converters and then continued to printers and storage devices before inventing and launching the first network camera in 1996. Although we now enter the physical access control market, our focus will continue to be on network video products. We expect physical access control sales to represent a small, but important, part of our total business,” said Mauritsson.

For information, visit www.axis.com.