Access control for NYC single-family homes.
From a Carroll Gardens brownstone with a street-level vestibule to a detached Bayside colonial with a side gate, your entry points deserve more than a deadbolt. We install key fobs, video intercoms, smart locks and full access control panels, in pre-war masonry and modern millwork alike.
Garage, mudroom, front door, side gate, back door and basement, each with its own rules, on one panel.
No two NYC houses are wired the same way.
A landmarked Park Slope rowhouse, a detached Flushing two-story and a Staten Island colonial all bring different wiring paths, doors and expectations. This is what we account for before we pull a single wire.
Pre-war masonry and plaster
Brownstones and pre-war rowhouses mean thick brick, original horsehair plaster and no conduit. We core drill carefully, sleeve the cable through the masonry and patch clean. No exposed raceway unless you want it.
Multiple entry points
A typical NYC house has a front door, a rear yard gate, a basement entrance and sometimes a garage. We map every one and design a single system, not a patchwork of mismatched hardware.
Owners and household help
Housekeepers, nannies and contractors need credentials limited to certain days and hours. Smart locks and fob systems let you grant and revoke access from your phone, with no key copies loose in the neighborhood.
Landmark and historic districts
Hundreds of NYC blocks are landmarked. In a landmarked building or historic district, exterior readers and hardware may still need Landmarks Preservation Commission approval. We flag it early and choose discreet hardware that leaves protected features alone.
Existing door hardware and frames
Original brownstone front doors are worth keeping. We check mortise lock compatibility, frame condition and hinge placement before we specify an electric strike or magnetic lock, so nothing is forced onto millwork you cannot replace.
A free way out
We pick the lock for each door around its use and the building's fire and life safety requirements, fail-safe or fail-secure. A magnetic lock needs a free way out from inside at all times, and we plan panic hardware where a door calls for it.
An intercom on a landmarked stoop. Where it goes matters.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission cares most about the visible exterior. Compare three places an intercom can go on a brownstone entrance.
In a landmarked building or historic district, exterior readers and hardware may still need Landmarks Preservation Commission approval. We tell you which route is likely before anything is ordered.
Access control systems for single-family homes.
The full range of access control hardware, from one smart lock on a front stoop to a multi-door fob system covering every entry on the property.
Video intercom systems
IP · analog · appWired IP and analog video intercoms with color displays, two-way audio and a mobile app. See and talk to anyone at the front door, whether you are upstairs or across the city.
Smart lock installation
PIN · phone · auto-lockSmart locks from Schlage, Yale and August, fitted to your existing mortise or cylindrical prep. PIN codes, phone credentials and auto-lock schedules, well suited to housekeeper and contractor access.
Key fob and proximity card access
HID · RFIDHID and RFID credentials for homes with several entries or live-in staff. A lost fob is turned off remotely, with no locksmith visit and no rekeying the whole house.
Electric strikes and magnetic locks
Fail-safe · fail-secureElectric strikes for inswing and outswing doors, and surface-mount magnetic locks for interior gates and secondary entries. Fail-safe or fail-secure is chosen for each door around its use and the fire and life safety requirements.
Access control panels
Single or multi-doorSingle and multi-door controllers that keep credentials, schedules and audit logs in one place. Practical when the front door, rear gate, basement and garage each need their own control.
Gate and intercom entry
Keypad · fob · appExterior gate intercoms with keypad, fob or app release, wired back to the main panel or standalone. Common on detached homes in Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island with fenced front or side yards.
From first call to the last credential test.
What to expect when we install access control in your house.
Site assessment
We walk the property with you: every door, gate and entry point. We check door prep, frame condition, existing wiring and masonry type, and note a historic district so the hardware spec accounts for it.
Design and proposal
A written scope with exact hardware models, credential types, wiring paths and any patching or restoration. No vague line items: you know what is going in before we start.
Installation
Our technicians run the cable, mount the hardware and program the panel. We work around your schedule, protect floors and walls, and leave the house clean.
Programming, testing and handoff
Every credential is programmed and tested at each door. We walk you through the app, the schedules and adding or removing users, so you leave knowing how to run the system.
Single-family home access control, answered.
Will you need to drill through my brownstone's original plaster or brick?
Often, yes. Cable has to get from the intercom or reader to the panel somewhere, and in pre-war construction that usually means going through brick or thick plaster. We use correctly sized core bits, sleeve the penetration and patch the plaster to a clean finish. We work carefully in original materials, not with a reciprocating saw.
My home is in an LPC historic district. Can I still add a video intercom?
Usually, yes, with the right hardware. The Landmarks Preservation Commission's main concern is the visible exterior. Flush-mount or recessed panels in subdued finishes that keep the historic facade profile are typically approvable. Surface-mounted hardware in contrasting finishes is where owners run into trouble. Exterior readers and hardware may still need LPC approval, so we advise on what is likely to need a Certificate of No Effect versus a full permit, and specify the hardware to match.
I want to give my housekeeper time-limited access. What is the best option?
A smart lock with access scheduling or a fob-based access control system both work well. A smart lock gives her a PIN or phone credential that works only on certain days and hours; you can see when it was used and turn it off from your phone. A fob system does the same at the controller and keeps an audit log. We recommend one based on your door prep and how many people you manage.
Does a magnetic lock on my front door comply with NYC Fire Code?
It can, when it is specified for that door. As a general rule, an electrically locked egress door must release on a fire alarm signal and on loss of power, and must have a manual way out. A magnetic lock needs a free way out from inside at all times, so on a single-family front door that usually means a fail-safe magnetic lock with a request-to-exit motion sensor on the inside. We pick the lock for each door around its use and the building's fire and life safety requirements, rather than leaving that call to the homeowner.
Can the video intercom integrate with my existing alarm system or cameras?
It depends on the platforms. Many IP video intercoms can trigger alarm panel inputs or send video to a recorder alongside your security cameras. We install alarm and camera systems too, so if you want one platform we can design for it from the start. If you have a system from another installer, send us the make and model and we will tell you honestly what is possible.
How long does a typical single-family home access control installation take?
It depends on the number of doors and the cable path. A single front door with a video intercom and smart lock is a small job. A full system with the front door, rear gate, basement entry and a panel is a bigger one, and the cable runs through the structure set the pace. The proposal gives you a realistic schedule for your house before we start.
Access control for every kind of NYC home.
Ready to secure your home?
We assess your entry points, pick the right hardware for how your house is built, and give you a written proposal with no vague line items. Licensed, insured and based in New York City.