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How to identify your access control system — brand, model and who looks after it.

You took over an office, the doors have card readers, and nobody can tell you what system runs them. In about 15 minutes, with a phone camera, you can find out exactly what you have — which decides whether you can upgrade it or are being told to replace it.

By Tom Jin, founder of GateStride · October 2026

Diagram: the reader and lock are at the door, wired back to a controller and power supply in the comms room, which connects to a PC or server running the access software At the door door reader lock / strike + exit button or motion sensor inside Comms / IT room Controller brand + model label here power supply / battery Office PC or server access software name + version network
Three places tell you what you have: the reader at the door, the controller in the comms room, and the software on a PC or server. The controller and software are what actually identify the system.

Where the parts live

At the door

A card reader or keypad, the electric lock or strike in the frame, and an exit button or motion sensor on the inside.

In the comms room

A metal enclosure with the controller board and a power supply, usually near the network equipment in the IT, telecom or electrical room (sometimes above a ceiling tile).

On a computer

The badge software runs on an office PC, a server in the comms room, or in the cloud through a web browser.

Step 1 — Photograph the reader (2 minutes)

Take a straight-on photo and a side photo of the reader beside a main door. Note any logo and any small model label on the side or bottom. Do not unscrew it. Readers are often made by a different company from the system that controls them — an HID-branded reader can sit on many different systems — so the reader is a clue, not the answer.

Step 2 — Find the controller (5 minutes)

Ask for the comms or IT room. Look for a grey or beige metal box, often about the size of a briefcase, with cables running in from the top and a label on the door or side. Photograph the label: it usually carries the brand and the controller model. Do not open the enclosure — it may have a tamper switch, a battery and mains power. If there are several boxes, photograph each one.

This is general guidance, not safety or electrical advice. Leave anything inside the enclosure to a licensed installer.

Step 3 — Find the software (5 minutes)

Ask whoever issues badges — office manager, HR or IT — which program they open to add a person. The name and version are usually on the login screen or under Help → About. Write both down. If badges are managed through a website, note the address; that tells you whether the system is on-premise or cloud-managed.

Step 4 — Find who looks after it (3 minutes)

Integrators often leave a sticker with their name and phone number on the controller enclosure or the power supply. If not, check old invoices, ask the landlord or building manager, or ask the previous tenant. Knowing the integrator matters as much as knowing the brand: they hold the admin access, the wiring records and the service history.

Common names you might see

On the controller label or the software screen, these are some of the names common in US offices. Seeing one of them tells you the system family:

  • Kantech (EntraPass software, KT-series controllers)
  • Honeywell (WIN-PAK, Pro-Watch)
  • LenelS2 (OnGuard, NetBox)
  • Software House (C•CURE, iSTAR controllers)
  • Mercury Security (controller boards inside many systems)
  • HID (readers, VertX and Edge controllers)
  • Brivo (cloud-managed)
  • Genetec (Synergis)
  • AMAG (Symmetry)
  • Keri, DSX, Paxton, Galaxy, ProdataKey and others

Product names are trademarks of their respective owners. GateStride is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.

Your 15-minute checklist

  • Reader photos (front and side) from one main door
  • Controller label photo from the comms room (do not open it)
  • Software name and version from the login or About screen
  • Installer name and phone from a sticker, invoice or the landlord
  • Number of doors with readers, and roughly how many people have badges

Then what?

With the brand, model and software version in hand, you can ask the right question: can this be upgraded, or does it really need replacing? Many systems that feel dated still work perfectly well — what they lack is phone access and a record of who has left. If yours is Kantech EntraPass, see upgrading Kantech without replacing it; check which systems GateStride supports; and put your numbers into the savings calculator before accepting a replacement quote. If you just took over the space, the tenant’s guide to inherited access control covers the next steps.

Questions

Can I tell the brand from the card reader alone?
Not reliably. Readers are often made by a different company than the system that controls them, so an HID or similar reader can sit on many different systems. The controller label and the software name are what identify the system.
Is it safe to open the access control panel?
Do not open it. Panels can be alarmed or tamper-switched and contain live power. Photograph the outside label only and let a licensed integrator open it.
What if nobody knows who installed the system?
Look for an installer sticker on the panel, ask the landlord or previous tenant, and check old invoices. If that fails, a local integrator who works on that brand can take over the system.

Found a Kantech system?

Send us the photos. We will tell you what an upgrade would add — no rip-and-replace.

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