Systems / Brivo Access
Brivo Access: cloud platform, control panels, API and upgrade options
By Tom Jin
Brivo Access is the cloud access-control service from Brivo, which describes itself as "the original innovator of cloud-based physical security solutions for commercial buildings". There is no access-control server in the office: administrators manage doors, users and schedules in a web application, and Brivo control panels on site connect to Brivo's cloud. Brivo sells it as a subscription and groups it with video and visitor management in what it calls the Brivo Security Suite.
You typically find Brivo in offices, multi-tenant buildings and multi-site businesses that want to manage doors from a browser or phone without running servers. Brivo publishes an API with door commands and event subscriptions, and it offers an EU instance alongside its main environment. Brivo's own phone credential is called Brivo Mobile Pass.
How to recognise Brivo Access
Administrators log in to Brivo in a web browser rather than running software on an office PC; Brivo's API documentation refers to the main environment at access.brivo.com and a separate EU environment at access.eu.brivo.com. Door settings live in what Brivo calls the Account Config Tool, and events appear in pages such as the Access Event Tracker and Access Journal. In the closet you will find Brivo control panels such as the ACS300, ACS6000 or ACS6100, or a single-door ACS-SDC beside a Brivo Smart Reader. Staff may open doors with Brivo Mobile Pass on their phones.
- A browser login at access.brivo.com (or access.eu.brivo.com in Europe), with no access-control server in the office.
- Brivo control panels: ACS300 series, ACS6000 series, ACS6100 series or ACS-SDC single-door controllers.
- Brivo Smart Readers at the doors, or Mercury controllers managed through Brivo.
- Staff opening doors with Brivo Mobile Pass on a smartphone.
- Brivo-branded cameras, intercoms or the Brivo Eagle Eye Video system alongside the doors.
Still not sure? Follow how to identify your access control system.
Versions and editions
| Name | Details | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brivo Access (cloud) | Web-based administration of doors, users, groups, schedules and events. Cloud service, so there is no customer-installed software version. Main environment at access.brivo.com. | current | source |
| Brivo EU instance | Separate environment for EU accounts at access.eu.brivo.com, with its own API and authentication URLs. API keys must match the environment. | current | source |
| Brivo Security Suite | Brivo's name for its unified platform covering access control, video and visitor management. | current | source |
| Brivo Mobile Pass | Brivo's smartphone credential. The API documentation says it lets users open doors with a smartphone and exposes a digital-credential allotment for the account. | current | source |
| Brivo API (v1) | REST API at api.brivo.com with OAuth2. Covers access points, users, groups, credentials, schedules, sites, control panels, events, event subscriptions and emergency scenarios. | current | source |
| Brivo Eagle Eye Video | Brivo's video management system, offered alongside access control. | current | source |
Hardware
| Name | Details | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACS300 series | Compact controllers that support up to 2 doors. | current | source |
| ACS-SDC series | Single-door Ethernet controller for Brivo Smart Readers and OSDP-compatible readers. | current | source |
| ACS6000 series | Modular panels that support up to 30 doors, for locations with more doors. | current | source |
| ACS6100 series | Next-generation ACS6000 architecture with more memory and processing, up to 30 doors, designed to support Brivo Genius and future AI-driven workflows. | current | source |
| Mercury Intelligent Controllers | Open-architecture controller options supported through Brivo. | current | source |
| Brivo Smart Readers | Brivo's readers, supporting multiple credential types. | current | source |
| Older Brivo panels | Brivo's control-panel page lists only the series above. Status of older panel models is not confirmed. | unconfirmed | source |
What is ending, and when
Because Brivo Access is a cloud service, there is no server software for the office to keep up to date, and Brivo describes the platform as "built for the cloud, not moved to it" with no servers in a closet. The lifecycle questions are about the hardware on site. Brivo's API includes calls to read and update control-panel firmware, which suggests firmware is managed from the cloud, but check the process with your provider.
We found no dated end-of-sale or end-of-support notices for Brivo control panels in the pages we reviewed. Brivo describes the ACS6100 as the next-generation ACS6000 architecture, and both series are on its current control-panel page, so we do not mark the ACS6000 as ended. If you have older Brivo panels that are not on that page, ask your provider about their status. Dated notices for other brands are in our end-of-life tracker.
See every dated notice in the end-of-life tracker.
What offices commonly miss
- No record of who left. Like most card systems, exits usually release through a request-to-exit device or push bar with no credential, so Brivo logs who came in but not who went out.
- Remote unlock is a per-door setting. Brivo's API documentation says a door can only be activated remotely if Control From Browser is enabled for it in the Account Config Tool.
- Mobile Pass credentials are tracked as an allotment on the account. Pricing is not published in the pages we reviewed, so ask before adding users.
- Know how the doors behave if the office internet connection drops. Offline behaviour is not described in the pages we reviewed; ask your provider to show you.
- Accounts live in one environment (main or EU). Integrations need API keys and credentials that match that environment.
Integration options
Brivo publishes its API documentation openly. Developers register on Brivo's developer portal to get an API key, then create an application in a Brivo sandbox account to receive a client ID and secret. Calls need both the API key and an OAuth2 access token. Brivo documents the three-legged authorization-code flow, in which the customer's administrator signs in and approves the application, and a password grant that is restricted to the application owner's own account.
For doors, the API can activate or unlock an access point (subject to the Control From Browser setting), override door schedules, read live status and trigger emergency lockdown or egress scenarios. For events, it lists access and audit events, and event subscriptions let an application register a URL that Brivo posts event data to, filtered by site, user, access point or event type. Brivo also lists video, mobile credentials, visitor management and elevator control among the areas developers can build on.
Upgrade paths
Keep Brivo and add features in software
Brivo's hardware is current and its API includes door commands and event subscriptions, so most offices can keep the doors and add what is missing, such as exit tracking, fire muster or a live list of who is inside, through software that uses the API.
Refresh hardware within Brivo
Add or replace panels with the current ACS300, ACS-SDC, ACS6000 or ACS6100 series. Brivo positions the ACS6100 as the next generation of the ACS6000 for larger door counts. Brivo also supports Mercury controllers, which can widen hardware options.
Replace the platform
Moving off Brivo means new controllers, often new readers and credentials, and re-commissioning every door, plus replacing the cloud subscription. With a current platform and an open API, there is rarely a lifecycle reason to do this; it usually follows a change in building or security strategy.
Compare the routes over three years in the savings calculator.
GateStride and Brivo Access
In development Brivo Access is In development on the GateStride compatibility list. The integration is being built through Brivo's REST API and event subscriptions (webhooks), but it has not yet been tested on a live customer system, so GateStride does not yet claim to work with Brivo. GateStride is in early access. When the work is tested on a live system we will update the compatibility list; until then, treat Brivo support as not yet available. If your office runs Brivo, tell us, and we will let you know when it is ready to try.
Questions about Brivo Access
- Does Brivo have an API?
- Yes. Brivo publishes API documentation for a REST API at api.brivo.com. Developers register on Brivo's developer portal for an API key and create an application to get OAuth2 client credentials. The API covers doors, users, credentials, schedules, events, event subscriptions and emergency scenarios, with a separate environment for EU accounts.
- Why can't my app unlock a Brivo door remotely?
- Brivo's API documentation says an access point can only be activated remotely if Control From Browser is enabled for that door in the Account Config Tool, and the administrator must have permission to unlock it. Ask whoever manages your Brivo account to check the door's setting before assuming a fault.
- Which Brivo control panel do I have?
- Brivo's current panels are the ACS300 series for up to two doors, the ACS-SDC single-door Ethernet controller, and the ACS6000 and ACS6100 series for up to 30 doors. Brivo also supports Mercury controllers. The panel model is usually printed on the board, and your provider can see it in the account.
- Does GateStride work with Brivo today?
- Not yet. Brivo is In development on our compatibility list: we are building the integration through Brivo's REST API and event subscriptions, but it has not been tested on a live customer system. GateStride is in early access. Tell us you run Brivo and we will let you know when it is ready.
Related systems: ProdataKey pdk.io · UniFi Access · Keyscan Aurora
Sources
- https://www.brivo.com/
- https://www.brivo.com/products/control-panels/
- https://developer.brivo.com/
- https://apidocs.brivo.com/
- https://accessapi.brivo.com/
Last reviewed October 2026. Brivo Access and other product names are trademarks of their respective owners. GateStride is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by or a dealer for any manufacturer.