Dave Path, one of my very favorite people at work, helps LockNet out sometimes by cleaning the building on the weekends. He does it at night and he’s always the only one in the building. One Sunday morning I woke up to a text from Dave briefly asking me to call him as soon as I woke up.

I did.

Dave had accidentally gotten himself locked out of the building while he was cleaning in the middle of the night and he needed me to come unlock the door the next morning so he could get his keys out of the building.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the hysterical video we caught when Dave accidentally locked himself out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL2DegWfIYs

Go ahead. Watch it again. (I’ve watched it more times than I can count.)

My point to all of this is that it can be avoided with one piece of equipment: Access control keypads.

What Access Control Keypads Can Do For You

Many access control keypads come with card readers and card readers alone. In fact, that’s what LockNet originally had on the door Dave got locked out of, but after this incident we quickly found a better option. We added access control keypads. With a card reader and an keypad, you have more than one to unlock the door. This way, you aren’t stuck in Dave’s position. Even though his card was inside and he couldn’t badge in, if we’d had access control keypads set up, he simply could have entered in his pin code and voila! He would not have been able to re-enter the building without delay.

Brivo Mobile Pass

Another excellent option Brivo has these days is something called Mobile Pass, which stores your information in a cloud-based credential system and allows you to access via your phone. In a day and time where people are rarely without their phone in hand, this is a really great option.

Of course, as with any option there is a drawback or two. You have to be careful that your phone stays in the correct hands. The phone will essentially be acting as a card or badge so you need to take the same precautions. However, if you did lose your phone, Brivo Mobile Pass has it set up where the administrator can revoke access at any time.

Have you been locked out of your facility? What did you do to get back in? Maybe you’re interested in a card reader plus a keypad. Either way, give us a ring. We’d love to hear from you!