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Access and intrusion detection

ViRDI SA has released the MCP-040 access controller with integrated eight-zone intrusion detection system for SMME and enterprise applications.

With historical access control and biometric systems being developed in separate yet similar environments, the challenge for security practitioners is to have these disparate devices integrate seamlessly to provide the end-user a solution rather than a product set.

The MCP-040 is a 4-door access controller that communicates to the ViRDI terminals via the secure RS-485 transmission protocol. It manages up to eight ViRDI terminals and four electric locks. It does feature Wiegand inputs for third-party RFID proximity card readers, as well as digital inputs and outputs to trigger dry contact equipment such as lights and HVAC

The MCP-040 features an eight-zone monitored intrusion detection system which will connect to any PIR, magnetic door contact, active IR beam, static panic button, remote panic button, smoke detector or device that has a dry contact. The bell circuit is fully supervised with programmable outputs for contact ID on radio communication to a centralised control room for armed response as well as alarm notifications in the UNIS V3.x software for localised notification.

The AC2100x and AC5000 biometric terminals can switch the intrusion detection, or portions thereof, on and off via fingerprint. This is not available for the AC4000, AC6000, AC7000 or FMD10 biometric terminals and these terminals will only act as fingerprint (or facial recognition) authentication devices. Apart from the FMD10, all fingerprint templates are communicated to the terminals directly via 10/100 TCP/IP network. The FMD10 receives fingerprint templates via the secure RS-485 transmission protocol.

All access control rules are seated within the MCP-040 and is no longer dependent on the server where the UNIS Command and Control software is installed to be on-line which provides for anti-pass back rules to be deployed throughout the system without concerns about network stability.

The use of RS-485 between controller and biometric terminal allows for longer cable runs which has been lacking with Wiegand interfaces – this translates into less controllers having to be used over a larger geographic area and due to it being a secure transmission protocol that operates on a rolling decryption code, parcel sniffing becomes an almost obsolete issue.

From the UNIS Command and Control software all access control rules, as well as zoning for the intruder detection system, is done and sent to the on-board memory of the MCP-040 which creates a redundancy. If, for whatever reason, a controller is out of service and needs to be replaced the access control rules and zoning can just be sent from the UNIS software again. Users and rules are auto updated as and when changes are made.

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