You'd be better served by going with a real access control vs. one based in a burg panel...and there's plenty of web based options out there that really offer a lot more flexibility, reliability and the functions that are used in access control (schedules and events come to mind).
It's doable, but there will be significant compromises. A door or two in a residence is one thing, but really a different world from access control
Ano-
You're getting off the mark and what is fact and fiction. Commercial security is a lot different than tinkering on a residential system.
A REX button is not required for anything but magnetically locked doors, and then the button is required to physically break power (either permanently or timed via NON-electric means) it is not allowable to be dependent on any panel or logic based device. Read in/out is also allowable within code provided other items are met for egress. Remember, the fire code (NFPA 101) is going to mandate the form of hardware that is installed on the door regardless of if there's an electronic access control system or not.
Code:
1008.1.4.4 Access-Controlled Egress Doors
- Applies to entrance doors in a means of egress and entrance doors to tenant spaces.
- Allowed in Use Groups - A (Assembly), B (Business), E (Educational), I-2 (Institutional - Hospitals & Nursing Homes*), M (Mercantile), R-1 (Residential - Hotels, Motels, & Boarding Houses*), and R-2 (Residential - Apartments & Dormitories*).
- A sensor must be mounted on the egress side to detect an occupant approaching the doors. Doors must unlock upon a signal from the sensor or loss of power to the sensor.
- Loss of power to the lock must unlock the doors.
- A manual unlocking device (push button) shall result in direct interruption of power to the lock – independent of the access control system electronics. When the push button is actuated, the doors must remain unlocked for 30 seconds minimum. The push button must include signage stating “Push to Exit” and must be located 40” to 48” vertically above the floor and within 5’ of the doors. Ready access must be provided to the push button.
- If the building has a fire alarm/sprinkler system/fire detection system, activation of the system must automatically unlock the doors. Doors must remain unlocked until the system has been reset.
- Entrance doors in buildings with an occupancy in Group A, B, E or M shall not be secured from the egress side during periods that the building is open to the general public.
1008.1.9.8 Electromagnetically Locked Egress Doors
- Applies to doors in a means of egress and doors to tenant spaces. The 2009 IBC includes a limitation to doors “not otherwise required to have panic hardware,” which was removed in the 2012 edition.
- Allowed in Use Groups - A (Assembly), B (Business), E (Educational), M (Mercantile), R-1 (Residential - Hotels, Motels, & Boarding Houses*), and R-2 (Residential - Apartments & Dormitories*).
- The door must be equipped with listed hardware mounted on the door leaf, which incorporates a built-in switch to directly release the electromagnetic lock and unlock the door immediately.
- The release device must have an obvious method of operation, and must be readily operated with one hand under all lighting conditions.
- Loss of power to the listed hardware must automatically unlock the door.
Key points to consider:
- The door must unlock upon loss of power to the “listed hardware,” which in this case is the door-mounted release device. Loss of power to some types of request-to-exit switches will not unlock the mag-lock. We may see a future change to the language so that loss of power to the electromagnetic lock is required to unlock the door, but the code currently addresses the release device.
- I-2 occupancies (Institutional – Hospitals & Nursing Homes*) are not included as acceptable locations for electromagnetically locked egress doors. This use group was added to the Access-Controlled Egress Doors section in the 2009 edition of the IBC, so hopefully the new section will catch up and include the I-2 use group in the future.
- UL 305, the UL Standard for Panic Hardware, doesn’t address the use of panic hardware to release an electromagnetic lock. There is also a section of the IBC which states that certain doors shall not be equipped with a latch or lock unless it’s panic hardware. This should be changed to reflect the use of a mag-lock released by panic hardware.
That said, the OP would need to have a third party fire alarm connected to the power source for the locking hardware (maglocks or fail safe locks), because otherwise, the physical hardware would be free egress (guaranteed the fire marshal would shut the business down in a heartbeat if he knew otherwise). So that gets us into the legalities of the OP....it's not listed for commercial fire, so that means you can't use it as the releasing method for locking hardware upon fire alarm signal, AND that also means the connection can't be through a zone on the OP (hard connection to power supply required).
For maybe a door or two at the house, sure it'll work, kinda, but for an office that may have access restrictions, schedules, holidays, events to drive the doors (aiphone?) it becomes very clear the OP is not the right thing for the task. I'd suggest a small web based access panel before the OP any day, like Netaxs or Infinias and save the cash not spent on the OP for the application.
Basic manufacturer web page simplifying the code:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwj2rtTamqPVAhVLRCYKHRcfBUcQFggmMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Faccesshardware.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F08%2FIBC-IFC-Access-Controlled-Egress-Doors.pdf&usg=AFQjCNH8Vjlv-3kOQ3Cg9hX2wjpVk9T9Mg&cad=rja
