Using an ELK can you allow access to certain users at certain times?

ghurty

Active Member
I noticed in one of the brochures that the ELK could handle access control.
Can it be programmed it let certain people access to only certain doors at certain times? If yes, is there an easy way to pull up the access log or have it export it in a CSV file so a different program can make use of it?

Do you have to have a full keypad or is the M1KPAS or a proximity reader enough?


Thanks
 
The Elk uses rules for the access control, so it's pretty easy to specify - Whenever User XXX swipes AND the time is between X and X, then unlock the door; that will take care of your time restrictions.

As for logging, I don't think Elk's logging is too great - I know you can dump the logs, but I'm not sure how much is involved. If it were me, I'd either have it send an email based on the event (but emails can't be dynamic to include which person or time, so it's limited) - and even use a program to parse the emails into a database (I've used Email2DB to set things like this up very quickly)... OR, you could add another XSP to the elk, and add to your rule "AND send ascii string "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" to Com5" - and have something watching this serial port and collecting the data... these apps are around from the old phone systems that would print their activity to a line printer - so there's options for that. Maybe someone else will have better ideas using the Elk logs however (writing some code to grab the log and parse it looking for certain events).

For readers, you can use the little plug-in reader inside the original keypad; connect an external reader to the KP2's and 3's I believe, or hooked directly up to an M1KAM. It won't work off a KPAS, but you can daisy chain the KAM off the KAS if you need to for a particular door.
 
The Elk uses rules for the access control, so it's pretty easy to specify - Whenever User XXX swipes AND the time is between X and X, then unlock the door; that will take care of your time restrictions.

As for logging, I don't think Elk's logging is too great - I know you can dump the logs, but I'm not sure how much is involved. If it were me, I'd either have it send an email based on the event (but emails can't be dynamic to include which person or time, so it's limited) - and even use a program to parse the emails into a database (I've used Email2DB to set things like this up very quickly)... OR, you could add another XSP to the elk, and add to your rule "AND send ascii string "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" to Com5" - and have something watching this serial port and collecting the data... these apps are around from the old phone systems that would print their activity to a line printer - so there's options for that. Maybe someone else will have better ideas using the Elk logs however (writing some code to grab the log and parse it looking for certain events).

For readers, you can use the little plug-in reader inside the original keypad; connect an external reader to the KP2's and 3's I believe, or hooked directly up to an M1KAM. It won't work off a KPAS, but you can daisy chain the KAM off the KAS if you need to for a particular door.

For logging you can also rely on your alarm company's interface. A lot of them are on the web, and if properly setup they should log user access events.
 
The main reason why logging would be necessary was if something happened, and you could see who was there at the time. I find it hard to believe it is missing such a basic feature.

Thanks

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The RS-232 port outputs data when the access is used so that a PC can capture the logging information. The main reason the M1 does not store access data is because the log would be filled to quickly on a small to medium size access system.
 
Any suggestion of a good program to use to parse the log access log?

Thanks

The RS-232 port outputs data when the access is used so that a PC can capture the logging information. The main reason the M1 does not store access data is because the log would be filled to quickly on a small to medium size access system.
 
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