Elevator Access Control: Buyer's Guide 2025

Securing all entry points is essential for smart buildings and automated systems. One major area gaining attention is elevator access control. Since buildings are becoming more connected, more organizations—hospitals, schools, government facilities, and corporate offices—are recognizing the value of restricting elevator use to only authorized individuals.

Reports reveal that the U.S. smart building market generated $28.4 million in revenue in 2023. This surge signals a significant investment in technologies that facilitate building efficiency and security. After all, elevators provide access to multiple floors, making them an integral part of your overall building security plan. 

Whether you’re managing a campus, high-rise office, or securing a mixed-use facility, elevator access control systems ensure the right people enter the right floors. In addition to safety, they boost efficiency, improve tenant experience, and integrate swiftly with other systems. This article explains all you should know before purchasing an elevator security management system.

What is Elevator Access Control?

Elevator access control enables you to decide who can call your building’s elevator and which floors they can enter within your building. It’s a smart layer of security that’s becoming a must-have. And the fact that this market was worth $2.3 billion (in 2024) in the U.S. shows that more buildings are investing in this smart technology.

Elevator access control includes hardware and software that regulates the elevators in your facility by authorizing or denying access to certain floors. These systems require users to verify their identity using credentials before being allowed to enter the elevator. 

Credentials could be biometrics, key cards, or PIN codes. Upon confirming the user’s credentials, the elevator access security management system controls and records its usage. This means it tracks who uses the elevator, when they use it, and where they go.

Therefore, identifying security issues and preventing elevator misuse or unauthorized access becomes a breeze.

Benefits of Access Control in Elevator Security Systems

Beyond providing convenience, lift access control is an effective solution for increased safety, productivity, and better tenant experiences. From curbing unwanted access to minimizing elevator congestion, the benefits are endless. Let’s explore why more buildings are making the switch.

Boosts On-site Security

Access control systems in elevators strengthen security by deterring intruders from entering specific floors within your property. 

For added security, property owners, business owners, and administrators can integrate physical security guards and video surveillance cameras.

Effortless Guest Management

With a cloud-based access control system, managing visitors becomes easier than ever. Occupants can easily call the elevator for their guests as soon as they arrive. Other systems even let tenants preassign digital visitor passes ahead of time, granting guests elevator access directly to their designated floor.

Therefore, it will be unnecessary for occupants to head downstairs and escort visitors personally. With preassigned digital visitor passes, your visitors can head straight to your floor, saving everyone’s time.

Enhanced Building Security

In addition to tightening access, an elevator floor access control system increases building security. It offers a robust degree of protection by limiting who can access which floors and when. 

When paired with lobby turnstiles and door entry systems, elevator credentials—like a card or mobile access credential—add another wall of protection. Only verified users can get in, making it harder for intruders to slip through, particularly in restricted access areas.

Improve Staff and Tenant Safety

Unsecured elevators can pose a safety risk to both staff and tenants. In commercial buildings, these systems restrict unwanted individuals from entering areas that house valuable assets or sensitive data. 

Also, in residential buildings, they keep non-residents out, protecting every occupant, especially children. Ultimately, integrating an elevator security management system into your building’s existing setup attracts security-conscious residents and commercial tenants seeking peace of mind and high-level security.

Reduces Elevator Congestion and Wait Times

Combining smart elevators with elevator access control increases security as well as efficiency. No one likes waiting endlessly for a lift, especially during rush hours. Smart elevator systems group passengers headed to the same floors, cutting wait times and reducing overcrowding.

And with the U.S. market expected to grow by over 6,000 units by 2029, demand for smarter vertical transportation is only rising.

Deter Crime and Create Reliable Audit Trails

Access control systems for elevators are a solid deterrent to trespassers. As an instant obstacle to unwanted access, they restrict when and where people can go. Access credentials, such as a card and an elevator key fob, also log movement inside the premises. 

If there’s criminal conduct or a security breach, these digital audit trails provide useful information that can assist in tracking down suspects, bolstering accountability, and facilitating investigations.

What Are The 3 Elevator Control Systems?

Elevator control systems work differently. Depending on your building’s structure, you’ll likely use one of these three main types of elevator control systems. Below is a brief breakdown to help you understand how each one operates.

Single Elevator Access Control

This type of elevator floor access control system is used in shorter, smaller buildings with fewer floors and fewer residents. 

As the name implies, it includes a single elevator, which decides the specific floors it will stop at, and the times people can use it. This means you can set specific times of day when the elevator can be used. 

Single elevators have one carriage that is operated by a traditional call button and are simple to manage. Users are required to verify their credentials before pressing the elevator control buttons to access a particular floor. 

By integrating them with cloud-based management software, operators can pre-define operating schedules and establish who can call the elevator. For instance, offices can limit entry on weekends and after work hours.

Elevator Banks

Elevator banks are typically employed in larger, busier buildings with high traffic. Unlike single elevators, they consist of a collection of elevators with multiple carriages that transport people up and down simultaneously. 

However, users can only access one floor—the floor that houses their apartment or the one they work on. Since there are more people on-site, this access management system is suitable for protecting people and controlling huge traffic. 

Meanwhile, managing multiple elevators can pose security risks. Without a strong system in place, anyone can slip in unnoticed, particularly during peak traffic. 

Therefore, buildings with many elevators must have an extensive strategy to provide optimal security, especially for exclusive floors that contain valuables or sensitive data.

Smart Elevators

Smart elevators speed up travel times and boost efficiency. They are commonly deployed in buildings with ten or more stories. In a smart elevator, there’s no need to press an up or down button; instead, you select your destination floor before the elevator arrives. 

Then the system determines which elevator to use, and may even pair you with other individuals heading to the same floor. Because people select floors before entering the elevator, there might not be elevator control buttons to select a floor once you are inside. 

Before boarding this elevator type, you must scan your credentials at an elevator card reader. Some smart elevators even support multiple stops on different floors, provided your credentials have been approved. 

With this type of elevator security management system, tailgaters and unauthorized people cannot enter the building. But even though they enter an elevator with no credentials, they can only exit at the floor with other passengers.

Different Types of Elevator Access Control Credentials

From keycards to smartphones and PIN codes, credentials are critical for managing access effectively. Each type comes with a different level of flexibility, security, and convenience. Let’s examine the varying options used in modern buildings.

Security Keypad and PIN Codes

When using security keypads, users must input a PIN or passcode to gain access to the elevator controls. Presenting users with physical key cards or an elevator fob is no longer necessary, thanks to elevator security keypads. 

However, this system has its drawbacks: the PIN codes are easy to share, which means your secure system could be compromised in seconds. 

It takes time for each user to input their unique PIN, which is another drawback you should expect when using this kind of elevator access control credential. In high-traffic buildings, this may result in traffic flow obstructions.

Elevator Card Reader or Fob

This is one of the most widely used credentials in elevator floor access control systems. To access a particular floor, you must tap or swipe an elevator fob or card at a reader beside the elevator or inside the elevator carriage. 

An elevator key fob or card uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to collect and send data via electromagnetic waves. The user’s data is stored in the RFID tags that are attached to their card or fob. 

Once the card or fob is held near a compatible reader, it transmits the necessary data to grant access to that door. Compared to traditional security protocols, elevator RFID access control cards or fobs are hard to duplicate, making them more secure.

Mobile Credentials

Mobile access credentials provide a modern, touchless experience to access elevators. Thus, they are considered one of the most convenient and futuristic security solutions for any building. 

With this smartphone-based lift control system, you simply open a designated app on your phone, which securely authenticates your credentials before approving access. 

Upon verification, you can only access the floors you’re permitted to visit, while other floors remain restricted.

Integrating Elevator Access Control with Other Systems

Integrating access control for elevators with other security systems creates a smooth experience for administrators, residents, and managers. If you already have a security system, check that it is compatible with your elevator access management system. 

Here are other considerations to note when integrating a lift control system with other systems.

Cloud-Based Management

Regulating access from a clunky control room has become a thing of the past. With cloud-based access control for elevators, administrators and property managers can remotely monitor, update, and manage access rights in real-time. 

Everything is simplified via a centralized dashboard—it could be modifying schedules, granting permission temporarily, or checking activity logs. This makes building operations more responsive and efficient.

Integrated with Video Surveillance System

Incorporating a video surveillance system into your lift access control adds an extra layer of visibility and accountability. Camera-equipped cloud-based solutions include auditing capabilities, which present comprehensive reports of who used specific credentials on specific floors and the times they did. 

Furthermore, every incident and movement (a valid entry or an attempted breach) can be correlated with real-time video footage. This integration helps security teams respond to issues more quickly and offers stronger evidence when investigations are required.

Visitor Management Systems

Visitors shouldn’t feel like they are going through airport security to see you. By integrating your elevator security system with visitor management solutions, you make check-ins fast, simple, and secure. 

Visitors can obtain digital passes via mobile or email, which automatically give them access to designated floors upon arrival. This way, there will be no more long wait times or manual sign-ins or awkward waiting. Incorporating a VMS gives visitors a flawless check-in procedure that enhances their experience without compromising control.

FAQs 

How does elevator access control work?

Typically, access control for elevators is incorporated into an existing building access management system. Once a user presents their credential, the system quickly checks if they’re allowed in and only then unlocks the elevator. 

It achieves this via interlocking mechanisms and a network of magnetic locks that can be locked and unlocked remotely. A computer system controls these locks, granting entry only to verified users and denying access when needed. Furthermore, elevator security systems monitor and record usage, which encourages secure and accurate audit tracking.

What is RFID in an elevator?

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) in an elevator is used to grant authorized persons access to the elevator bank or specific floors. However, they must first present a reader with an RFID card or fob. This technology is designed to manage elevator access control and security.

How do you connect an access control system to an elevator?

Your building’s infrastructure, the elevator, and your preferred installer determine how you connect an ACS to an elevator. However, the general steps involve the following:

• Choose how you want to connect the elevator’s relays to the system. This initial phase involves planning the elevator’s response if there’s an elevator floor lockout.
• Power the access reader device through a normal power cord, a USB, or a PoE (Power over Ethernet) cable.
• Connect it to the internet, especially if it’s a cloud-based system. But if it’s a Power over Ethernet cable, then it’s already connected.
• Link the access reader and relays to the elevator control panel. You can start using the system once you finish the elevator access control wiring.

What are the common challenges in elevator access control and how can they be addressed?

The common challenges in a lift control system include tailgating, piggybacking, credential sharing, and surfing. These challenges can be addressed in the following ways:

• Tailgating can be prevented by installing secondary security features like turnstiles. The turnstile is usually located between the elevator door and the lobby. It guarantees that only verified individuals are entering the elevator.

• Piggybacking is best avoided by asking users to authenticate their credentials when selecting their floor and calling the elevator. They must also make sure the elevator only takes one button push for each individual’s authentication.

• Credential sharing can be addressed by implementing robust authentication measures such as biometric verification or multi-factor authentication to deter invaders.

• Elevator surfing can be prevented by setting up access control systems on every restricted floor. This way, an intruder must undergo an additional layer of security to get in, even though they manage to get onto the right floor.

Conclusion

Elevator access control systems are becoming imperative as safety threats become more complex and buildings become smarter. These systems enable you to regulate people’s movements, whether you’re operating a school, mixed-use building, residential building, or a high-rise corporate office complex.

They optimize traffic, promote safety, and positively impact the overall experience for guests and tenants alike. Advanced elevator access management solutions are designed to match today’s security-conscious society.

Investing in the right elevator access control system should be on your priority list as you plan your upgrades.