An access control unit entity represents an intelligent access control device, such as a Synergis™ appliance or an HID network controller, that communicates directly with the Access Manager over an IP network. An access control unit operates autonomously when it is disconnected from the Access Manager.
Supported types of access control units
- Synergis™ appliances
- A Synergis™
appliance is an IP-ready security appliance manufactured by Genetec Inc. that is dedicated to access control
functions. All Synergis™ appliances come
pre-installed with Synergis™
Softwire and are enrolled as
access control units in Security Center.There are two generations of Synergis™ appliances:
- Synergis™ Cloud Link (second generation)
- Synergis™ Master Controller (first generation)
All Synergis™ appliances support a variety of third-party interface modules over IP and RS-485. See the Synergis™ Softwire Release Notes for more information on the supported interface modules and limitations.
- HID network controllers
- The HID network controllers include the VertX EVO (V1000, V2000), Edge EVO controllers, and the legacy VertX and Edge controllers. HID controllers are intelligent IP devices that can acquire their network address automatically when your network has a DHCP server (the default). They can also be configured with static addresses (recommended).
To simplify our language, Synergis™ appliances are also called Synergis™ units, and HID network controllers are called HID units.
About interface modules
An access control unit typically controls sub-panels, such as HID VertX-series sub-panels, and Mercury MR-series sub-panels, which in turn connect to door sensors and readers. In the case of Synergis™ appliances, the unit is also capable of managing other intelligent devices, such as intelligent locks and other controllers.
In Security Center, all devices directly connected to the access control unit are referred to as interface modules, thus the following definition:
An interface module is a third-party security device that communicates with an access control unit over IP or RS-485, and provides additional input, output, and reader connections to the unit.