Over 40 Years in BusinessISO 27001 compliantPublic sector: GSA contract holder
LA 562-298-5000 · Chicagoland 312-432-5300 · Phoenix 602-733-6807 · Client Support
Over 40 Years in BusinessISO 27001 compliantPublic sector: GSA contract holder
LA 562-298-5000 · Chicagoland 312-432-5300 · Phoenix 602-733-6807 · Client Support
BTI Communications Group, LTD. is a commercial security integrator with offices in Santa Fe Springs, Downers Grove and Phoenix, in business for over 40 years. We install access control for city, county, state and federal facilities, from public counters and records rooms to yards and gates, on Brivo, Avigilon, Kantech, RS2 (Acre) or Axis. GSA contract holder (47QTCA21D00BA).
Requirements
Recommended setup
Government designs separate public space from staff space first, then add restricted rooms, yards and remote sites.
Public entries and counters, staff corridors, council chambers, records and server rooms, yards, fleet gates and remote facilities.
Employee ID badges that double as access cards, mobile credentials for staff, and PIV-capable readers where a federal tenant requires them.
Readers and keypads sized to each opening and mounted within accessible reach ranges, with intercom readers at after-hours entries.
Electrified locks and exit devices that always allow free egress, with remote lockdown at public counters.
Check-in at the front counter or a kiosk, department visitor badges and contractor badges tied to a work order.
Axis or Avigilon video on entries, counters and gates so every door alarm comes with a clip.
Provisioning from HR or the directory, intrusion arming by schedule and panic buttons at public counters.
Most public buildings serve walk-in residents and protect staff in the same footprint. BTI starts with a zone map: the lobby and counters that open on posted hours, the staff corridor behind them, and the rooms that need a tighter rule, such as records, finance and IT.
Counter staff get a duress or lockdown button that secures the staff door and the doors around it in one step. Administrators can lock one building, one floor or every site from the software or a phone, and the doors still release for anyone leaving. Every lockdown, unlock and forced door is time stamped, so the after-action review starts with facts instead of memories.
Public works yards, water and sanitation sites, parks buildings, libraries and community centers often sit miles from the main building and have no staff on site at night. Cloud platforms such as Brivo and Avigilon Alta suit these smaller sites because every door and gate is managed from one browser, and a lost badge is removed everywhere at once.
Vehicle gates get long-range or keypad readers, an intercom for deliveries and a camera that records each opening. Larger campuses that want servers on site usually choose Kantech, RS2 (Acre) or Avigilon Unity, and BTI connects the remote sites back to that system over the agency network.
Agencies rarely buy access control one door at a time. BTI works through existing contract vehicles, documents every opening for the procurement file and phases installs department by department so service counters stay open. California public agencies can also buy through BTI's CMAS and TESMA awards.
When an agency already has readers on the wall, BTI surveys and tests them first, keeps hardware that still works and moves the rest to a supported platform. Takeovers of Kantech, Avigilon and RS2 (Acre) systems are routine.
Standards and compliance
Government projects carry more written requirements than most. These are the ones that shape door design, hardware choice and record keeping.
| Requirement | Source | How the design supports it |
|---|---|---|
| Free egress and life safety | IBC, state building codes, NFPA 101 | Electrified doors release for anyone leaving, on loss of power and on the building's life safety signal where the code requires it. |
| Accessibility | 2010 ADA Standards | Readers, keypads and intercoms mounted within accessible reach ranges (15 to 48 inches above the floor) with hardware that is easy to operate. |
| Supply chain | NDAA Section 889 | Cameras, readers and controllers from manufacturers that document Section 889 compliance when the contract requires it. |
| Federal credentials | FIPS 201 (PIV) | Readers and software from the GSA FIPS 201 Approved Products List when a federal agency requires PIV card access. |
| Records | Agency retention schedules | Door events and visitor logs retained and exportable to match the agency's retention schedule. |
| Network security | Agency IT policy | Controllers and readers on their own network segment with firewall rules your IT team approves. |
BTI supports these requirements with design, documentation and logs. Final code and compliance determinations stay with the agency, its building official and its contracting officer.
Platforms
BTI is platform agnostic and recommends the platform after the survey. HID readers and mobile credentials work across most of them. Not sure which fits? Read the commercial access control guide.
Cloud access control with web and mobile administration. Eagle Eye cloud video is part of Brivo.
Brivo access controlCloud managed doors with touchless mobile entry and remote unlock.
Avigilon Alta access controlOn-premises access control that runs alongside Avigilon video on servers you own.
Avigilon Unity access controlEntraPass software and KT controllers for owned, scalable systems.
Kantech access controlAccess It! software for larger, multi-site estates that want an owned platform.
RS2 access controlAxis door controllers, readers and network intercoms that tie straight into Axis video.
Axis access controlInstallation
Government installs are phased around public hours, council meetings and the procurement calendar.
Government projects are scoped from a door by door survey and the contract vehicle you plan to use. Door count, counter lockdown, yards and gates, cabling in older buildings, platform licensing and any federal credential requirements drive the proposal, which BTI itemizes for your procurement file.
By city
Local engineers install and service these systems from each office.
Los Angeles County from the Santa Fe Springs office.
Access control in Los Angeles
Chicago, Cook and DuPage counties from the Downers Grove office.
Access control in Chicagoland
Maricopa and Pima counties from the Phoenix office.
Access control in Phoenix and TucsonLos Angeles County? See government facilities access control in Los Angeles.
Industries
Video, alarms and access control for public agencies.
Lobby, suite, elevator and parking control for offices.
Production zones, shift credentials and contractor badges.
Docks, yards, gates and carrier check-in for 3PLs.
Secured entries and lockdown-ready doors for schools and colleges.
Medical groups, clinics, dental and pharmacy access.
Access control designed into new builds and tenant improvements.
Water, public works and server rooms with remote gate control.
CPA, title and insurance offices that protect client files.
Scheduled doors for ministries, campuses and community sites.
Proof
BTI Communications Group, LTD. designs, installs and supports access control for city, county, state and federal facilities from offices in Santa Fe Springs, Downers Grove and Phoenix, on Brivo, Avigilon Alta (formerly Openpath), Avigilon Unity, Kantech, RS2 (Acre) and Axis.
Agencies with many small sites often choose a cloud platform such as Brivo or Avigilon Alta so every door is managed from one browser. Agencies that require servers and data on premises choose Kantech, RS2 (Acre) or Avigilon Unity. BTI recommends a platform after the survey and your IT review.
Yes. BTI holds GSA contract 47QTCA21D00BA, and California public agencies can also use BTI's CMAS and TESMA awards. Your contracting officer confirms which vehicle fits the project.
Yes. Lockdown can be triggered by building, floor or every site from the software, a phone or a hardwired button at a public counter, and the doors still let people leave.
BTI mounts readers, keypads and intercoms within the 2010 ADA Standards reach ranges and pairs them with hardware that does not need tight grasping or twisting. Final accessibility review stays with your building official.
Yes. BTI designs, sells, installs, supports and takes over existing Brivo accounts, and also takes over Kantech, Avigilon and RS2 (Acre) systems without replacing hardware that still works.
Cost depends on the number of openings, door hardware, cabling, platform licensing, gates and any federal credential requirements. BTI provides an itemized proposal after a free site survey.
Tell us about your doors, people and schedules. An engineer replies within one business day.