Access Control for Office Buildings in Orange County
The short answer
BTI Communications Group, LTD. is a commercial security integrator with an office in Santa Fe Springs serving Orange County, in business for over 40 years. We install office access control for headquarters, office parks and suites across Orange County, from Irvine to Anaheim. BTI has no Orange County office and serves the county from Santa Fe Springs. California licenses ACO #7670 and C-7 807767. Call 562-298-5000.
Requirements
What Orange County office owners and tenants ask for
- Headquarters in the Irvine Business Complex and Irvine Spectrum want one badge for the lobby, the suite, the stairs and the parking structure.
- Office parks with several low rise buildings want every door on one schedule, managed from one screen.
- Glass storefront entries and mullion frames need slim readers that fit without new doors.
- Hybrid teams want phone credentials, with cards kept for anyone who prefers them.
- Reception desks want visitors checked in once and badged only for the areas they need.
- Electrified egress doors pass review by the city building department and the fire authority the first time.
Recommended setup
Recommended access control setup
Orange County offices are mostly low and mid rise: corporate campuses, office parks and suites in multi-story buildings around John Wayne Airport. The setup below fits that stock.
Main entry
Mullion or standard readers on storefront glass, with a video intercom for visitors after hours.
Suites and stairwells
Suite readers on the tenant's own platform, and stair doors that lock from the stair side but always open for exit.
Parking structures
Long range or mobile readers at gates so one credential covers the drive in.
Visitor check-in
A front desk check-in that prints a badge or sends a mobile pass for the floors a guest needs.
Credentials
Mobile credentials with HID cards or fobs as the fallback.
Power and backup
Fail-safe or fail-secure locking picked door by door, with battery backup sized for the runtime you want.
Video
Axis or Avigilon cameras at entries so every door event has a clip.
Corporate campuses in Irvine, Newport Beach and Costa Mesa
Many Orange County companies run their headquarters from a campus or a few buildings in the Irvine Business Complex, the Irvine Spectrum, Newport Center or the South Coast Metro area of Costa Mesa. BTI puts every building on one platform, so security staff and office managers set schedules, add hires and remove departed employees from a single screen.
Badge rules follow the org chart: everyone gets the main entry and their floor, while IT closets, finance rooms and executive suites stay on a short list. Reports show who opened which door and when.
Suites, tenant improvements and stair doors
Suites in Tustin, Santa Ana, Anaheim and Lake Forest often sit inside a landlord managed building. BTI follows the landlord's building standards, adds suite readers on the tenant's own platform or as a partition of the base building system, and coordinates rough-in with the general contractor during the tenant improvement so cabling is in the walls before drywall.
Stairwell doors that lock for re-entry must still open for exit and release on a signal from the life safety system. BTI wires those doors to the life safety system and documents each one.
Permits, fire review and power loss in Orange County
Electrified locks on exit doors are reviewed against the California Building Code and California Fire Code. In most Orange County cities that means the city building department plus the Orange County Fire Authority; cities such as Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach run their own fire departments. BTI prepares the door schedule and submittals and attends the inspection.
Each door is set to fail safe or fail secure, and battery backup keeps readers and controllers running during a utility outage or a public safety power shutoff.
Standards and compliance
California codes that shape office access control
| Requirement | Source | What it means for your doors |
|---|---|---|
| Electrified egress doors | California Building Code and California Fire Code, enforced by the city building department and the fire authority | Sensor or push-button release, release on power loss where required, and a tie to the building life safety system where the code calls for it. |
| Accessibility | California Building Code Chapter 11B | Readers, keypads and intercoms mounted at accessible heights with hardware that is easy to operate. |
| Workplace violence prevention | California Labor Code 6401.9 (SB 553) | Controlled entries, visitor records and lockdown give the employer's written prevention plan practical controls. |
| Stairwell re-entry | California Building Code, stairway door provisions | Stair doors that lock from the stair side unlock on a signal from the life safety system, or allow re-entry at set floors. |
Your building official and fire authority make the final call on code questions; BTI designs to pass their review the first time.
Platforms
Access control platforms we install
BTI installs and services every platform below from Santa Fe Springs and recommends one after the survey. HID readers and mobile credentials work across most of them. Not sure which fits? Read the commercial access control guide.
Brivo
Cloud access control run from a browser or phone, popular with Orange County offices and multi-site owners. Eagle Eye cloud video is part of Brivo.
Brivo access controlAvigilon Alta (formerly Openpath)
Cloud doors with touchless mobile entry, a good fit for suites, clinics and office parks.
Avigilon Alta access controlAvigilon Unity
On-premises access control for sites that keep servers and video on their own network.
Avigilon Unity access controlKantech
EntraPass and KT controllers, common in Orange County plants that want an owned system.
Kantech access controlRS2 (Acre)
Access It! for campuses and multi-department estates with many doors.
RS2 access controlAxis
Axis door controllers, readers and intercoms on the same network as Axis cameras.
Axis access controlInstallation
What an installation includes
Orange County office projects are usually planned around move-in dates, landlord approvals and after-hours work windows.
- Site surveyWalk the entries, suites, stairs and parking with your office or facilities manager.
- Design and approvalsA door schedule and riser for the landlord, the general contractor and the fire authority.
- PermitsSubmittals for electrified egress doors to the city and the fire authority.
- InstallCabling and hardware after hours so the office keeps working.
- ProgrammingUsers, groups, schedules, holidays and visitor rules loaded and tested.
- HandoverTraining for the office manager and front desk, with as-built drawings.
- SupportSystem health and alert monitoring, remote changes and on-site service when a door needs a technician.
How projects are scoped and quoted
Orange County office access control is quoted from a walk of the building. Door count, storefront and stair hardware, parking gates, visitor check-in, permit requirements and the platform drive the proposal, and BTI itemizes each line so the landlord's share and the tenant's share are clear.
Service area
Office access control across Orange County
BTI has no Orange County office. Engineers based in Santa Fe Springs, a short drive up the I-5, install and service office access control in these and nearby cities:
- Irvine
- Newport Beach
- Costa Mesa
- Santa Ana
- Tustin
- Anaheim
- Orange
- Brea
- Fullerton
- Lake Forest
- Aliso Viejo
- Mission Viejo
- Huntington Beach
- Fountain Valley
BTI Communications Group, LTD., Santa Fe Springs office
12155 Mora Dr, Units 1 & 2, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
Main line: 562-298-5000
California licenses: Licensed Alarm Company Operator, ACO #7670 and C-7 807767 (low voltage)
Outside Orange County? See office buildings access control nationwide.
Los Angeles County? See office access control in los angeles.
Industries
Access control by industry
Multi-tenant buildings in Orange County
Shared entries, elevators and parking with tenant self-management.
Manufacturing in Orange County
Aerospace, medical device and electronics plants.
Medical offices in Orange County
Medical groups, clinics and dental suites.
Logistics and 3PL
Multi-site badge programs and client-segregated storage.
Education
Secured entries and lockdown-ready doors for schools and colleges.
Construction
Access control designed into new builds and tenant improvements.
Critical infrastructure and data centers
Water, public works and server rooms with remote gate control.
Financial services
CPA, title and insurance offices that protect client files.
Nonprofits and house of worship
Scheduled doors for ministries, campuses and community sites.
Related access control pages
Proof
Why Orange County organizations choose BTI for access control
Frequently asked questions
Who installs office access control in Orange County?
BTI Communications Group, LTD. installs and supports office access control across Orange County from its Santa Fe Springs office, on Brivo, Avigilon Alta (formerly Openpath), Avigilon Unity, Kantech, RS2 (Acre) and Axis.
Does BTI have an office in Orange County?
No. BTI serves Orange County from its office at 12155 Mora Dr, Units 1 & 2, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670. The main line is 562-298-5000.
Can one badge open the lobby, our suite and the parking structure?
Yes. BTI connects entry, suite, stair and parking readers to one platform, or partitions the landlord's system, so each person carries one phone credential or card.
Do electrified office doors need a permit in Orange County?
Often, yes. Electrified locks on exit doors are reviewed by the city building department and the fire authority, which is the Orange County Fire Authority in most cities. BTI prepares the submittals.
What happens to our doors during a power outage?
Each door is set to fail safe or fail secure, and battery backup keeps readers and controllers working for the runtime you choose.
Can you take over our existing Brivo account?
Yes. BTI designs, sells, installs, supports and takes over existing Brivo accounts, along with Kantech, Avigilon and RS2 (Acre) systems in Orange County offices.
How long does an office install take?
A single suite is often a few days of on-site work after approvals. Campuses and multi-building parks are phased building by building. BTI gives a schedule with the proposal.
How much does office access control cost in Orange County?
Cost depends on door count, hardware, parking and visitor features, permits and platform licensing. BTI provides an itemized proposal after a free site survey.
Plan your office buildings access control project in Orange County
Tell us about your doors, people and schedules. An engineer replies within one business day.