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
Card, mobile and cloud access control for Northwest Indiana warehouses, plants, offices and public sites. From truck gates in Hammond and Gary to staff entries in Merrillville and Crown Point, we plan credentials, schedules, door hardware and network security together, then install and support the system.
BTI Communications Group, LTD. designs, installs and supports commercial access control systems across Northwest Indiana from its Chicagoland office in Downers Grove, and has been in business for over 40 years. We install and take over Brivo, Avigilon Alta (formerly Openpath), Avigilon Unity, Kantech, RS2 and Axis systems for buildings in Hammond, Gary, Merrillville, Crown Point, Portage, Valparaiso, Munster and Schererville. Call 630-343-1322 or book a free site survey.
Hammond, Crown Point, Valparaiso and Munster have regional offices and office parks with lobbies, elevators, parking and suites. We set up entry by department and floor, visitor check in at the front desk and lockdown from one screen.
Property managers need common doors, garages and elevators on one system, with each tenant managing its own people. Cloud platforms let a building manager and a tenant admin each see only what they should.
Staff only corridors, medication rooms and records rooms need access by role and an audit trail, while patient entries stay welcoming during clinic hours.
Warehouses, distribution centers and plants in Merrillville, Hammond, Gary, Hobart and Portage need restricted zones, shift schedules, temp worker and contractor badges, driver entrances and dock and gate control.
Public buildings need lockdown from one button, visitor screening at the main office and schedules that change with the school year, events and elections.
Snow, ice and salt are hard on exterior doors and gates. We choose readers, enclosures and door hardware rated for Chicagoland winters and plan heaters or covers where needed.
We are not tied to one brand. We recommend the platform that fits your building, your IT team and the hardware already on your doors, and we can run more than one where a portfolio already has a mix.
| Platform | Where it fits in Northwest Indiana | Learn more |
|---|---|---|
| Brivo | Cloud access for multi-site operators and property managers. BTI designs, sells, installs, supports and takes over existing Brivo accounts. Eagle Eye cloud video is part of Brivo. | Brivo |
| Avigilon Alta (formerly Openpath) | Cloud and mobile first access with touchless entry, a good fit for offices, clinics and multi-tenant buildings. | Avigilon Alta access control |
| Avigilon Unity | On premises access and video from one platform for large plants, campuses and distribution buildings. | Avigilon Unity access control |
| Kantech | EntraPass for sites that want an owned, on premises system with optional web and mobile access. BTI is a Kantech Global Edition Certified Partner. | Kantech EntraPass |
| RS2 (Acre) | Enterprise access control for organizations with many doors, buildings and complex schedules. | RS2 access control |
| Axis | Network door controllers and intercoms from an Authorized and Certified Axis Gold Partner. | Axis access control |
| Software House C-CURE 9000 | Enterprise access control with deep video integration for large and regulated sites. | Software House C-CURE 9000 |
| Alarm.com for Business | Access control, video and intrusion in one app for smaller offices and branch sites. | Alarm.com access control |
Not sure which way to go? Compare cloud and on premises options in our cloud access control overview, or download the 2026 Commercial Access Control Systems Guide (PDF).
Both are good choices. The right one depends on how many sites you run, who manages users and what your IT team wants to host.
| Question | Cloud (Brivo, Avigilon Alta) | On premises (Kantech, Avigilon Unity, C-CURE, RS2) |
|---|---|---|
| Who manages users? | Any admin from a browser or phone, from anywhere | Usually a workstation on your network, with optional web clients |
| Several buildings across the suburbs? | One account for every site, no servers | A central server with each site linked over your network |
| Internet outage at a site? | Panels keep making decisions locally and sync later | Not affected, the system runs on your network |
| Updates | Delivered by the platform | Planned with your IT team |
| Good fit | Offices, branch sites, property portfolios | Plants, campuses, schools and large distribution buildings |
Many calls start the same way: the installer closed, sold the business or stopped answering, and no one has the admin login. We take over existing systems, and Brivo accounts in particular, without replacing hardware that still works.
Every project is quoted in writing after the survey, with each door and license itemized. Financing at 3.99% is available for qualified buyers, subject to credit approval.
Requirements depend on the opening, occupancy and local authority. We review the door hardware, permitted work, accessibility and emergency egress requirements with the owner and project team before recommending an electronic lock.
For Indiana sites, the written scope identifies permits, inspections and any licensed local trades required for the work. An Illinois license is not represented as Indiana authorization.
Network access, credential ownership and administrator roles are documented at handoff so the site is supportable after go live.
A badge event means more with video beside it. We connect doors to security cameras in Northwest Indiana so a denied badge or a forced door opens the matching clip, and we link access control with intrusion alarms so the building arms itself when the last person badges out.
Access control lives on your network, so it should be secured like the rest of your IT. Our IT team segments door controllers, keeps firmware current and watches for problems through the 24/7 NOC/SOC. If you also want IT support, see managed IT in Northwest Indiana.
Most issues start with remote diagnosis. Engineers, crews and replacement equipment travel from our Downers Grove, Illinois office for scheduled on site days, with travel and site access agreed before work begins.
Plants, warehouses, truck yards and supplier buildings around I-80/94 and the lakefront need reliable networks, dock and perimeter video and controlled entry. These cities are about 32 to 39 straight-line miles from Downers Grove.
Professional offices, medical groups and commercial sites along US 30 and US 41 need secure Wi-Fi, Microsoft 365, staff access and parking coverage. On site engineering is scheduled from our Illinois office.
Distribution, light industrial and office buildings along the I-65 corridor need warehouse connectivity, support across shifts and a standard for cameras and doors as sites expand.
Porter County plants, logistics sites, schools and offices get remote support and planned installation or service days, with travel and site access agreed in the scope.
Eastern Northwest Indiana sites are farther from our office. We plan service windows, replacement parts and remote access before dispatch rather than imply a nearby branch.
This hub covers Northwest Indiana, including Lake County in Indiana, not Lake County in Illinois. Illinois I-55 sites stay on the Will County hub, and other Chicago-area locations are on the Chicago hub.
See every BTI service on the BTI Northwest Indiana hub.
1441 Branding Ave, Suite 200
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Security line: 630-343-1322
Main office: 312-432-5300
24/7 support: 800-HELP-BTI (800-435-7284)
Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM CT
Separate employees, contractors and visiting drivers at Hammond, Gary and East Chicago facilities. Use scheduled credentials, gate intercoms and event-linked video rather than a shared code.
Plan staff entrances and truck gates around receiving hours and shift handoffs, with a clear process for lost badges and temporary workers.
Give local managers the permissions they need for doors in Merrillville, Crown Point, Portage and Valparaiso without granting control of every site.
BTI Communications Group, LTD. serves Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Pick your area for local services.
Chicago and Chicagoland businesses.
Western suburb businesses, served from our Downers Grove office.
Schaumburg corridor and Cook County northwest suburb businesses, served from our Downers Grove office.
North Shore and Lake County businesses, served from our Downers Grove office.
Joliet, Bolingbrook, Romeoville and Plainfield businesses on the I-55 corridor, served from our Downers Grove office.
Aurora, Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles businesses along I-88, served from our Downers Grove office.
Hammond, Gary, Merrillville, Portage and Valparaiso businesses, served from our Downers Grove, Illinois office.
Over 40 years of IT, security and communications work. Call 630-343-1322 for security or 312-492-2613 for IT, or book a free consultation.
Get a free consultationWe install eight access control platforms, so the recommendation follows your building, not a quota.
Access control, video, alarms, networks and cybersecurity come from one accountable partner.
We step in when another installer is gone and keep the hardware that still works.
Engineers and crews schedule Northwest Indiana field work from Downers Grove.
Authorized and Certified Axis Gold Partner and Kantech Global Edition Certified Partner.
400+ engineers, a mobile fleet and a stocked Chicagoland warehouse.
Access control is one part of a security plan built around your industry. Local examples from across Northwest Indiana:
Each building type asks something different of its network, doors and cameras. These are the buildings we are asked about most in Northwest Indiana.
BTI Communications Group, LTD. installs and supports commercial access control from its Downers Grove office for Gary, Hammond, Merrillville, Crown Point and Portage and other Northwest Indiana communities. Call 630-343-1322.
BTI Communications Group, LTD. designs, installs and takes over commercial access control systems in Gary and East Chicago and other nearby Northwest Indiana towns from our Downers Grove office. We have been in business for over 40 years.
Yes. Many clients start with a main entry or server room, then add doors on the same system later.
You disable it in the software in seconds and issue a new credential. With mobile credentials there is no card to lose.
No. Our Chicagoland office is at 1441 Branding Ave, Suite 200, Downers Grove, IL 60515. Hammond is about 32 miles away and Merrillville about 43 in a straight line. Call 630-343-1322.
Yes. We secure lobbies, suites, elevators and parking for offices in Hammond, Crown Point, Valparaiso, Munster and Schererville.
Yes. We set up production zones, docks, gates and contractor credentials for warehouses, distribution centers and plants in Merrillville, Hammond, Gary and Hobart.
Yes. We tie truck gates, driver entrances and dock doors to schedules and credentials, add plate recognition and intercoms at gate lanes and link every door event to video.
Yes. We take over existing Brivo accounts as well as new installs. After you confirm ownership, we arrange the change with Brivo, review users and schedules and fix doors that show offline or forced.
After a free site survey we send a written, itemized proposal that lists every door, device and license.
Often. Many strikes, maglocks, exit devices and door contacts can stay. The survey shows which openings can reuse hardware and which need new readers or locks.
Yes. Brivo, Avigilon Alta and Kantech all support mobile credentials, and cards and phones can work side by side during a phased switch.
Yes. BTI holds GSA contract 47QTCA21D00BA, and we design lockdown and visitor screening for districts and public buildings.
A free consultation covers a site survey, a door schedule and a written scope.