When does access control pay back?

For sites with monthly-or-more staff turnover and 4+ controlled doors, access control typically breaks even with key-replacement costs by year 3 and saves significantly thereafter. For stable small teams, the financial case is harder; the value is in audit and revocation features.

Can we mix keyed and electronic doors?

Yes. Many sites have electronic access on the main entry and high-risk doors, with keyed locks on lower-risk internal doors. We can quote each door separately so you can stage the upgrade.

What about wireless / battery-powered locks for retrofit?

Salto and Aperio battery-powered locks suit retrofit jobs where running cable to every door is expensive (heritage, hotels, schools). Higher per-door cost but lower install cost; net cost is often similar to wired access control.

Access Control vs Keys: When Keyless Pays for Itself

The pitch for access control is usually about features: audit logs, mobile credentials, time-zoned access, instant revocation. The pitch for physical keys is about simplicity and zero ongoing cost. Both are valid. The economic question — when does keyless actually save money — depends almost entirely on staff turnover and lock-replacement cost. This post walks through the maths.

The hidden cost of a physical key

A physical key has three hidden costs that don’t show up on the invoice:

Cutting and issuing. $5–$15 per key, plus the time of whoever issues it.
Lost-key replacement. When someone loses a key (or doesn’t return one when they leave), the lock should be re-pinned or replaced. Re-pinning a single deadbolt is around $80–$150 with a locksmith call-out; replacing a commercial lock is $200–$600 per door.
Master-key system rebuilds. If you have a master/sub-master keyed system and the master is compromised, the cost to rebuild is the per-door re-pin times every door times two visits. A 12-door master-keyed building can cost $4,000–$8,000 to rebuild.

The break-even point with electronic access depends on how often these events happen, which is mostly driven by staff turnover.

Worked example 1: 8-staff professional services office

Stable team, low turnover (one person leaving every 18–24 months). Two doors (main entry, server room).

Keys cost (5 years): 8 keys × $10 = $80 for cutting, plus 2 leavers × $300 re-pin = $600. Total ~$680.
Paxton Net2 cost: $5,500 supplied and installed (2 doors), no ongoing licence. Add $50 of cards over 5 years.

Verdict: Keys win on cost alone. Access control’s value here is the audit log and the mobile credential UX, not the lock-replacement saving. Worth it if those features matter to your management; not worth it on cost.

Worked example 2: 60-staff hospitality venue

High turnover (1 leaver per month, average), 4 controlled doors (front, back, kitchen, office).

Keys cost (3 years): 60 staff × multiple keys + 36 leavers per 3 years. Even if you only re-pin half the time someone leaves with a key (because some return them), that’s 18 × $300 = $5,400. Plus key cutting and issue admin. Total $6,500–$8,000 over 3 years.
Paxton Net2 cost: $9,500 supplied and installed. Plus $300 of cards/credentials over 3 years.

Verdict: Roughly break-even by year 3. Access control wins on year 5+ comfortably, plus you get instant credential revocation (a leaver can’t come back at 2am the night they’re fired) and audit logs.

Worked example 3: 20-unit body-corporate apartment building

Constant turnover (renters, owners selling, contractors), 8 controlled doors (lobby, basement carpark vehicle and pedestrian, lift lobby per floor, bin room, gym).

Keys cost (5 years): Impossible to enforce. By year 2 you have no idea who has master keys.
Paxton Net2 + IP intercom cost: $14,000–$20,000 supplied and installed.

Verdict: Access control isn’t comparable to keys here — physical keys aren’t a viable choice for an apartment building of any size. The decision is which platform, not whether.

Worked example 4: 25-staff trade-supply / workshop

Moderate turnover, mixed staff and contractor traffic, 5 controlled doors (pedestrian entry, warehouse roller door, office, server, sample room).

Keys cost (3 years): Maybe $1,500 in re-pins from the typical mix of leavers, plus $200 in key admin. Total ~$1,700.
Paxton Net2 cost: $11,000 supplied and installed.

Verdict: Keys win on simple cost over 3–5 years. Access control wins on the audit log (who opened the warehouse roller door at 3am Saturday?), the time-zoned access (cleaners only during 6–8am), and revocation speed. For a workshop with valuable tools or stock, the audit and revocation features usually justify the upgrade even when raw cost-per-door doesn’t.

Where access control is always worth it

Apartment buildings of any size. Keys aren’t practical.
Sites with high turnover (hospitality, retail, construction).
Sites with regulated audit requirements (healthcare, schools, regulated-goods sites).
Sites where instant revocation matters (HR-sensitive workplaces, sites with staff-discipline incidents).
Multi-tenant buildings where shared spaces need controlled access.

Where keys still win

Stable small teams (under 10 staff). Cost case is hard to justify.
Single-door installations with no audit or revocation requirement.
Sites with no power or network infrastructure (remote storage units).

Access control vs keys: when keyless pays for itself