About access control units

An access control unit is an entity that 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

Security Center supports the following 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 preinstalled with Synergis™ Softwire and can be 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. For a complete list of supported interface modules and limitations, see the Synergis™ Softwire Release Notes and the Synergis™ Softwire Integration Guide.
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.