Access Control for Glass Doors: A Guide for Louisville Businesses

Glass entrances are common in modern commercial buildings.

Retail storefronts, offices, medical facilities and multi-tenant buildings throughout Louisville often use glass doors or narrow aluminum-framed entrances to create a clean, open appearance.

But when a business wants to add electronic access control, those doors require more planning than simply mounting a card reader beside the entrance.

The type of glass, frame, existing door hardware, available wiring paths and how the door needs to operate all affect the access-control solution.

Can access control be installed on a glass commercial door? Yes. Depending on the door and frame, solutions may include magnetic locks, electric strikes, electronic locking hardware, card or mobile readers, door-position contacts and request-to-exit equipment. The exact configuration should be selected around the existing entrance and applicable building and life-safety requirements.

Laswell installs commercial access control systems for glass, aluminum-framed and other commercial entrances throughout Louisville and Southern Indiana.

Why Glass Doors Require Different Access-Control Planning

A typical commercial access-control system involves several components working together.

These can include:

• Credential reader
• Electronic locking hardware
• Door-position sensor
• Request-to-exit device
• Controller
• Power supply
• Network connection
• Software or cloud management platform

The concept is straightforward.

The challenge is integrating those components cleanly into the physical door.

Glass entrances can complicate that process because there may be:

• Very little frame space
• Narrow aluminum channels
• Limited concealed wiring paths
• Existing storefront hardware
• Frameless glass sections
• Double-door configurations
• Different locking requirements
• Architectural finishes that should remain visually clean

The hardware therefore needs to be selected for the specific entrance rather than using the same solution on every door.

1. Start With the Existing Door and Frame

Before selecting a reader or lock, evaluate the door itself.

Important questions include:

• Is the door fully framed or frameless?
• Is the frame aluminum?
• Is it a single or double door?
• What locking hardware is already installed?
• Which direction does the door swing?
• How is the door currently used?
• Is there available space for wiring?
• Is there an existing door closer?
• Is the entrance part of an emergency-egress path?

These factors help determine what access-control hardware may be appropriate.

The access-control system should work with the entrance rather than forcing incompatible hardware onto the door.

2. Magnetic Locks Can Be Useful on Certain Glass Entrances

Magnetic locks, often called maglocks, are one option for some glass-door configurations.

A maglock uses an electromagnet and armature plate to secure the door when the system is energized.

They can be useful where traditional electric-strike installation is difficult because of the door or frame construction.

However, a maglock should not simply be added because it is convenient to mount.

The full door assembly needs to be designed around proper locking, release and egress operation.

Laswell’s current commercial access-control offering includes both magnetic locks and electric strikes depending on the requirements of the entrance.

3. Electric Strikes May Work With Aluminum Frames

An electric strike is another common access-control component.

Instead of electronically securing the door with a magnetic lock, the strike works with compatible mechanical locking hardware at the frame.

For aluminum storefront doors, installation can require precise modification and careful hardware selection because the available frame area may be narrow.

The specific door, latch and frame determine whether an electric strike is appropriate.

This is one of the reasons a physical door assessment should happen before the system is quoted or installed.

4. Frameless Glass Doors Require Extra Consideration

Frameless glass creates additional installation constraints.

Unlike a solid metal or wood door, there may be no conventional surface available for installing certain locks, contacts or wiring.

Specialized mounting hardware may be required depending on the design.

The installer also needs to avoid modifications that could damage the glass or interfere with normal door operation.

For these entrances, the access-control design should be determined before equipment is ordered.

5. The Credential Reader Doesn’t Have to Be Mounted on the Glass

One misconception is that the card reader must be mounted directly onto the door.

Usually, the reader can be located on an adjacent:

• Wall
• Mullion
• Storefront frame
• Pedestal
• Other suitable mounting surface

The ideal location allows users to present their credential easily while keeping wiring secure and the installation visually clean.

Depending on the access-control system, employees may use:

• Key cards
• Key fobs
• PIN codes
• Mobile credentials

Laswell’s access-control systems support several credential options, allowing the system to be designed around how the business wants employees and visitors to enter.

6. Door Contacts Provide Useful Door Status Information

An access-control system needs to know more than whether a credential was accepted.

A door-position contact can help the system determine whether the controlled door is physically open or closed.

Depending on the system configuration, this may support events or notifications involving conditions such as:

• Door held open
• Unexpected door opening
• Other configured door activity

Laswell’s current systems can provide activity reporting and certain door-event alerts as part of a broader access-control configuration.

7. Plan the Request-to-Exit Method

A controlled commercial door still needs an appropriate method for people inside the building to exit.

Depending on the entrance and system design, this may involve specific request-to-exit equipment or other approved door hardware.

This is an important part of access-control design.

The system should never be planned solely around how someone gets into the building.

How people safely and properly exit the space is equally important.

The appropriate configuration depends on the building, door, hardware and applicable requirements.

8. Wiring Can Be One of the Biggest Challenges

The hardware visible on the door is only part of the installation.

Access-control systems may require wiring for:

• Locking hardware
• Readers
• Door contacts
• Request-to-exit equipment
• Power
• Controllers
• Network equipment

Modern glass storefront entrances frequently provide less room to conceal wiring than traditional walls and doors.

That makes planning the wiring path particularly important.

A clean installation should avoid unnecessary exposed cabling while still allowing the equipment to be serviced in the future.

The original Laswell project that inspired this article involved multiple commercial glass doors and required specialized hardware and careful planning to maintain both the function and appearance of the entrances.

9. Don’t Sacrifice the Appearance of the Entrance

Glass storefronts are often installed specifically because businesses want an attractive entrance.

Security hardware shouldn’t make that entrance look unfinished.

Good installation planning considers:

• Hardware alignment
• Reader placement
• Visible wiring
• Conduit
• Mounting plates
• Door contacts
• Lock placement
• Existing architectural finishes

The objective is a professional-looking installation that fits naturally into the entrance.

This matters especially for:

• Retail stores
• Professional offices
• Medical offices
• Corporate lobbies
• Multi-tenant buildings
• Customer-facing commercial properties

10. Access Control Can Replace Some of the Problems of Traditional Keys

The value of access control isn’t limited to the lock itself.

Once a glass entrance is electronically controlled, businesses may be able to manage access using individual credentials instead of distributing traditional keys.

Depending on the system, administrators can:

• Add employees
• Remove former employees
• Assign permissions
• Create access schedules
• Provide temporary credentials
• Review access activity

Our guide to the benefits of access control systems explains these management advantages in more detail.

For businesses with frequent employee changes or multiple entrances, this can be considerably easier to manage than relying entirely on physical keys.

11. Different Doors Can Have Different Permissions

A building doesn’t have to treat every entrance the same way.

For example, a business might have:

• Public glass lobby entrance
• Employee-only glass side entrance
• Interior office doors
• Server room
• Inventory room
• Rear delivery entrance

Employees may need access to some of those areas but not others.

Electronic access control allows permissions to be structured around the actual business.

A general employee credential may work at the employee entrance during normal work hours while management credentials have access to additional controlled areas.

12. Glass Doors Can Be Part of a Larger Security System

Access control answers an important question:

Is this credential authorized to open this door?

A camera answers a different question:

What was happening around this entrance?

When access control and commercial security cameras are part of the same broader security strategy, businesses can have both credential records and visual context around selected entrances.

For example, an access event can show that a credential was used at a certain time while nearby video may provide additional information about the activity around the door.

The exact integrations available depend on the equipment and platforms installed.

13. Consider Visitor Access

Glass lobby entrances are common in buildings that regularly receive visitors.

Depending on the business, the access-control plan may need to account for:

• Customers
• Contractors
• Vendors
• Deliveries
• Cleaning crews
• Temporary employees
• Guests

A building may want the public entrance to remain open during certain hours while employee areas remain controlled.

Other businesses may want visitors to check in before being permitted farther into the facility.

The access-control system should reflect the organization’s actual visitor process.

14. Review the Door During Renovations

A renovation is often an ideal time to plan glass-door access control.

If the business is already replacing:

• Storefront glass
• Aluminum framing
• Door hardware
• Walls
• Ceilings
• Network cabling
• Electrical infrastructure

it may be easier to coordinate access-control wiring before finishes are complete.

Waiting until the building is completely finished can make some wiring paths more complicated.

Early coordination among security, electrical, networking and door-hardware teams can help avoid unnecessary rework.

15. Don’t Choose Access Hardware From Photos Alone

Two glass entrances can look almost identical while requiring different hardware.

Before designing a system, an installer should evaluate the actual door and frame.

That site assessment can help determine:

• Appropriate locking method
• Reader location
• Wiring route
• Existing hardware compatibility
• Door-contact placement
• Power requirements
• Controller location
• Network requirements
• Integration opportunities

Laswell’s current Access Control service specifically includes a site walkthrough to evaluate doors, hardware and wiring-path options before preparing a proposal.

Glass Door Access Control Checklist

If your Louisville business is considering access control for a glass entrance, review:

• Door type
• Frame type
• Existing locking hardware
• Door swing
• Employee access needs
• Visitor access
• Available wiring paths
• Credential type
• Desired access schedules
• Door-status monitoring
• Camera coverage
• Network infrastructure
• Emergency and egress requirements
• Future doors that may be added

The goal is not simply to find a lock that fits.

The goal is to create a complete access-control system that works with the entrance and the way the business operates.

Frequently Asked Questions About Glass Door Access Control

Glass Door Access Control Installation in Louisville, KY

Glass doors don’t prevent a business from upgrading to modern access control.

They simply require the system to be planned around the entrance.

Laswell has experience installing access-control equipment on commercial glass and aluminum-framed doors and designs systems around the hardware, wiring, credentials and daily operations of each facility. The original legacy article documents a Louisville-area project involving multiple glass entrances that required specialized hardware and careful installation planning.

Whether you’re securing a retail storefront, office, medical facility or multi-tenant building, Laswell can evaluate the doors and recommend an access-control approach suited to the property.

If you’re also evaluating cameras, alarms and controlled entry as one solution, a broader commercial security system can combine those technologies around the needs of the facility.