The situation
Picture a small professional office in a business park along Highway 7 in Markham. Staff arrive at 8:30 a.m., badge the reader, hear a faint click, and the door stays shut. Someone inside can push it open, but from outside it will not release. Clients are due at nine.
What the call sounds like
The office manager calls and describes the symptom. The dispatcher asks a few questions: does the reader beep and flash green; does the strike click or hum; does the door open if someone pulls it firmly towards the frame while badging? The answer to the last question, yes, points strongly to a mechanical problem rather than the access-control software.
On site
The technician finds that the door has dropped slightly on its hinges over the winter, so the latch now presses against the electric strike's keeper. When the strike is energized, the pressure prevents the keeper from releasing. The fix is to tighten and adjust the hinges so the door hangs correctly, then adjust the strike so the latch sits freely. The technician also measures the voltage at the strike to confirm the power supply is healthy.
Why this matters
It would have been easy to replace the reader or call the access-control provider for reprogramming, neither of which would have helped. Starting with the door and strike saves time and money. If the strike itself had failed, the technician would replace it with a compatible unit and coordinate with the access-control provider if any settings needed changing.
If this is you
See our electric strike and card access pages, the Markham page, or call (416) 240-0593. We operate 24/7.