Emergency access control: when a door is stuck open during a busy trading period, you need someone now
When an access control system fails in a way that compromises building security, a door held open during a busy trading period, an entire system offline, a controller refusing to communicate with the software, SEG Ltd provides emergency response across England with same-day attendance where engineer availability permits. The first call is triage: a surprising number of "the access system is broken" emergencies are actually a software user-permission issue or a tripped breaker fixable in five minutes, and we'll tell you that on the phone before sending an engineer.
For genuine on-site emergencies we attend with a van stocked for the common urgent failure modes: replacement controllers and PSUs for Paxton, Salto, ACT and Inner Range systems; replacement readers in the most common formats; door hardware (electric strikes, mag-lock magnets, push-to-exit buttons, REX sensors, break-glass overrides). Most urgent access control faults can be diagnosed in the first thirty minutes on site and either repaired immediately, or made-safe with a documented interim arrangement while parts arrive.
We work on every major manufacturer: Paxton (Net2 and Paxton10), Salto KS, ACT Enterprise, Inner Range Inception, Suprema BioStation, Honeywell, plus a long tail of legacy standalone units. If you're not sure what brand you have, take a photo of the controller and the reader and we'll identify them while dispatching. Contact us or call 0330 133 9801, we triage on the phone immediately.
Common urgent access control faults we resolve same-day
Door held open / building insecure
Mag-lock dropped (power supply, switch on fire panel), strike physically jammed, door closer failed. The immediate goal is securing the building; we make safe first, then diagnose properly.
Entire system offline
Controller comms loss, software server failure, network outage. We diagnose along the chain to the actual fault, restore service, and document the root cause so it doesn't recur.
All credentials rejected at one or many doors
Software lockout, database corruption, controller losing its user database after a power cycle. Usually fixable from the management software but sometimes needs on-site reset.
Fire alarm doesn't release doors
The most safety-critical fault and a serious compliance issue. We test the BS 7273-4 interface, identify the broken link, and restore proper free-egress behaviour the same visit.
Push-to-exit broken (people trapped)
Button mechanically failed, REX sensor stuck, controller not seeing the exit signal. We restore exit function immediately, often via a temporary wired bypass before completing the proper repair.
Software won't allow user changes
Database lock, scheduled-task failure, account permission issue. Often resolved remotely without a callout, talk to us first.
Make-safe before repair, what to do right now
If a door is stuck open: the safest interim is to mechanically lock the door using its physical override (most commercial doors have a manual key cylinder). Disable the electric release and post a notice that the door is on manual control. Don't tape over the contact sensor, that creates a false-secure state in the system log that will confuse later investigation.
If a door is stuck closed and people can't get out: activate the break-glass override (every BS-compliant access door has one nearby). If the break-glass doesn't work either, this is a fire-safety emergency, call us immediately and consider whether to call your local fire safety officer.
If the whole system is down: establish manual keyholder cover for the entry/exit points that need to function until repair. Don't randomly cycle power on the controllers, there's a chance of database corruption.
Emergency access control repair FAQs
For genuine emergencies (system down, building insecure) we target same-day attendance where engineer availability permits. Worst case is next-working-day. We'll always be honest about timing on the phone, and where we can't get to you fast, we'll often help triage to a temporary safe state so you can wait safely.
Yes, emergency callouts outside Mon–Fri 8am–5pm carry an fee. Existing maintenance-contract customers get reduced rates and priority response over ad-hoc callouts.
Yes, most of our emergency work is on third-party-installed systems. Paxton (Net2 and Paxton10), Salto, ACT, Inner Range, Suprema, Honeywell, and most legacy units. Send a photo of the controller if you're not sure what's installed.
We make the door/site safe first with an interim arrangement (manual lock, keyholder cover, temporary wired override) and confirm a return visit as soon as parts are available, typically 24–48 hours for common components.