One system for who is in and where they can go
Most access control is a separate system with its own cards, its own software and its own list of staff that drifts out of step with HR. HFX access control runs on the same employee record, the same credentials and the same cloud as clocking. A new starter is enrolled once and can clock in and open their doors the same day; a leaver is removed once and both stop. The hardware at the door is the ZKTeco inBio Pro controller range, chosen because it makes its own decisions, holds its own credentials and keeps working if the network drops.
Four parts to every controlled door
A controller in a cabinet, a reader at the door, the lock and door furniture, and Imperago in the cloud deciding who is allowed through.
The three controllers
All three share the same processor, the same capacity and the same features. The difference is how many doors and readers each one drives.
inBio 160 Pro
One-door controller, built on the ZKTeco inBio 160 Pro.
The controller for a single secured door: a server room, a stores cage, a staff entrance or a gate. It drives a reader on each side of the door, so you can record people leaving as well as entering, and it carries one lock relay plus a spare relay for a sounder, a light or a second device. It has the same 60,000 cardholder and 20,000 fingerprint capacity as its bigger siblings, so one door at a large site is no problem.
- 1 door
- Up to 4 readers
- Fingerprint on the panel
- Card and fob
- Exit button and door contact
- Fire alarm input
- Doors
- 1, with in and out readers
- Readers
- 2 RS485 and 2 Wiegand
- Capacity
- 60,000 cardholders, 20,000 fingerprints, 100,000 events
- Inputs
- 3: exit button, door status and 1 auxiliary
- Relays
- 2: 1 lock, 1 auxiliary (Form C)
- Power
- 12 V DC supply in the cabinet; 9.6 to 14.4 V DC input
inBio 260 Pro
Two-door controller, built on the ZKTeco inBio 260 Pro.
The most common choice. Two doors from one cabinet covers a front and back staff entrance, a reception with an inner door, or a pair of doors into a production area. With four RS485 and four Wiegand reader ports it can run a reader on both sides of both doors, and because both doors sit on the same controller it can interlock them, so the second door will not open until the first has closed.
- 2 doors
- Up to 8 readers
- Fingerprint on the panel
- Card and fob
- Interlock
- Anti-passback
- Doors
- 2, each with in and out readers
- Readers
- 4 RS485 and 4 Wiegand
- Capacity
- 60,000 cardholders, 20,000 fingerprints, 100,000 events
- Inputs
- 6: 2 exit buttons, 2 door status, 2 auxiliary
- Relays
- 4: 2 lock, 2 auxiliary (Form C)
- Power
- 12 V DC supply in the cabinet; 9.6 to 14.4 V DC input
inBio 460 Pro
Four-door controller, built on the ZKTeco inBio 460 Pro.
Four doors from one cabinet and one network point, for a building or a floor where several doors sit within cabling distance of a comms room. Eight RS485 ports allow an in and an out fingerprint reader on every door, and the four Wiegand ports can take card readers or an HFX clocking terminal alongside them. Eight relays and twelve inputs cover four locks, four exit buttons, four door contacts and four auxiliary circuits. Larger sites run several 460s and manage them all from Imperago.
- 4 doors
- Up to 12 readers
- Fingerprint on the panel
- Card and fob
- Interlock
- Anti-passback
- One network point
- Doors
- 4, each with in and out readers
- Readers
- 8 RS485 and 4 Wiegand
- Capacity
- 60,000 cardholders, 20,000 fingerprints, 100,000 events
- Inputs
- 12: 4 exit buttons, 4 door status, 4 auxiliary
- Relays
- 8: 4 lock, 4 auxiliary (Form C)
- Power
- 12 V DC supply in the cabinet; 9.6 to 14.4 V DC input
The readers that connect to them
Readers do the reading; the controller does the deciding. Pick a fingerprint reader where you want to stop card sharing, a card reader where speed and cost matter, or an HFX clocking terminal where the door is also where people clock in.
FR1200 fingerprint reader
Slave fingerprint and card reader, built on the ZKTeco FR1200.
A compact reader that sits beside the door and sends the fingerprint template or card number back to the controller over an encrypted RS485 link. Verification takes under a third of a second, it reads 125 kHz proximity cards as standard and MIFARE as an option, and it is IP65 rated so it can go on an outside wall. It is the reader to use when the door is somewhere card sharing matters, such as a server room or a controlled drugs store.
- Fingerprint
- Card and fob
- RS485 to the controller
- AES-128 encrypted link
- IP65
- Connection
- RS485 or OSDP, AES-128 encrypted
- Cards
- 125 kHz proximity standard; 13.56 MHz MIFARE optional
- Speed
- Fingerprint under 0.3 s; card under 5 cm
- Environment
- IP65, 0 °C to 45 °C
- Power
- 9 to 24 V DC from the controller cabinet
- Size
- 102 × 50 × 38 mm, wall or mullion mount
KR series card readers
Wiegand proximity readers, built on the ZKTeco KR500 and KR600 series.
Plain card readers for doors where a tap is enough: offices, meeting rooms, store rooms and internal doors in a larger scheme. They connect to the controller's Wiegand ports, read in a fifth of a second, and are rated IP65 and from minus 20 to 65 degrees, so the same reader works in a corridor or on a yard gate. Choose the 125 kHz version to match proximity fobs or the 13.56 MHz version for MIFARE cards; the KR500 is the slim mullion-width reader and the KR600 the wider wall-plate style.
- Card and fob
- Wiegand 26 or 34
- IP65
- -20 °C to 65 °C
- Low cost per door
- Connection
- Wiegand 26-bit (125 kHz) or 34-bit (13.56 MHz)
- Cards
- 125 kHz EM proximity or 13.56 MHz MIFARE, by model
- Read range
- Up to 10 cm (125 kHz) or 5 cm (13.56 MHz); under 0.3 s
- Environment
- IP65 (IP64 on some models), -20 °C to 65 °C
- Power
- 6 to 14 V DC, 70 mA, from the controller cabinet
- Feedback
- Red and green LEDs and a beeper
HFX clocking terminals as door readers
The HFX 800, HFX V3 and HFX XP carry door interfaces and can also hang off an inBio controller.
Where the staff entrance is also where people clock in, one device can do both. The HFX 800 (card and PIN), HFX V3 (face, fingerprint and card) and HFX XP (face and palm) each have lock, door contact and exit button connections and a Wiegand output, so they can either control a single door themselves or act as the reader for a door on an inBio controller. That gives you face or palm recognition at the door with the controller's interlock, anti-passback and fire alarm release behind it.
- Face
- Palm
- Fingerprint
- Card and PIN
- Clocking and access in one
- Wiegand to the controller
Which controller does what
| Feature | inBio 160 Pro | inBio 260 Pro | inBio 460 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doors | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| RS485 readers (FR1200) | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Wiegand readers (KR series, HFX terminals) | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| In and out reader on every door | |||
| Inputs | 3exit button, door status, 1 aux | 62 exit, 2 door status, 2 aux | 124 exit, 4 door status, 4 aux |
| Relays | 21 lock, 1 aux | 42 lock, 2 aux | 84 lock, 4 aux |
| Cardholders | 60,000 | 60,000 | 60,000 |
| Fingerprint templates | 20,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 |
| Events stored offline | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 |
| Anti-passback | |||
| Interlock between doors | –single door | ||
| First-card and multi-card opening | |||
| Duress code | |||
| Network | Ethernet, HTTPS | Ethernet, HTTPS | Ethernet, HTTPS |
| Processor and memory | 1.2 GHz, 128 MB RAM, 256 MB flash | 1.2 GHz, 128 MB RAM, 256 MB flash | 1.2 GHz, 128 MB RAM, 256 MB flash |
| Power | 9.6 to 14.4 V DC12 V 3 A supply in cabinet | 9.6 to 14.4 V DC12 V 3 A supply in cabinet | 9.6 to 14.4 V DC12 V 3 A supply in cabinet |
| Cabinet | 350 × 300 × 90 mm, 3.6 kg | 350 × 300 × 90 mm, 3.6 kg | 350 × 300 × 90 mm, 3.7 kg |
| Environment | Indoor, 0 °C to 45 °C | Indoor, 0 °C to 45 °C | Indoor, 0 °C to 45 °C |
| Pre-install guide | On-site install | On-site install | On-site install |
Count the doors, then pick the readers
Installation, power and network
Access controllers are installed by HFX engineers. The controller sits in a metal cabinet with its own 12 V power supply and needs a fused spur, a network point and a fixed IP address within 1.5 metres of where it is mounted, plus an outbound firewall rule to the Imperago pod your system runs on. The on-site installation guide lists exactly what to have ready before the visit.
- Fused spur and network point. One of each per controller, within 1.5 metres. A 10/100 connection is sufficient.
- Fixed IP address. IP address, subnet mask, default gateway and DNS server for every controller.
- Firewall rule. HTTPS on port 443 and TCP 14370 to the Imperago application and API for your pod; allow host names rather than IP addresses.
- Fire alarm interface. A volt-free contact from the fire panel wired to the controller's auxiliary input, if doors must release on alarm.
- Door furniture. Locks, door contacts and exit buttons can be supplied by HFX or fitted by your door contractor to our specification.
- Supported by HFX. Firmware, replacements and troubleshooting through support@hfx.co.uk.
The questions we get asked first
Do the doors still work if the network or Imperago is unavailable?
Yes. The controller holds every credential and every access rule locally and makes the decision itself, so a card or fingerprint opens the door whether or not the network is up. It stores up to 100,000 events while offline and sends them to Imperago when the connection returns. Changes you make in Imperago during the outage, such as a new starter or a leaver, are pushed to the controller as soon as it reconnects.
What happens in a power cut?
That depends on the locks. Fail-safe locks, such as maglocks, release when power is lost, which is what fire regulations usually require on escape routes. Fail-secure locks stay locked and are used where a door must stay shut, with a mechanical override. The controller cabinet has space for a backup battery so the controller and readers keep running through a short outage; tell us when ordering if you need one and we will size it to the doors.
How is the fire alarm connected?
Your fire alarm panel provides a volt-free contact that is wired to an auxiliary input on the controller. When the alarm sounds the controller releases the doors assigned to that input. The fire alarm interface is on the pre-install checklist in the on-site installation guide; your fire alarm contractor normally provides the contact and HFX makes the connection at the controller.
Can we use the cards and fobs we already have?
Usually. The KR readers come in 125 kHz proximity (EM) and 13.56 MHz MIFARE versions and the FR1200 reads both, so most existing UK card estates can be matched. If your cards are HID Prox or iCLASS, an HFX 800 or HFX XP with the multi-technology module can act as the reader instead. Send us a sample card and we will confirm before you order.
Where are fingerprints stored, and is that GDPR compliant?
The reader captures a fingerprint and converts it to a mathematical template; the template is stored on the controller and in Imperago, and it cannot be turned back into an image of the finger. The link between the FR1200 and the controller is AES-128 encrypted. Biometric data is special category data under UK GDPR, so you need a lawful basis, a privacy notice and normally an impact assessment. The biometric template security guide is written to share with employees and your DPO. This is a summary rather than legal advice.
What are anti-passback and interlock?
Anti-passback stops a card being used to enter twice without leaving in between, which is how a card gets passed back through a door or over a turnstile to a second person. It needs a reader on both sides of the door. Interlock links two doors on the same controller so the second will not open until the first has closed, for an airlock at reception or a clean-room entrance. Both are features of the controller and are available on every model; interlock needs at least two doors, so the 260 or 460.
How do we manage who can open which door?
In Imperago. Each reader is an access device pointed at the zone it enters and leaves, employees belong to access control groups, and a group is granted a zone on a security profile that sets the days and times. A new starter added to the right group can open their doors straight away, and removing a leaver closes them. The access control set-up guide walks through the five stages with screenshots.
We need more than four doors. What then?
Add controllers. Each inBio needs its own network point and power, and all of them appear in Imperago as access devices on the same employee record, so a site with twenty doors runs five 460s and is managed exactly like a site with one. Doors that need to interlock should be on the same controller; otherwise group doors by where the cabling is shortest.
Works with the rest of the suite
Tell us about the doors
How many doors, where they are relative to your comms room, which need fingerprint and which need card, what cards you already have and whether the fire alarm must release them. We will recommend the controllers and readers, and quote supply, installation and support.
Call 0330 122 7200 or email salesteam@advt-group.com. Existing customers: the set-up guide covers configuration in Imperago, or email support@hfx.co.uk.