Guides and resources
Thirty guides to answer your questions before buying or installing: what to choose, what Spanish rules require and what to ask an installer. Each one cites its sources.
Access control
How a system works, which credential to choose, what drives the cost and how to maintain it.
Access control
How an access control system works and what it is made of
What access control is, the parts it is made of (credential, reader, controller, lock and software) and how the decision to open a door is taken.
Access control
Card, phone, PIN or biometrics: which credential to choose for access control
Access control credentials compared: proximity card, mobile credential, PIN, QR code and biometrics. Security, cost, convenience and the Spanish legal angle.
Access control
Cloud vs on-premise access control: differences and how to choose
How cloud access control differs from an on-premise server: costs, upkeep, security, internet dependence and GDPR considerations.
Access control
How much does access control cost? The factors that decide the price
What the price of access control depends on: doors, locks, cabling, credentials, software and maintenance. How to estimate it without surprises.
Access control
How to request and compare access control quotes: a checklist
What to tell installers when requesting an access control quote, and 12 points for comparing offers: scope, brands, works, software, warranty and maintenance.
Access control
Electric strike, maglock or motorised lock: which electric lock to choose
The differences between an electric strike, a maglock and a motorised lock, what fail-safe and fail-secure mean, and which suits each door.
Access control
Access control and emergency exits: how to make them compatible in Spain
What a controlled door or turnstile must do when it sits on an escape route in Spain: free egress, release on alarm and the standards that apply.
Access control
Visitor and contractor management in access control: how to organise it
How to give visitors, suppliers and contractors access without losing control: pre-registration, temporary credentials, escorting and what data you may collect.
Access control
Access control maintenance: what to check and how often
The maintenance an access control system needs: batteries, locks, turnstiles, barriers, software and backups. A checklist and what a contract should say.
Access control
Access control for industrial and logistics units: what to control and how
How to plan access control for an industrial or logistics unit: perimeter, vehicles, shift workers, hauliers, contractors and restricted areas.
Turnstiles and speed gates
Types of turnstile, how many you need, accessibility, evacuation and installation.
Turnstiles and speed gates
Types of turnstile: tripod, full-height, speed gate and pass gate compared
Turnstiles compared: tripod, full-height, speed gate and pass gate. Security, throughput, footprint, accessibility and the typical use for each.
Turnstiles and speed gates
How many turnstiles do I need? Calculating lanes from your peak flow
A simple method for working out how many turnstiles or speed gate lanes an entrance needs: peak arrivals, throughput per minute and a safety margin.
Turnstiles and speed gates
Gym turnstiles: what you need to know before installing one in Spain
How to choose and install a turnstile in a gym or sports centre in Spain: membership software integration, credentials, accessibility, evacuation and data protection.
Turnstiles and speed gates
Turnstiles and accessibility: providing a step-free, wheelchair-friendly lane
How to make a line of turnstiles accessible: pass gate or wide lane, clear width, reader height, opening method and the mistakes to avoid. Spanish context.
Turnstiles and speed gates
Turnstile installation: what to prepare in the floor, power and network
Site requirements for installing turnstiles or speed gates: floor and fixings, conduits, power supply, network, space and coordination with the fire alarm.
Turnstiles and speed gates
EN 17352: what the standard requires of powered turnstiles and speed gates
What EN 17352 for power operated pedestrian entrance control equipment is, which equipment it covers and excludes, and what to ask the manufacturer and installer.
Time recording
What Spanish law requires, which clocking methods exist and which mistakes to avoid.
Time recording
Spain's time-recording law explained: what employers must do
What article 34.9 of the Spanish Workers' Statute requires: who it applies to, what to record, how long to keep it, who can see it and the penalties.
Time recording
Mandatory digital time recording in Spain: what is and is not in force (October 2026)
Status of Spain's digital time-recording royal decree as of October 2026: what still applies, what the draft proposes and how to prepare without rushing.
Time recording
Clocking methods compared: wall terminal, card, phone app, web or paper
Clocking systems for Spanish working-time records compared: card or PIN terminal, mobile app, web, shared tablet and paper. Pros, limits and where each fits.
Time recording
Can staff clock in by fingerprint or face in Spain? What the regulator says
What the Spanish data protection authority's November 2023 guide says about fingerprint and facial clocking, why it is so hard to justify, and the alternatives.
Time recording
Clocking for remote and mobile staff in Spain: recording hours away from the office
How to meet Spain's time-recording rules with remote workers, sales reps and field engineers: app or web, location data, personal phones and the right to disconnect.
Time recording
Ten common time-recording mistakes in Spain and how to avoid them
The most frequent failings in Spanish working-time records: identical hours, end-of-month signatures, untraceable corrections, breaks, overtime and retention.
Biometrics and data protection
Fingerprint, facial recognition, cameras and access logs under the GDPR as applied in Spain.
Biometrics and data protection
Biometrics in access control in Spain: when fingerprint or face can be used
What Spain's data protection authority requires before using fingerprint or facial recognition to open doors in gyms, communities or offices, and the alternatives.
Biometrics and data protection
Data protection in access control: what to comply with when logging entries in Spain
The GDPR obligations that apply to non-biometric access control in Spain: lawful basis, information, retention, who can see the log, and processors.
Biometrics and data protection
CCTV and access control: how to integrate them and what Spanish law requires
Why link CCTV to access control, where to put cameras, and what Spanish rules require: signage, the one-month limit, no-go areas and the workplace.
Parking and vehicles
Barriers, number plate recognition and access to company and residential car parks.
Parking and vehicles
Number plate recognition for access control: how it works and what it needs
How number plate recognition (ANPR/LPR) works for gates and car parks, the reliability to expect, camera positioning and the data protection requirements in Spain.
Parking and vehicles
Access control for community garages in Spain: options, owners’ vote and data protection
Replacing garage remotes in a Spanish residential community: registered remotes, fobs, phone or plate recognition, the owners’ vote and data protection.
Parking and vehicles
Parking barriers: types, safety devices and maintenance
How to choose an automatic vehicle barrier: boom length, duty cycle, loops and photocells, CE marking and the maintenance it needs. Spanish context.
Hotels and holiday lets
Electronic locks and self check-in for hotels and holiday rentals.
Hotels and holiday lets
Electronic hotel locks: types and how to choose
Electronic hotel locks compared: RFID card, mobile key and code; standalone or online. What to check on the doors and what to ask the supplier.
Hotels and holiday lets
Self check-in for holiday rentals in Spain: locks, the building door and guest registration
How to offer keyless self check-in at a holiday let in Spain: code or mobile locks, the building entrance, community rules and mandatory guest registration.