| 20100276487 | Method and system for controlling access to an enclosed area - A method and system for controlling access to an enclosed area is described. One illustrative embodiment is an access card reader and controller that is powered via a Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) interface. The access card reader and controller may include a plurality of operating modes, including a network mode in which the access card reader and controller relies on an external access control server to authenticate received card identifiers and a standalone mode in which the access card reader and controller authenticates card identifiers independently of the access control server based on information stored locally in the access card reader and controller. In this illustrative embodiment, the access card reader and controller may also include a local tamper detector configured to detect when the access card reader and controller is being tampered with. | 11-04-2010 |
