Connected building systems save staff time by doing the routine work on a schedule: doors unlock and lock on their own, alarms arm after hours, and a property manager can add a tenant or check an entry from a phone instead of driving to site. For commercial buildings in Edmonton and across Alberta and BC, that adds up to fewer call-outs and fewer surprises.
What a connected commercial building can automate
- Door schedules: lobbies, side doors and parkade gates open for business hours and lock themselves after hours and on holidays.
- Alarm arming: intrusion zones arm on a schedule, and the last person out gets a reminder if a zone is left open.
- User changes: new staff, tenants and contractors are added or removed from a browser or app, the same day.
- Camera alerts: cameras flag people or vehicles in a closed yard or parkade instead of recording hours nobody watches.
- Visitor entry: a video intercom rings the right suite, desk or phone, and every visit is logged.
Where the time savings come from
Most of the time saved in a commercial building comes from not handling keys, not visiting site for small changes and not searching hours of video. When access control, cameras and intercom share one platform, a door event opens the matching camera clip, so an incident takes minutes to review instead of an afternoon.
Remote management matters most for property managers with several buildings. Instead of a site visit to cancel a lost fob or change a schedule for a long weekend, the change is made once and applies straight away.
Energy and building controls
Heating, ventilation and lighting are usually run by a separate building automation system and its own contractor. Security systems can still help: door schedules and alarm arming tell you when a building is actually empty, and that information can be shared with whoever runs the building controls. We coordinate with your building automation contractor rather than replacing their work.
Built for Alberta and BC winters
Gate operators, exterior readers and outdoor cameras have to keep working in deep cold, ice and blowing snow. We choose hardware rated for the conditions, plan backup power for short outages, and check outdoor equipment on a maintenance plan so doors and gates do not fail in January.
Keeping it simple to run
- One app or browser login for doors, cameras and intercom where the platform allows it.
- Clear roles, so front-desk staff can let visitors in without access to admin settings.
- Admin access and full documentation handed over on every project, so you own your system.
Hightower designs, installs and supports access control, security cameras, video intercom, intrusion alarms, parcel lockers and networks for commercial buildings, with offices in Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer and Kelowna. If another company installed your system and stopped answering, we can take it over and support it.
Planning access control
List every door, gate and elevator that needs control, and who may use each one and when. Exterior hardware in Alberta has to handle extreme cold. Exit doors must let people out and release on fire alarm.
Credentials and admin access
Encrypted fobs, cards or phone credentials can be cancelled the same day someone leaves. We hand over admin access and documentation so your team can add and remove users without calling us for every change.
Related on this site
Read more: intrusion alarms, all services.
Security cameras near you: Edmonton · Calgary · Red Deer · Kelowna.
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Need this for a commercial building? Request a quote, or call 587-920-1610 in Alberta or 236-473-1610 in BC.
Questions
Does Hightower work on this for commercial buildings only?
Yes. We design, install and support systems for commercial buildings only, including condos and apartments, offices, retail, industrial sites, schools and automotive businesses across Alberta and BC.
Can you take over an existing system like the one in this article?
Yes. System rescue is a core service. We regain admin access to systems you own, repair what we can, document everything and support it. See system rescue.
Where should I start if this is the system I need?
Start with our security cameras page, or request a quote. We have offices in Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer and Kelowna.