Access Control Systems & Surveillance Flashcards

Which card technology runs at 13.56 MHz and supports encrypted mutual authentication, making it harder to clone than legacy proximity cards?

Answer: Smart cards such as MIFARE DESFire EV2/EV3

High-frequency smart cards like DESFire EV2/EV3 use cryptographic authentication, while 125 kHz prox cards send a static ID that is easy to copy.

Why is OSDP preferred over the Wiegand protocol for connecting readers to controllers?

Answer: It supports bidirectional, encrypted, supervised communication

OSDP (especially with Secure Channel) encrypts traffic and supervises the reader link, while Wiegand sends unencrypted data in one direction only.

A security manager wants a camera that can automatically track a moving intruder across a large parking lot. Which camera type fits best?

Answer: PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom)

PTZ cameras can pan, tilt, and zoom, often with auto-tracking, to follow a target across a wide area.

Compared with H.264, what is the main advantage of H.265 (HEVC) video compression?

Answer: About the same quality at roughly half the bitrate

H.265 delivers similar image quality using much less bandwidth and storage than H.264.

What does a duress code on an access control keypad do?

Answer: Grants access while silently alerting security

A duress code opens the door normally but sends a silent alarm, so a coerced user is not put in more danger.

Which lens choice gives the narrowest field of view but the most detail on a distant gate?

Answer: 50 mm lens

A longer focal length narrows the field of view and magnifies distant subjects, giving more pixels on the target.

An employee is fired at 3 PM. What is the best access control practice?

Answer: Revoke the credential in the system right away

Deactivating the credential immediately in the access control system stops any further use, even if the physical badge is never returned.