As of 13 August 2026, AI can only partly choose an access control system for your office.

What to actually do

1. Hand it to a person

   The route this page recommends

   Someone with a licence or accountable authority has to sign this before it counts.

2. Use a tool built for this

   Second choice

3. Do it yourself

   The distant third

   A chat interface, power-user skill, and roughly 1 hour until you can act on the result.

   How to actually do it

   1. Open a spreadsheet or document and record the number and type of doors, existing locks, staff numbers, visitor patterns, opening hours and any shared or external entrances.
   2. Gather the current details for your internet connection, power supply, network restrictions, alarms, cameras, door hardware and any building-management requirements.
   3. Write down your entry-method preferences, joiner and leaver process, emergency access needs, accessibility requirements, budget and priorities for security, administration and integrations.
   4. Collect current manufacturer pages, datasheets, terms, privacy information and installer quotations for the systems you are considering, then paste them into the prompt as the supplier evidence.
   5. Run the prompt and ask the AI to remove any product whose compatibility, support, data handling or installation requirements are not evidenced in the supplied material.
   6. Send the resulting shortlist and question list to at least two UK access-control installers, and ask each to survey the doors and confirm hardware, power, network, emergency-release and installation requirements in writing.
   7. Compare each installer response with the AI's table, confirm prices and contract terms against the live quotations, and choose only after a responsible office or security owner approves the risks and ongoing administration.

   Prompt

   Help me shortlist and compare office access control systems for a UK workplace. Do not make up product features, certifications, prices or legal claims. Use only the supplier information and requirements I provide, and clearly mark anything that needs confirmation from the manufacturer or installer.
   
   Office details:
   - Location and building type: [DETAILS]
   - Number and type of doors: [DETAILS]
   - Internal and external doors: [DETAILS]
   - Number of staff and expected visitors: [DETAILS]
   - Multiple sites or shared entrances: [DETAILS]
   - Existing locks, doors, alarms, cameras or entry systems: [DETAILS]
   - Internet, power and network constraints: [DETAILS]
   - Required entry methods, such as cards, fobs, mobile credentials, PINs or biometrics: [DETAILS]
   - Joiner and leaver process: [DETAILS]
   - Out-of-hours access and emergency access requirements: [DETAILS]
   - Budget and preferred purchasing model: [DETAILS]
   - Data protection, retention and audit requirements: [DETAILS]
   - Accessibility requirements: [DETAILS]
   
   Supplier information and links:
   [PASTE THE CURRENT PRODUCT PAGES, DATASHEETS, QUOTES AND TERMS HERE]
   
   Create:
   1. A requirements summary, separating confirmed facts from assumptions.
   2. A shortlist of up to five suitable systems, with the exact source for every material claim.
   3. A comparison table covering entry methods, door and hardware compatibility, connectivity, administration, audit logs, integrations, accessibility, support, installation requirements, data handling and known limitations.
   4. A weighted scoring model using these priorities: security, reliability, ease of administration, suitability for visitors, accessibility, data protection, integration and total cost. Ask me for missing weights rather than inventing them.
   5. A recommendation only if the evidence supports one, plus the reasons not to choose each alternative.
   6. A list of questions for two UK installers and a pre-purchase validation checklist.
   
   Do not treat marketing language as proof. Flag any feature, certification, compatibility point or data-processing detail that I must confirm in writing. Do not provide legal or security compliance sign-off.

   Open it prefilled in ChatGPT or Claude, or copy it into Gemini, which takes no prefill link.