- Electric strikes are the cheap retrofit and are unforgiving of door and frame misalignment.
- A door that buzzes but will not open is an alignment problem, not a power problem.
- Magnetic locks hold nothing without power and are heavily regulated for that reason.
- Electrified exit devices are the most code friendly option. Budget for the power transfer.
Electric strikes
An electric strike replaces the fixed strike plate in the frame with a hinged keeper that can swing out of the way. The latch stays extended. The frame lets it go.
Strikes are the cheapest retrofit because they need no change to the door, only to the frame, and they keep the mechanical lock fully functional so a key still works during a power failure. They are the default answer for a single interior office door.
Their weakness is alignment. A strike is unforgiving of a door that has dropped or a frame that has moved, and a misaligned strike produces the classic symptom of a door that buzzes but will not open. Fix the alignment rather than increasing the voltage.
Magnetic locks
A magnetic lock is an electromagnet on the frame and a steel armature plate on the door. Energized, it holds with anywhere from six hundred to twelve hundred pounds of force. De energized, it holds with nothing at all.
That property makes magnets inherently fail safe, which is required on some doors and prohibited on others. It also makes them heavily code regulated, because a magnet with no release path traps people. Codes generally require a request to exit device, a push to exit button and often an emergency release that cuts power directly, independent of any controller.
Magnets are also visible and are often installed badly, with the wiring run down the outside of the frame in surface trunking where anybody can cut it. Run the wire inside the frame or inside the door through a power transfer hinge.
Electrified locksets and exit devices
An electrified mortise lock or an electrified exit device puts the electronics inside the door hardware itself. The lever or the exit device is electrically controlled while the latch and the mechanical function stay intact.
This is the strongest and most code friendly option, because the door still latches mechanically, the exit device still releases in one motion whatever the electronics are doing, and the security does not depend on a strike or a magnet.
It is also the most expensive and requires power to reach the moving door leaf, through a power transfer hinge, an electric power transfer loop or a concealed hinge conductor. Budget the transfer, not just the lock. It is the part first time installers forget.
Common Questions
Electric strike or maglock?
A strike keeps the door's own latch and mechanical security, and is the better default. A maglock holds with magnetism alone, needs a release path on power loss, and suits doors that cannot take a strike.
Why does my electric strike buzz?
Alternating current strikes buzz by design and direct current ones are silent. If a silent one starts buzzing, the power supply or the wiring has changed.
Can an electric strike be fitted to any frame?
No. It needs a pocket cut in the frame and enough depth behind it. A hollow metal frame usually takes one. An aluminum storefront frame needs a specific model.
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