If you’ve ever been quoted for an access control installation, you’ve probably seen the numbers: thousands of dollars per door. There is no debate, access control is expensive. The electronic hardware, the infrastructure and the software all add up. But much of that cost isn’t hardware, it’s labor. And most of that labor is spent solving a problem that shouldn’t exist in the first place.
The Hidden Labor Cost in Access Control Installation
Industry data reveals that professional installation of access control wiring is priced at an average of 6 to 8 hours per door for straightforward installations. Complex installations—retrofits, difficult wall types, or fire-rated requirements—can stretch well beyond these numbers. Why? Because network cable installers know how disjointed the installation usually gets, and they are tired of providing a competitive bid only to realize a loss when the pathway is compromised.
There are many trades involved in these door openings, and without a clear assignment of scopes to the various trades, gaps and conflicts result. This chaos dominoes to the last person on the job….the technology contractor. In response, the TC’s have been incrementally increasing their labor hours to protect themselves from the problematic openings. And they will often look to subcontract the wiring in the door to a lower tier sub, simply because they know it is a pain. No one wants to do it! These problems are all masked by additional costs that the owner ultimately pays, without any awareness to it.
Integrator billing rates typically range from $75 to $125 per hour, with a median around $90 to $100 per hour, according to industry research. Some IT service providers charge as much as $300 per hour for specialized work. The math is simple and sobering. At a modest $100 per hour, 6 hours of labor translates to a minimum of $600 in wiring labor alone. Many contractors default to $1,000 per opening for wiring labor knowing they will win on some openings and lose on some. When the circumstances on a project are not standardized or uncertain, rest assured that contractors will make sure they cover their worst-case scenario on bid day.
Total installation costs, including hardware, commonly reach $$5,000 per door and beyond, with some openings reaching $8,000 to $10,000 for double doors and more complex commercial installations. Just the installation labor itself typically ranges from $2000 to $4,000 per door depending on complexity and location.
These are expensive pieces of electronic “machinery”.
Here’s the problem: too much of that time is spent figuring out how to route a wire through door frames that were never designed for it. There has to be a better way!
Why Wiring Costs Spiral Out of Control
When there’s no defined pathway for access control wiring, installers are forced to improvise. That means fishing wire through walls, field drilling into frames, and surface-mounting conduit wherever it will fit. Each of these workarounds adds time, creates coordination problems, and increases the risk of mistakes.
Rework and coordination failures compound the problem. Electricians rough in conduit based on one assumption. Frame installers work from a different set of plans. Access control integrators show up expecting something else entirely. When these trades aren’t working from the same blueprint, someone has to fix the disconnect in the field—and that costs time and money.
Labor and material waste adds up quickly. Additional conduit runs, extra junction boxes, and supplementary hardware get added to solve pathway problems that shouldn’t have existed. What should be a straightforward installation becomes a custom solution for every single door.
Extended labor hours are the inevitable result. What should take 3 hours becomes 5 to 8 hours when installers encounter obstacles, make adjustments, and coordinate with other trades to make the installation work.
The Compounding Cost Across Projects
For a single door, $600 to $1,000 in wiring labor might seem manageable. But access control is rarely a single-door proposition.
On a 10-door project, you’re looking at $6,000 to $10,000 or more in wiring labor alone. A 50-door commercial building? That’s $30,000 to $50,000 just for the labor to solve pathway problems before you’ve paid for a single piece of hardware or any other aspect of the installation. These costs appear on every project because the industry treats improvised wiring as standard operating procedure. Owners, contractors, and property managers pay these inflated costs repeatedly without realizing there’s a better way.
How Frame Frog Eliminates the Wiring Labor Premium
Frame Frog changes the equation by doing something simple: it creates a pre-defined pathway through the door frame before installation begins.
When installers know exactly where wire routes, the guesswork disappears. There’s no fishing, no improvising, no field coordination failures. The pathway is clear, accessible, and code-compliant from day one.
Reduced labor hours are the immediate result. Installations that previously took 6 to 8 hours now take 30 minutes to a couple of hours—a 50 percent time savings at minimum. That translates directly to cost savings: $400 to $800 or more in labor savings per door, based on typical integrator rates.
There’s no rework and no change orders because the pathway works the first time, every time. Electricians know where to terminate conduit. Frame installers know what pathway to integrate. Access control technicians know where wiring will route. Everyone works from the same plan, and the plan actually works.
The real-world impact is substantial. On a 20-door project, Frame Frog can save $8,000 to $16,000 in labor costs alone. On larger projects, the savings multiply. And because the system is designed to support future upgrades and hardware changes, those savings continue long after the initial installation.
Frame Frog pays for itself in labor savings on the first installation. Everything after that is money back in your budget, money that would have otherwise gone to solving a problem that never needed to exist.
Sources:
- Kisi – Access Control System Cost Breakdown
- Lock and Tech – How Much to Install Access Control System
- BTI Communications Group – Access Control System Costs Breakdown
- Safe and Sound Security – Kisi Installer Partner Dealer