How do I choose between a cloud access platform and software on my own server?
Start with who will operate it. Tapkey, Salto KS and the dormakaba MATRIX Cloud are run by the vendor: no server on your premises, updates arrive automatically, and you pay per person, per door or per year. Nedap AEOS, deister Commander Connect and AXIS Camera Station Secure Entry are installed on your servers, which keeps the access database inside your network but makes patching and backups your job or your installer's.
Mixed models exist too. EVVA says its Xesar system can sit in a local network and still use a cloud service for phone keys, and Salto Space and Salto IDM have on-premise deployments next to the KS cloud.
Paxton Net2 and Paxton10 software run at the site, with remote access through a browser. If nobody in your company wants to look after a server, take a vendor-run product; if an auditor wants the logs inside your building, take one of the local ones.
What do European access control systems cost, and which ones publish prices?
Very few publish anything. On the pages we read, Tapkey is the only vendor with a visible price ladder: Starter is free for up to 5 persons, and paid plans begin at €3,99 per month for 10 persons, including 20% tax. Its Premium tier, with schedules and an access matrix, is priced per person or device through local dealers. Nuki has hardware prices in its shop and a free app, but no stated Nuki Web price.
The other models hide the cost in a different place. Paxton says the software has no licence fees and earns on hardware sold by installers.
EVVA's AirKey administration is free of charge, but every creation or change of an access right uses one KeyCredit, sold in packs of 10, 50, 100 or as Unlimited. SALTO, iLOQ, dormakaba, Nedap, deister, Gantner and Axis all say quote or on request, so ask for a total over five years, including hardware, installation and any credits.
Which vendors are subject to EU law, and which are not?
Tapkey and EVVA (Vienna), Nuki (Graz), Gantner (Austria), iLOQ (Oulu, Finland), SALTO (Oiartzun, Spain), Nedap (Groenlo, Netherlands), deister (Barsinghausen, Germany) and Axis (Lund, Sweden) are EU companies. Paxton is based in Brighton and dormakaba lists its Swiss entity in Wetzikon, so both sit outside the EEA, though the UK and Switzerland are covered by EU adequacy decisions on personal data transfers.
Jurisdiction of the company is not the same as hosting location. For Tapkey, EVVA, iLOQ, SALTO, dormakaba, Gantner and Nuki the pages we checked did not state where cloud data is held. Ask for it in the processing agreement. dormakaba is a further special case: contracts run through national entities such as dormakaba Switzerland Ltd, dormakaba UK Ltd and dormakaba International Holding GmbH, so the party you sign with depends on the country site you use.
How do I move from Brivo to a European system without re-cabling every door?
First find out what is in the wall. If readers and controllers are standard, a vendor that works with partner hardware may take them over: Tapkey lists locks from many makers, Axis publishes compatible controllers and readers, and deister names MIFARE DESFire credentials. If the doors need new hardware anyway, Paxton, iLOQ, EVVA and Nuki each supply their own, and you swap the lock along with the software.
Then plan the data. Export users, groups, schedules and event history from Brivo, decide how long the old logs must stay readable, and test an import with a copy of your data. Integrations to HR or visitor desks should be inventoried before quoting: iLOQ, EVVA and Tapkey describe APIs for this kind of link. Run the new system on one floor for a few weeks before closing the old contract.
When should I not switch to a European vendor?
Leave things alone when the system works, your estate is mostly outside Europe, and the visitor or camera features you use have no European counterpart on your shortlist. A European tool that lacks them forces a second product, and two products are not always cheaper. Tapkey and Nuki, for example, have no video or visitor modules on the pages we read.
Also hold off when the contract has a long term left, when the people who run the system are leaving, or when the real concern is a vague preference rather than a question your data protection officer has asked. A migration touches every door and every key holder. Switching because the next renewal is due and a quote is in hand is a better reason than switching to make a point.
Which tools cover video, visitors and lockers, and which do not?
Paxton10 includes a video management system, and Axis links doors to its camera footage. deister lists a visitor management product and electronic key cabinets, Nedap offers lockers, an intrusion module and PIAM for access, visitors and contractors, and Salto IDM covers visitor and ID management with HR links. Gantner builds smart lockers and cashless payment next to its access lines.
Tapkey, iLOQ, EVVA and Nuki focus on keys and locks. They do their one job without extra modules, so if you need a visitor desk or camera view beside the door, plan an additional product or pick one of the platforms above.
