Product Comparison: Alarm Lock Trilogy DL3200 and Kaba Ilco Eplex E5200 Series

Both Dorma Kaba (formerly Kaba Ilco) and Alarm Lock have been making keyless locks for commercial hardware applications for decades. This is a highly competitive market, and many companies in the United States and elsewhere have produced offerings in the stand-alone, keypad-operated cylindrical lock area.

This article will compare the Dorma Kaba Eplex 5200 with the Alarm Lock Trilogy DL3200.

Similarities

Both the Alarm Lock and the Dorma Kaba use standard AA batteries; both offer models in Schlage C "classic" (SC1) keyway or several popular interchangeable core preps; and both are based on an architectural grade 1 cylindrical lock chassis. Both locks require software to access full audit trail and time zone capabilities.

Door Thickness Range:

• DL3200 - 1-5/8" to 1-7/8" - extended door thickness available special order
• E5200 - 1-3/8" to 2-1/4"

Backsets:

• DL3200 - 2-3/4" standard, 2-3/8" available
• E5200 - 2-3/4" standard, 2-3/8" available

Handing:

• DL3200 - non-handed
• E5200 - non-handed

Finishes:

• DL3200 - US26D Satin Chrome, US26 Bright Chrome, US3 Polished Brass, US4 Satin Brass, US10 Satin Bronze (DL3075), and US10B Oil Rubbed Bronze
• E5200 - US26D Satin Chrome, US26 Bright Chrome, US3 Bright Brass, US4 Satin Brass, 676 Black with Satin Chrome accents, and 744 Dark Bronze with Brass accents

Latch:

• DL3200 - UL listed, 3-hour fire rated
• E5200 - UL listed, 3-hour fire rated

Cylinder:

• DL3200 - Key-In-Lever (KIL) model furnished with Schlage C Classic keyway cylinder and extra tailpiece to accommodate use of certain Sargent, Ilco, and Corbin original equipment cylinders. Models can be ordered to be compatible with standard Best compatible small format interchangeable core (SFIC) and Kaba Peaks, Schlage, Corbin, Medeco, and Yale large format interchangeable cores (LFIC).
• E5200 - KIL model furnished with Kaba 90 keyway or Schlage C Classic keyway cyinder and extra tailpieces to accommodate a wide variety of other manufactuers' cylinders. Models can be ordered compatible with Medeco/ASSA/Yale, Sargent, Corbin, and Schlage LFIC and all the Best compatible SFIC formats listed above.

Power:

• DL3200 - 5 AA batteries, estimated life: 80,000 activations
• E5200 - 4 AA batteries, estimated life: 180,000 activations

Keypad:

• DL3200 - all metal, 12-button
• E5200 - vandal resistant solid metal

Programming:

• DL3200 - programmed through keypad or by computer using Alarm Lock software. Communicates via cable provided with software.
• E5200 - programmed by PDA using Kaba software. Communicates with PDA via infrared light.

Users / Audit Trail:

• DL3200 - 2,000 users, 40,000 event audit trail
• E5200 - 3,000 users, 30,000 audit trail events

Time Zones:

It is hard to compare these because the manufacturers' terminology does not match and because their softwares take different approaches. In the Dorma Kaba system, the administrator assigns up to 16 time periods, called "schedules" to an unlimited number of "User Groups." In the Alarm Lock system, the administrator assigns up to 250 time periods, called "Time Zones" to up to 150 lock states, that is for example, "Unlock", "Enable Group","Disable Group", etc., that are called "Events." The Alarm Lock system allows 4 User Groups.

• DL3200 - 150 event schedule
• E5200 - 16 access schedules, 32 holiday/vacation blocks

Remote Release:

Both locks offer a remote release option; it is included with the DL3200 and available at extra charge with the E5200. Remote release is not a particularly popular option because to use it a wire must be run to the lock from the remote pushbutton. That means an electric through-wire hinge and a wire raceway drilled through the door from lock to hinge side. The very reason people usually get battery operated, stand-alone access control locks is to avoid this very thing. Usually if remote release is desired, an electric strike is installed.

Alarm Lock offers a remote release package that includes a hand held transmitter and receiver.

Proximity Reader Option:

Both Alarm Lock and Dorma Kaba offer versions of most of their electronic products with onboard proximity readers.

Both Dorma Kaba and Alarm Lock offer good technical support and comparable warrantees on their products. Both are rock solid companies with good customer service track records. Both produce products of similarly good quality and roughly the same low percentage of defective returns.

What we see in the industry is that these locks are generally not used for large systems with thousands of users and many doors, but for smaller systems - maybe four doors and a few hundred users at most. This is because in order to program the locks or download the audit trail one has to personally visit each lock in the system - a tedious process if you have 50 locks and 1,000 users and a high rate of turnover.

However, both Alarm Lock and Dorma Kaba have come out with wireless solutions that eliminate the need to visit each lock whenever a change or audit is needed. A comparison of these offerings is an article for another day.