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WHAT IS DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING IN ACCESS CONTROL?
In security terms, one might think of distributed processing as dispersing where and how decisions are made. If all decisions are made at a single central location, that is central processing. If decisions are independently made at multiple locations, that is distributed processing. When access control systems were first designed, all decisions were  made by a central computer. If you unplugged it (as cleaning crews might do to plug in their vacuum) every door stopped working. Subsequent generations of systems normally used multi door panels (processors), where one  panel would make decisions for some quantity of doors (4 or 8 or 16 for example). In larger systems this represented partially distributed processing (for example in a 18 door system using two 8 door panels and one 4 door panel, a board failure might make either make 8 doors or 2 doors inoperable, but the remaining doors would still work. With 8 doors on an 8 door panel, however, if the panel fails, no doors will work. Most access systems are still set up this way. Because the wiring usually needs to go from the panels out to doors in multiple directions, systems with multi door panels usually have all the panels mounted in a central location. But there is a better design alternative.

HOW DOES FULLY DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING DIFFER, AND WHAT IS EDGE TECHNOLOGY?
A few systems use small single door or mini panels. Since one panel has everything needed to make decisions for that one door, this is fully distributed processing (1 to 1 ratio of processing to what it controls). A panel failure with this design can only make one door inoperable. It is easy to see what some of the advantages of this are: if 8 or 16 doors become inoperable in a building, that is normally a insurmountable disruption. But if one door out of a number of entries becomes inoperable, it may be just an inconvenience. One hangs an "Out of Order: Use Other Door" sign with an arrow pointing toward the nearest functioning entrance. So fully distributed processing reduces the consequence of failures. And obviously replacing a one door panel is a lot cheaper than replacing an 8 door panel, so it also reduces the cost of failures. A fully distributed system could mount its panels in a central location, just as systems with multi door panels do. But more often they are mounted right next to what they are controlling, because it is easy to do, and it reduces the amount of wire and the amount of wiring labor needed by a very significant amount. So distributed processing also reduces the cost of installation materials and labor. When the processor is close to what it is controlling, that could be considered to be "edge technology" or "edge configuration" (not exactly the same as local IP devices on a network, which is the derivation of the term, but it is same idea). MSE likes this type of design, and uses it quite a bit.

HOW ARE CONVENTIONAL MULTI DOOR ACCESS CONTROL PANELS WIRED?
One runs a wiring bundle of the number of wires required for each component at the door (reader, strike .contacts,PIR) from each door all the way back to the central panel. A lot of wiring is involved. If any breaks, it means something at the door doesn't work. Some wiring (to a standard Wiegand output reader for example), can only run a certain distance without problems). A visual representation of what needs to go where on a conventional system is shown below.

HOW DOES A FULLY DISTRIBUTED ACCESS SYSTEM USING EDGE CONFIGURATION COMPARE?
Because mini panels are close to the door, instead of being way off in a central location, the bulk of wiring to the door components is short: perhaps 15 feet rather than hundreds of feet. Mini panels (door control devices) are interconnected by simple communications and power pairs in daisy chain and T-Tap wiring.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF FULLY DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING IN ACCESS CONTROL ?
-Costs less to install: less materials, less labor
-Less complicated, easier to troubleshoot, easier to fix
-Less wiring to create problems
-Costs Less to fix
-More reliable, and if something does go wrong, there is much less disruption