Hawthorne installs, takes over and maintains commercial access control and door entry systems across Norwich, from city-centre offices and multi-let buildings to schools, gyms and private healthcare. We are a Norwich-based Paxton Gold Partner and SSAIB-certified installer, and every system we fit keeps an audit trail of who opened which door and when.
Short answer
For most Norwich businesses the right system is Paxton fob, card or keypad access on the external and sensitive doors, an audio or video intercom at reception, and a maglock or electric strike on each door that releases automatically when the fire alarm sounds. Systems can be standalone for one or two doors or networked so the whole building, or several sites, is managed from one screen. Phone credentials and CCTV integration can be added later on the same platform.
What we do in Norwich
- New installations. Single doors, whole offices and multi-site estates, designed around how the building is actually used: staff entrances, reception, server rooms, stores and plant rooms.
- Door entry and intercoms. Audio and IP video intercoms at the front door, with door release from a handset, monitor or phone app, integrated with the access control so visitors and staff use the same door.
- Takeovers. Paxton systems fitted by other installers, brought onto a maintenance contract after a site check.
- Maintenance and repairs. Annual servicing of locks, readers, exit buttons, break-glass units and power-supply batteries, with a 4-hour emergency response for contract customers.
- Fire alarm integration. Door release on fire, wired and tested to BS 7273-4, alongside our fire alarm work.
- IT and tenancy changes. Moving the access software to a new server or laptop, re-addressing controllers for a new network, and switching systems over when an occupier changes.
Recent access control work in Norwich
Access control is a large part of our day-to-day work in the city. Our engineers have made dozens of access control visits across Norwich offices, schools, healthcare and leisure sites, and we look after access systems at sites on annual maintenance contracts across the city.
Spire Norwich Hospital. We maintain the access control at Spire Norwich and added a push-to-exit release beside the break-glass on the main theatre doors, so staff can open the doors without using the emergency break-glass.
An office suite changing hands. When an insurance business took over an existing office suite in the city centre, we transferred the access system to the new occupier and moved the controlled entry from the old internal doors to the lobby front door, reusing the existing cabling.
An accountancy firm's network change. During an IT upgrade we moved the firm's Paxton database onto a new server, updated the door firmware and re-addressed every door controller for the new network, then tested every door.
A school and a gym. We installed Paxton access control with fobs for a Norwich infant school, and a Paxton system on the main door of a gym, fitted in a single day.
Multi-let office buildings. For buildings run by managing agents we provide annual servicing, fob supply and out-of-hours call-outs, so tenants are never locked out and the front door is never left insecure.
What Norwich call-outs have taught us
- Most "the fobs have stopped working" calls are network problems, not door problems: a cable unplugged in a comms room, a controller moved to the wrong switch port, or a server that lost its connection. We label every controller's network port and record the addresses.
- A maglock that will not hold is often a break-glass unit that has been pressed or reset without its key. We leave reset keys with the site and show staff how to use them.
- Power-supply batteries age quietly. If they are not tested on service, a power cut becomes a door that will not lock.
- IT projects break access control more often than anything else. Tell us before the server or network changes and we will move the system with it.
Data protection
An access control log is personal data. Keep it only as long as you need it, restrict who can view it, and tell staff it exists. If the system is linked to CCTV so you can see who used a credential, cover both in your privacy notice.
Frequently asked questions
Can you take over a Paxton system another company installed?
Usually, yes. We take over existing Paxton Net2 and Paxton10 systems across Norwich, subject to a site check. We confirm who holds the software and the engineer passwords, back up the user database, check the controllers, locks and power supplies, and then put the doors on a maintenance contract.
What is the difference between access control and door entry?
Door entry, or an intercom, lets a visitor call a person who then releases the door. Access control lets authorised people open the door themselves with a fob, card, PIN or phone, and keeps a log of who went through. Many Norwich offices and multi-let buildings use both: access control for staff and tenants, and an audio or video intercom at the front door for visitors and deliveries.
Do access-controlled doors have to release when the fire alarm goes off?
Doors on an escape route that are held by a maglock must release automatically when the fire alarm operates, and must also have a manual release such as a green break-glass unit beside the door. BS 7273-4 sets out how the fire alarm should trigger that release. We wire and test this link as part of every installation and annual service.
How long does an access control installation take?
A single door on an existing network is often done in a day. A multi-door office or a school usually takes a few days, and we can work out of hours so the building stays in use.
Do you cover the whole Norwich area?
Yes. We are based in Norwich and cover the city centre, Norwich Research Park, Broadland Business Park, Thorpe St Andrew, Sprowston, Hellesdon, Taverham, Costessey, Wymondham and the rest of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex.
Book a free survey in Norwich
Contact the team for a free site survey. We walk the building with you, look at how each door is used and give you an itemised quote. See our main access control page, our Norwich security page and our accreditations.
Last updated: October 2026