Lift control cabinet with dual control boards and wiring installed beside a stainless steel commercial elevator.

Lift Access Control: Floor Permissions, Controllers and RBH Integration

Essential Security Supplies

Lift access control manages which floors a credential may select through an approved interface with the lift system. It must not be improvised into lift safety controls. NZ projects need a floor-permission schedule, a documented lift-contractor interface and verified hardware capacity before equipment is ordered.

Agree the lift interface with its owner

Ask the lift contractor to define the approved connection method, electrical characteristics and required operating behaviour. Confirm whether the project uses conventional floor-button enabling or a destination-dispatch integration. These are not the same interface. Document responsibility for wiring, testing and support. The security controller's relay capability alone does not authorise connection to arbitrary circuits inside the lift equipment.

Build a cab and floor matrix

List each cab, floor and user group, including public floors, staff areas and time schedules. Mark the function of every output and the behaviour when no valid credential is present. Count controlled outputs across the complete proposed arrangement. Distinguish served floors from controlled floor permissions. A shared public floor may have a different control requirement from a restricted destination.

RBH URC-2008 lift access controller for floor permissions in commercial NZ buildings
RBH-URC-2008 - RBH Elevator Controller of 8 floor expandable to 32 floor includes Enclosure with 13.8VDC, 2A power supply. Genuine supplier catalogue photograph.

Example floor-permission schedule

The following is a planning example only, not a wiring schedule or a statement of the controller's output allocation. Confirm the actual outputs and lift interface with the lift contractor before installation.

Credential group Cab A permitted destinations Cab B permitted destinations When available
Visitors Ground and reception Ground and reception Reception hours
Staff Ground, offices and authorised staff levels Ground and authorised office levels Approved shift schedule
Facilities team Approved service destinations Approved service destinations Controlled maintenance access

Show individually controlled floor outputs, public destinations, service modes and permission timings in the final signed-off cab-by-cab matrix. A shared destination does not necessarily require the same output arrangement in both cabs.

Read the URC-2008 capacity accurately

RBH describes the URC-2008 as controlling two elevator cabs with eight floors total, with expansion to 32 floors total using additional ELEV8 boards. This does not mean eight controlled floors per cab without checking allocation. Confirm the actual distribution, included boards and current documentation in the proposal. The Essential Security Supplies expansion-board handle contains a legacy model reference, so use the product title and manufacturer compatibility information rather than the handle as a technical specification.

Use the primary technical documentation for this specification alongside the exact proposed configuration.

Specify permission timing and local behaviour

Define how long an authorised selection remains available and whether the reader event records the floor actually travelled to. Permission to select is not always evidence of the selected destination. Check schedules, credential expiry and offline behaviour against the platform. Test a user authorised for one floor and denied for another. Document public access periods and the intended recovery after communication loss.

RBH URC ELV8-B eight-floor lift access control expansion board
RBH-URC-ELV8-B - RBH 8 Floor Elevator Expansion board only for URC-2008. Genuine supplier catalogue photograph.

Coordinate emergency and service modes

Have the lift contractor define emergency, fire-service, inspection and maintenance modes. Ensure access permissions do not interfere with the lift's required operation. Test approved mode transitions with the relevant specialists present. Do not treat a controller's fail-safe output setting as a complete lift safety design. Assign responsibility for restoring normal floor permissions after an authorised override or system fault.

Commission the complete matrix

Test every controlled floor in every affected cab using permitted, prohibited, expired and revoked credentials. Confirm the timing and event labels at the management software. Check recovery after an authorised network outage and the lift-contractor-approved failure case. Hand over the matrix, interface drawing and expansion schedule together. This prevents a later board replacement or permission change from silently affecting the wrong floors.

RBH BFR350 biometric fingerprint, PIN and card access reader
RBH-BFR350 - Blueline Fingerprint Reader, PIN Keypad and Card Reader. Genuine supplier catalogue photograph.

Apply the design to the actual project

For the lift review, draw outputs by cab and controlled floor, then have the lift contractor confirm each interface. Show the relay's function, approved electrical connection and the expected behaviour in normal, service and emergency modes. The eight-floor-total base capacity must be allocated explicitly; additional boards add outputs within the manufacturer's supported arrangement, rather than creating an unspecified number of floors in every cab. Retain the approved diagram alongside the software floor-permission matrix.

Commission the interface as a shared specialist test. Present credentials permitted for different destinations, verify the available selections and check what event is recorded. Test expiry and the relevant local operation during an approved communications interruption. Ask the lift contractor to perform or supervise its mode tests and confirm the return to normal. Do not infer passenger location from a permission event unless the interface actually provides that information. Keep the support boundary clear: security permissions, lift operation and safety responsibilities are distinct even where they meet at one interface.

Keep lift permissions and service records aligned

Maintain an as-built floor-output schedule with cabinet identifiers, board addresses and the approved interface references. Record which outputs are unused and which are reserved for a defined expansion. A replacement board must be checked against the existing configuration before connection. Floor numbering in the management software should match the labels users and lift technicians actually see, including basement or mezzanine naming. Test the mapping after a replacement or programming change.

Set operator permissions for lift access separately where the platform supports the required control. A local administrator should change only the approved groups and schedules. Keep an audit record and a controlled recovery process for an incorrect permission change. Provide the lift contractor and security maintainer with the relevant interface documentation through the client, without broadly sharing credentials. Agree how a reported access fault is triaged between permission, reader, interface and lift-operation issues. This reduces unnecessary changes to working equipment and preserves the safety responsibilities of each specialist.

Commissioning acceptance checklist

Agree the expected result before testing. Use the installed configuration and retain evidence of each outcome, including a failure that must be corrected. The following checks supplement the exact manufacturer procedures and the approved project design.

Required check Record to retain
Obtain the lift contractor's approved interface and mode requirements. Expected behaviour, actual result, configuration tested and responsible person. Resolve an unexpected outcome before accepting this requirement.
Verify total floor-output allocation against the URC-2008 and expansion schedule. Expected behaviour, actual result, configuration tested and responsible person. Resolve an unexpected outcome before accepting this requirement.
Test every cab and floor permission, including approved emergency and recovery modes. Expected behaviour, actual result, configuration tested and responsible person. Resolve an unexpected outcome before accepting this requirement.

Repeat affected checks after a material equipment, software or site change. Keep the test record with the as-built schedule so the next maintainer can understand which configuration passed and which assumptions still need review.

Equipment candidates and specification checks

These are relevant active catalogue candidates for a project review, rather than a universal recommendation or a promise of immediate stock. Use the full product page and current manufacturer information to confirm the supplied variant and its role in your design.

Review the relevant Essential Security Supplies equipment range alongside the intended workflow. For further context, read our related installer guide.

Frequently asked questions

Does URC-2008 mean eight floors in each of two cabs?

RBH's published description states eight floors total. Confirm the allocation and expansion for the actual design.

Does an authorised lift reader event prove the destination?

Not necessarily. Verify whether the interface reports actual floor selection or only permission.

Can security relays be connected directly to any lift circuit?

No. Use the lift contractor's approved interface and specialist commissioning process.

Primary references and technical scope

Use the primary manufacturer or technical reference for the claims it covers. General design guidance does not replace the selected product's installation manual. Confirm current firmware, model variants and the approved project requirements before ordering or commissioning.

Get specification help from Essential Security Supplies

Send your site layout, equipment schedule, intended workflow and any existing model details to Essential Security Supplies for specification help and a project quotation. Identify the functions that must be demonstrated and the interfaces owned by other contractors. Our enquiry route supports a documented equipment review without publishing prices or assuming unverified compatibility.