Glossary: access control terms every administrator should know
TL;DR: This glossary defines ten terms that come up constantly when evaluating an access control system for a condominium, a school, or a business. Each definition is a single sentence, with real usage context and an example, so an administrator can speak the same language as their vendor without needing prior technical knowledge.
When a condominium administrator, a school director, or an office manager starts evaluating access control options, they quickly run into terms that get used differently depending on who is saying them. "Visitor management" does not always mean the same thing as "access control." A "frequent pass" is not the same as a "credential." This glossary organizes the most common terms in the industry, with a short definition, the context where they are used, and a concrete example, so they work as a quick reference and a starting point toward the rest of ArmorPass's content.
Access control
The set of rules, people, and tools that determines who can enter a physical space, at what time, and under what authorization. It is used as an umbrella term covering both the manual process (a guard who recognizes faces) and the digital one (verification with a QR code and automatic logging). Example: a condominium with complete access control can say, for any given date, who entered, who authorized it, and at what time, not just whether the gate was closed. Related term: what is access control.
Visitor management
The process of logging, authorizing, and tracking people who enter a location without being residents, students, or fixed staff of that place. It is used more often in corporate contexts, though it applies equally to condominiums and schools. Example: a company with good visitor management can report, without manual effort, how many visits it received in a month and how many were recurring vendors versus occasional visitors. Related term: visitor management for companies.
Digital entry
The model where a visit gets authorized before the person arrives, typically through a QR code, and security staff verifies it at the point of entry instead of deciding purely on their own judgment. It does not replace the guard, it gives them information they did not have available at the exact moment they needed it. Example: a resident generates a code for their visitor, the guard scans it on arrival, and the resident gets a notification that their guest is already at the entrance. Related term: digital entry vs traditional gate.
Frequent pass (FastPass)
An authorization set up once for a person who visits regularly, such as maintenance staff, housekeepers, or recurring vendors, allowing quick check-in on every visit without repeating the full process reserved for a new visitor. Detailed verification happens during the initial setup, and afterward each arrival only confirms identity. Example: a maintenance provider who visits a condominium every week uses a frequent pass instead of having the resident authorize the same visit over and over. Related term: access control for recurring vendors.
Pickup authorization
The specific permission a parent or guardian grants for a person other than the one who usually picks up a student to retrieve them from school. It typically includes a photo of the authorized person and a code the school verifies before releasing the child. Example: a parent who cannot pick up their child one day generates a photo authorization for a relative, and the school verifies identity and the code before letting the child leave with that person. Related term: third-party pickup authorization protocol.
PQRS (complaints and requests management)
Short for petitions, complaints, claims, and requests: the formal mechanism through which a resident, parent, or employee raises a concern with an administration and gets it tracked with a defined owner and response time. In a condominium it replaces the informal complaint made over a chat group or in the hallway, which tends to get lost without leaving a record. Example: a resident reports a water leak in a common area through PQRS and can see, days later, who was assigned to resolve it.
Access credential
Any means used to verify someone's identity or authorization to enter: it can be physical (a proximity card, a key) or digital (a QR code generated from an app). The main difference between the two lies in the cost of issuing and replacing them, not in the level of security either one offers on its own. Example: a new employee receives a physical credential on day one, while an occasional visitor receives a one-time digital credential. Related term: QR access control vs proximity cards.
Access log
The permanent, searchable history of every entry and exit recorded at a location, including who entered, who authorized it, and at what time. An access log is only useful if it can be checked afterward without relying on someone's memory. Example: when investigating an incident from weeks earlier, an administrator checks the access log to confirm who entered that day, instead of asking whichever guard was on shift that date.
Host
The person, within a company or institution, who authorizes and takes responsibility for a specific visit: who invited the guest and who gets notified of their arrival. The term is used mostly in corporate contexts. Example: when a vendor arrives at an office, the system notifies the host who registered that visit, without front desk having to call them to let them know.
Identity verification at entry
The step where security staff confirms that the person presenting themselves at the entrance is who they claim to be and has a valid authorization to enter. It can rely on a physical document, a photo tied to the authorization, or confirmation of a digital code. Example: a guard compares the photo attached to a school pickup authorization with the person showing up to collect the student, before allowing them to leave.
See how these terms connect in practice on the residential, schools, and corporate pages, and in the detail of each capability under features.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between access control and visitor management? Access control is the general term: any process that decides who enters a space. Visitor management is a specific part of that process, focused on people who are not residents, students, or fixed staff of the location.
Is a frequent pass the same as a permanent credential? They are similar but not identical. A permanent credential is usually tied to someone who belongs to the place (an employee, a resident). A frequent pass is designed for an outside person who visits regularly without being a fixed part of the community or the company.
Why does PQRS show up in an access control glossary? Because in practice, managing a condominium or school does not separate security from resident or parent support: both processes tend to live on the same platform and affect the same relationship of trust with the administration.
Do these terms apply the same way to condominiums, schools, and businesses? Most do, with context differences: "host" is more common in businesses, "pickup authorization" is specific to schools, and "digital entry" is associated more with condominiums, though the underlying concept (identity, authorization, record) is the same across all three sectors.
Where can I see these concepts applied to a real case? Each term in this glossary links to an article that develops it in detail with a specific use case, and the sector pages show how they come together in the daily operation of a condominium, school, or business.