Common Control Electronics can be centralized in one location, commonly a wall-mounted panel or rack-mounted shelf. This provides the advantages of physical security & manageability, as well as the ability to protect the power supplies with battery backup. Most access systems use centralized common control electronics since the access control system must be connected to the fire/smoke alarm system to allow unrestricted exit in the event of a fire.

Distributed Control Electronics can be positioned closer to (or even at) the door/gate to be controlled. This distributed approach often uses a data network and/or wireless network to communicate to central users for control and viewing of the access history database. In some cases there is no connection to a central database and therefore no centralized control. However, in many cases the access history database is stored in each device.

Instantaneous restriction or modification of access rights for specific users, can be very valuable to allow management the control of individuals and the facility that is needed.

Scheduling of access rights can be done on a per user per door/gate/device. This schedule includes precise times of day, days of week, holidays, etc.

Reporting on access grants and locations is perhaps one of the largest benefits of access control systems. This information is invaluable to track who was in an area at the time of an incident. The ability to access these reports inevitably increases productivity as employees' time and attendance is very accurately recorded and easily referenced.