Electric Strike vs. Magnetic Locks: Which Is Best for Your Miami Business?

If you're adding electronic access control to a Miami business, you'll quickly encounter two primary door hardware options: electric strikes and magnetic locks (maglocks). Both are widely used, both work with card readers and intercoms, and both are installed regularly by commercial locksmiths in Miami-Dade. But they function differently and suit different applications.

How Electric Strikes Work

An electric strike controls release at the receiving point in a compatible door frame. Whether release is energized or de-energized depends on the product and configuration. Closing and latching also depend on the door, latch and any closer; the strike alone does not make the door close automatically.

A comparison of technologies is not a design approval. glass storefront security concerns the opening, while emergency exit safety and exit device requirements concern exit operation. Discuss the hardware, power arrangement and required review when requesting commercial door hardware service.

Keep three questions separate: how a person exits from inside, how authorized entry works from outside, and what the particular electrical component does when power is lost. Fail-safe/fail-secure labels do not by themselves establish an approved exit arrangement. For a product-specific example, HES documents selectable fail-secure/fail-safe configuration for its 7000 series. That specification is not a determination that the product or either setting is suitable for this opening.

How Magnetic Locks Work

A magnetic lock uses an energized magnet and a compatible armature to provide holding force. The exact product specification and the rest of the installed door hardware must be identified; a nominal holding-force figure is not proof of the complete opening's security or suitability.

Removing power from an electromagnetic holding component is different from proving that the complete door can be opened as required. Other hardware, power arrangements, release controls and the condition of the opening need assessment. Do not add battery backup or assume a release sequence based on a general comparison article.

Key Differences

Egress Behavior

With an electric strike, the inside handle or exit device may provide a mechanical release independent of outside entry control, depending on the installed hardware. Verify that operation on the actual assembly rather than treating either electrical setting as a universal egress requirement.

For a proposed magnetic-lock arrangement, identify how authorized entry and required exit are handled, which release devices are supported, and how they interact with power and other systems. A sensor or push button alone is not evidence that the arrangement satisfies the applicable requirements.

Door Types

An electric strike needs compatible receiving hardware, latch operation and door preparation. Confirm the exact assembly and product documentation before selecting one; not every apparently similar entry door supports the same strike.

A magnetic-lock proposal also needs an opening-specific assessment. Glass or an aluminum frame does not establish that a maglock is the only practical option or that it is permitted for the intended use.

Aesthetics

Appearance can be considered after the operating and safety requirements are established. Compare the proposed products, mounting and visible hardware on the actual opening rather than choosing a release arrangement for appearance alone.

Security Level

Compare the documented product features and complete assembly instead of assigning one technology a universal physical-security ranking. The installed latch, receiving hardware, mounting, power and release arrangement all form part of the assessment.

What Miami Fire Code Requires

The required inside exit operation, outside credential control, response to loss of power and any fire-alarm interface must be determined for the actual product, door assembly, occupancy and applicable rules. This comparison does not prescribe fail-safe configuration for every strike or universal alarm-release wiring for both technologies.

The Florida State Fire Marshal's guidance directs building- and occupancy-specific questions to the local fire official and notes that local amendments may apply. Obtain the appropriate professional and authority review before changing the arrangement; a manufacturer's product description is not that review.

Which Should You Choose?

Compare the options only after identifying the door, installed hardware, intended users and supported release arrangements. Ask which product and configuration can be considered for that opening, and what separate professional or authority review is needed before work.

When contacting Caraballo Locksmith, provide the opening inventory, product information and authorization to request work. Confirm the scope that can be supported; do not assume installation of every strike or maglock, a certified code assessment or approval for every business type.