Fail-Safe or Fail-Secure?
Answer four questions — starting with the decisive one, is the door on an escape route? — and get a clear lock-mode recommendation, the right hardware, and the NBC free-egress rule. Where life-safety conflicts with security, life-safety wins.
About the door
Is the door on a designated escape / egress route? decisive
Usually doubles as a primary exit — people must get out in a power cut or fire. Prioritise free, instant egress. Guidance only — confirm with your fire consultant and a licensed access-control integrator before wiring.
Recommended lock mode
FAIL-SAFE
Unlocks on power loss / alarm — free egress.
Lean: 0% toward free egress
Suitable hardware
Magnetic lock (maglock) — fail-safe by design
Maglocks unlock the instant power is removed, so they suit escape routes. Pair with a push-to-exit button, request-to-exit sensor and fire-alarm release. (An electric strike can also be wired fail-safe.)
- This door is on a designated escape / egress route — it MUST allow free egress and release on power loss. Fail-safe is mandatory.
- Tie the lock into the fire-alarm panel so it drops open automatically on an alarm signal (NBC).
Mandatory: any access-controlled door on a designated escape route MUST allow free egress at all times and must release on a fire-alarm signal (NBC means of egress). Fit a push-to-exit / break-glass override and tie the lock into the fire panel.
How each mode fits this door
Higher bar = better fit for this door's escape-route status, function and priority. The recommended mode is highlighted.
Spec the full access-control door
DesignAI ties the lock mode to your wiring, exit hardware, fire-alarm interface and power backup — and flags NBC egress requirements for your building.
How this works. Fail-safe locks unlock when power is removed (so they open in a power cut or fire) — that is exactly what an escape-route door needs. Fail-secure locks stay locked when power is removed, protecting assets in a non-egress room. The escape-route question is decisive: if the door is on a means of escape, it must be fail-safe, regardless of how high the security priority is. Where life-safety conflicts with security, life-safety wins.
Hardware. A magnetic lock (maglock) is fail-safe by nature — it holds only while energised — so it suits escape doors with a push-to-exit and fire release. An electric strike can be wired either way, so it works for secure rooms (fail-secure) or egress (fail-safe). India's frequent power cuts make this choice real: a maglock on a store room would leave it open during every outage, while a fail-secure strike on an escape door would trap people — so match the mode to the door's role and add UPS/battery backup for logging.
Indicative only — this is a guidance tool, not a fire or electrical certification. Get a quote and sign-off from a licensed access-control integrator and your fire consultant, and isolate power before any work. Hardware and installation attract 18% GST.
Related Guides — Deep-dive reading
Fail-Safe vs Fail-Secure Locks: The Guide (India 2026)
Why fail-safe vs fail-secure is the single most important access-control decision, and how to get it right for every door.
Home Doors & EntrancesAccess Control Systems Guide: Doors & Hardware India 2026
A systems-level breakdown of door access control in India — components, credentials, topologies, per-door cost and a step-by-step design method.
Home Doors & EntrancesDoor Access Power Backup: Never Locked In or Out India 2026
What happens to every smart lock, maglock, strike and operator in a power cut, plus battery and UPS sizing so you are never trapped.
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