Yes, a door can accept both a mechanical key and an electronic credential such as a card, fob, code, or phone. The keyed cylinder and the electronic system are two independent paths to the same opening. Neither one cancels or replaces the other, and each has its own list of people who can use it. A door record should cover both paths, including the one fewer people use.
What the keyed cylinder does on its own
The keyed cylinder is the part with the keyway, the slot the key slides into. Inside, small pins or similar parts sit at different heights. The right key lifts them into line, the cylinder turns, and that turn moves the latch or bolt. Nothing in that sequence asks the electronic system for permission. A key that fits will turn the cylinder whether its holder is on the system's user list or not.
On many electronic locks the cylinder serves as a mechanical key override: a keyed cylinder built into the electronic lock so a key can work it without the electronics. Some locks hide the keyway behind a small cover, and some have no keyway at all. Look closely at the lock body and trim before assuming either way.
Where a door with a card reader keeps a keyed cylinder, the cylinder is often there as a backup for when the electronic side is down, from a dead battery or a fault in the system. A backup is still a full path to the door.
What the electronic credential does
An electronic credential is whatever the system recognizes as you. When you present it, the system checks it against its user list, the record of which credentials are allowed at which doors. If the check passes, the system releases the lock. If the credential has been removed or switched off, the lock stays shut.
Electronic access is changed by editing that user list. Nothing physical has to change hands. The keyed cylinder has no list. Its only record of who can open it is whoever holds a working key, and that record exists only if someone writes it down.
Turning off a card does not turn off a key
A common assumption is that once a reader or smart lock goes in, the old keys stop mattering. They do not. The cylinder still turns for any key cut to fit it, including copies nobody recorded.
The gap runs in both directions. Disabling a person's credential leaves any key they hold, or any copy of it, still working. Rekeying the cylinder leaves every enabled credential still working. A rekey changes the inside of the cylinder so old keys no longer turn it and a new key does. It has no effect on the user list.
A master key arrangement widens the gap. In a master key system, one key may open several doors while each door also has its own key. Someone holding a master key can reach a door without appearing among that door's own key holders, so a record that lists only those holders leaves them out.
What a combined door record should list
A useful record treats each door as one entry with both paths written side by side. For each door, list:
- The type of keyed cylinder present, or a note that there is no keyway
- Who holds keys to that cylinder, by name
- Whether the key is part of a master key arrangement, and which master keys open it
- Which electronic credentials are enabled at that door
- Who administers each path: who controls the keys and who manages the user list
- The date each path was last reviewed
The two administrators are often different people. When each keeps a separate record, nobody sees the whole door. Reviewing both paths on the same date makes the mismatches visible, such as a person removed from the user list whose key was never collected.
If your record turns up keys you cannot account for, or a master key arrangement nobody has mapped, you can call Imperial Locksmith & Security at (917) 500-1145. The business handles lock change and rekey, master key systems, and access control systems.
Frequently asked questions
If I rekey a door, do electronic credentials stop working?
No. Rekeying a door changes only the keyed cylinder, so old keys stop turning it while every card, fob, code, or phone enabled in the system keeps working. To end one person's access completely, plan the rekey and the user list change together, and record both in the same door entry with the same date.
Can one record cover several doors in a building?
Yes. One record can hold every door in a building, with one entry per door and the same fields for each. Grouping doors by keying helps: if several doors share a master key, the record shows at a glance which doors are affected when that master key goes missing or its holder leaves.
Do smart locks still need a keyed cylinder?
A smart lock does not always have a keyed cylinder; designs vary. What matters for the record is whether one is present. A keyway hidden behind a cover is still a working path, even if nobody has used a key in years, so its keys belong in the door entry. If the smart lock has no keyway, write that down so nobody assumes otherwise.
Who should be allowed to hold a mechanical key when most people use cards?
On a door where most people use cards, keep mechanical keys with a short list of people responsible for that door when the electronic side is down. Name each key holder in the door record. A long list of key holders means many people can enter without the electronic system ever registering it.