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Migrating a 200-door portfolio from brass keys to electronic credentials takes 12-18 months when done well, and stalls at month 6 when done badly. The portfolios that finish on time pick the credential platform first, then sequence hardware replacement in waves based on door risk and traffic, not by floor or building. Plan to spend 1,200 per opening fully loaded (hardware + labor + commissioning + credentials). Plan for the IT and tenant communication work to take longer than the physical hardware install. Plan to keep 5-10% of openings on mechanical keys permanently (mechanical rooms, electrical closets, exception cases).

Why most migrations stall at month 6

Three common failure modes:

1. Hardware-first sequencing. The team buys 50 smart locks and installs them in one wing because it is convenient. Three months later, half the residents cannot find their credentials, the integration with the property management system is incomplete, and the maintenance team is using a separate key ring for the unmigrated wing. The project loses momentum and the next 150 doors take another 18 months.
2. No credential strategy upfront. The team picks the lock brand before deciding on the credential format (card, mobile, PIN, fob, biometric). When the lock arrives and the front desk realizes mobile credentials require a tenant app rollout that legal has not approved, the rollout pauses.
3. Underestimating cylinder cores in mechanical rooms. Janitor closets, electrical rooms, mechanical penthouses, and roof access doors are often left to "phase 2" and then never get migrated. The master key system stays alive for 5 openings, which means the key control program stays alive forever.

The portfolios that ship in 12-18 months do the planning work in months 0-3 and start installing in month 4 with a clear sequence.

Year 0 (months 0-3): portfolio audit

Before ordering any hardware, build the inventory.

Door inventory data points:

• Door number, building, floor, location
• Opening type (entry, tenant, common, mechanical, perimeter, life-safety)
• Current hardware (brand, model, function code)
• Fire rating (rated/non-rated, hourly rating)
• Frame material (HM, aluminum, wood)
• Power available (yes/no, voltage)
• Network available (yes/no, wired/wireless)
• Traffic class (high/medium/low based on cycles/day)
• Risk class (perimeter, tenant, mechanical, public)
• Special requirements (ADA, fire rating, electrified, life-safety)

The inventory is the spine of the project. Without it, you cannot phase the rollout. Most portfolios discover 5-15% more openings than they thought when they do the audit.

For function code background, read how to choose the best commercial smart locks.

Choosing the credential platform (months 1-2, parallel)

The credential platform is the lock-in decision. Lock hardware can be swapped later. Credential platforms cannot, without re-keying every door again.

Three categories:

• On-prem access control with cards: HID, AMAG, Software House. Best for large portfolios with a dedicated security team. Higher upfront cost, lower ongoing cost.
• Cloud-managed wireless locks with mobile or card: Schlage Engage, Allegion ENGAGE, Salto KS, Latch, Brivo. Best for multifamily and mid-size commercial. Lower upfront, monthly subscription per door.
• Hybrid (wired hubs + wireless locks): Schlage AD-400, Aperio. Best for healthcare and institutional. Sits between the other two.

Cost ranges to model:

Platform type	Hardware per door	Software/year per door
Wired card-based	$600-1,200	$0-50
Cloud wireless	$250-700	$60-180
Hybrid wired+wireless	$400-900	$20-100

For multifamily specifically, see why keypad door locks are a must-have for Airbnb rentals for the consumer-facing logic that scales up.

Phase 1 (months 4-6): credentials and back-end first, hardware second

Before installing any new lock, the credential platform must be live.

Phase 1 tasks:

• Install access control panels (wired) or hubs (wireless) in IT closets.
• Stand up the server or cloud tenant.
• Configure user roles, access groups, schedules.
• Enroll the maintenance and security team as test users.
• Run for 2-4 weeks on test doors (front lobby, server room, FM office) to shake out integration bugs.

This phase costs about 10% of the project budget but is 90% of the risk. Skip it and the rollout fails downstream.

Phase 2 (months 7-12): high-traffic and high-risk doors first

Once the platform is stable, install hardware on the doors that benefit most.

Sequence priority within phase 2:

1. Perimeter (main entry, garage entry, loading dock). These give the security team the biggest visibility win.
2. Lobby and common area (mailroom, gym, lounge). High traffic, low risk, easy install.
3. Mechanical rooms and electrical closets. Cheap install, high audit value (who entered when).
4. High-risk interior (server room, finance, executive). Lower traffic but high value.

Plan to install 15-25 doors per month per crew. A typical wireless lock install is 30-60 minutes. A wired install is 4-8 hours including the data drop.

Read electric strike vs maglock detailed comparison for the hardware choice on perimeter doors and how to choose an access control power supply for the panel sizing on wired sections.

Phase 3 (months 13-15): remaining tenant-facing doors

The longest tail of the project. Tenant unit doors (in multifamily) or office suite doors (in commercial).

Phase 3 specific challenges:

• Tenant move coordination. Replace the lock between leases when possible. Otherwise, schedule with notice.
• Credential issuance at scale. 200 tenants getting mobile credentials is a help desk surge. Plan staff.
• Lost key amnesty. Offer a window where tenants can return old brass keys without penalty.

For battery-powered standalone locks, plan a 3-5 year battery replacement cycle. Read the convenience of keypad locks for the standalone vs networked trade-off.

Phase 4 (months 16-18): cleanup and exception doors

The last 10% always takes 30% of the time.

Phase 4 work:

• Exception openings (penthouse, roof, basement, electrical vault). Often need custom hardware. Budget extra time.
• Legacy key collection and master key system decommissioning. Notify locksmith, document final cylinders, archive.
• Credential audit. Pull report of all active credentials, remove orphaned, confirm tenant rosters match.
• Documentation handoff. Floor plans with door numbers, panel locations, integration runbooks.
• Lessons-learned review with the install team.

CAPEX phasing model

A 200-door portfolio at $700/door average totals $140,000 hardware plus labor.

Suggested phasing:

Phase	Months	Doors	Spend	Notes
0	0-3	0	5% ($7k)	Audit, design, vendor selection
1	4-6	5-10	15% ($21k)	Backend + test doors
2	7-12	60-80	45% ($63k)	High-value openings
3	13-15	80-100	25% ($35k)	Tenant doors
4	16-18	10-20	10% ($14k)	Cleanup + exceptions

CAPEX phasing matters because most operating budgets cannot absorb 200 doors in one quarter. Spreading across 18 months across two fiscal years is standard.

Vendor selection and IT requirements

The vendor selection process should include the IT team from month 1. Cloud-managed platforms touch:

• Tenant identity (SSO with the property management system or HR directory)
• Network segmentation (locks on a separate VLAN)
• Mobile credentials (app distribution, MDM)
• Audit logs (SIEM integration if required)
• API integrations (PMS, visitor management, intercom)

Most failed migrations did not coordinate with IT in month 1 and discovered an SSO blocker in month 8. Build the integration plan with IT before signing the vendor contract.

Tenant communication plan

For tenant-facing rollouts (multifamily, office tenants), communication is part of the project.

Communication touchpoints:

• Month 4: project announcement (timeline, what to expect, who to contact)
• Month 6-7: phase 1 update (test doors live, no tenant action required)
• Month 8-12: monthly progress with floor map of completed doors
• Month 13: tenant credential enrollment campaign
• Month 14-15: in-person enrollment sessions or drop-in lab
• Month 16: credential cutover notification (date when brass keys stop working)
• Month 18: program complete

The credential cutover date is the only "hard" deadline tenants need to remember.

When the migration is "done"

The migration is complete when:

• 95% of openings are on the new platform
• The exception list is documented and accepted
• The credential issuance process is steady-state (new tenants get credentials in 1 day, lost credentials reissued in 1 hour)
• The audit log retention and review process is running
• The maintenance team can replace a lock without involving the locksmith for re-keying

FAQ

Should I pick the lock brand or the credential platform first? The credential platform first. Many platforms work with multiple lock brands, but few locks work with multiple platforms.

Is wireless or wired better for a 200-door portfolio? Wireless is typically faster to install and cheaper upfront, especially in retrofit buildings without existing structured cabling. Wired is more reliable for high-cycle doors and may be required for life-safety integrations.

Do I need to replace fire-rated doors when adding electronic locks? Not if the new lock is UL listed for the door's fire rating. Most commercial electronic locks have UL listings. Confirm during product selection. Read NFPA 80 annual fire door inspection for the rating verification process.

Can I keep the existing mortise lock body and add an electronic credential? On some Sargent and Schlage mortise platforms, yes. Sargent 80 Series and Schlage L-Series have electrified versions that drop into the same mortise prep. This is the lowest-cost migration path for buildings with mortise hardware. Read electrified mortise lock complete guide.

What is the typical battery life on a wireless lock? 2-4 years on a standard set of 4 AA lithium batteries, depending on use frequency. Cellular-connected locks drain batteries faster.

Next step

If you are scoping a migration, start the audit by pulling your current hardware list against our Schlage commercial, Sargent, and Corbin Russwin brand pages to confirm electrified versions are available for your existing hardware. The keypad and proximity locks category lists standalone options for buildings without network drops. Our commercial desk reviews door inventories and produces phased hardware quotes against any migration plan.