Success Story

Success Story

Hidden Door Store by Creative Home Engineering belong to the niche industry of building secret doors for homes, from rotating bookcases to lifting staircases. A large part of our systems are used for security applications. We also specialize in custom security doors made from steel. We have a huge array of creative doors found nowhere else. Our work has been featured in over 100 publications.

We are the largest and highest end manufacturer of secret doors around the world. Our team is entirely based in Phoenix, AZ, but our clients span the globe. After determining project dimensions, we simulate the client’s door opening in our factory and build their secret door around it. The assemble passageways is shipped to location for easy install. This allows anyone in the world to access the highest end secret doors.

The Challenge

Our team needed an affordable access control solution to integrate with the electric strike on our new line of ready-to-ship secret doors (Hidden Door Store brand), including secret bookcase doors and secret mirror doors. While these special doors could be opened via magnetic sensor, our clients wanted an option that would allow for more security and convenience. Unlike our custom doors, the standard Hidden Door Store brand doors do not use an electromagnetic lock, and instead use an electric strike, so require an access control method that can work with this technology.

This was a new problem that we wanted to solve as we were looking to expand the upgrades available on our new line of secret doors. We worked with FPC security in the past with some of our custom, exotic secret doors and approached them to see if they could solve this new challenge.

Solution & Results

We utilized the Visionis 2.4Ghz RF Wireless Reader to control our doors’ electric strike. We then offered clients several access control devices offered by FPC, especially the 2.4Ghz Wireless Keypad. It took a little bit of testing with our various doors to ensure everything met our high level of quality. We developed plans with our manufacturing team on how the upgrades should be integrated in to our door. The technical team educated themselves on using and troubleshoots these products. We were able to start offering our customers these upgrades within about 3-4 weeks.

It turned out to be a great solution for our line of secret doors. The solution benefits our customers every time they open one of our doors. The keypad gives them much more security. To open their door, they must type a 4-8 digit code. This means that even if a criminal finds the keypad, they still will not be able to gain entry. Additionally, unlike the magnetic sensor, if a child sees their parent gaining entry into the hidden room, the child cannot replicate the entry method, without being told the pass code.

Aside from the security factor, our customers appreciate the ease of use over the long term. This is in large part because of the device’s wireless capabilities. The keypad doesn’t need to be fixed to any location. The homeowner can keep and use the keypad where is convenient, within almost 50 feet range. An average 40% of our customers now select one of these access control upgrades.