Gallagher SMB vs Command Centre

Understanding the main differences between the Gallagher SMB and Gallagher Command Centre solutions.

What are the commonalities?

The Controller 6000 is the same as the one used with a Command Centre system (except for how it connects to its server; SNTP, DHCP, DNS and Websocket to Cloud microservice instead of BOOTP and CC Server).​

• All HBUS devices (I/O Boards, Readers) are the same for both solutions, except SMB does not yet support all of them (e.g. plug-in modules)​. Therefore, all the things a reader can do and how it does it are the same, but SMB presents it to the user in a simpler way. For example:​

  • Command Centre Access Zones and Doors are wrapped into a single SMB concept of a Door​

  • Command Centre Alarm Zones are the equivalent of SMB Areas​

  • In SMB, every user has their own Access Group​.

What are the main differences?

• Command Centre gains its incredible flexibility by providing lots of pieces, each highly configurable, and assumes nothing about how it might be used. The downside of this is that even basic things like getting a Controller online require more configuration ('programming') by a qualified Installer.​

• The SMB system works 'out of the box' and the only configurable options are what is necessary.

• To help achieve this, SMB presents simplified concepts for Areas, Doors, etc., with the goal of fast installation requiring reduced training and having a high success rate.​

• The SMB system is not sold in parts, but as a 'kit' that you can screw to a wall, plug in Ethernet and power, scan a QR code, and have a functioning site in a few minutes.​