Alarm Controls System Accessories - FT-1 Under Desk Foot Switch for Door Release

The pedal measures 2-3/4 x 3-1/2 x 1-1/4 inches, so it sits on the floor in the kneehole without crowding the operator's feet. It is a free-standing unit rather than a flush-mounted one, which means no cutting into the desk or millwork to install it.

No. The Schlage Electronics 7764 is a concealed flush mount magnetic door position switch and the 7766 is the surface mount version; both are single pole double throw, but they report whether the door leaf is open or closed. The FT-1 is an operator-actuated foot switch used to release the door on command. They share the SPDT contact form and are often wired into the same access control panel, but one senses door state and the other initiates the release - you may well need both on the same opening.

The Locknetics CSW-100 / CSW-200 is the nearest counterpart. It is a flush mount concealed desk release with an SPDT switch, the same contact configuration as the FT-1, but it mounts into the underside or face of the desk rather than sitting on the floor. The FT-1 is a free-standing foot switch on a 5-1/2 foot cable with 18 AWG stranded conductor, so it can be repositioned under the desk without any millwork cut-in. Pick the CSW if you want nothing visible and are willing to cut the desk; pick the FT-1 if the desk cannot be modified.

Use a push plate or push button station rather than the FT-1 foot switch. The Dortronics 5286 Series is a push plate exit release with "Push to Exit" text, and the Dortronics 5287 Series is a heavy duty push button with a 1-1/2 inch wide push plate on a 3 inch wide back plate, also marked "Push to Exit". The RCI 916 Series is a tamper-resistant push button with a blue handicap logo on a 1-3/4 inch button. The FT-1 is built as an under-desk foot switch on a trailing cable and is not a wall-box device.

The FT-1 still requires physical contact, just with the foot rather than the hand. For a genuinely no-contact release, the RCI 910TC Series is a touchless actuator with a 433 MHz remote control running on 12/24 VDC, the Locknetics WS-200 / WS-200-MB is a flush mount wave switch, and the RCI 913 is a microwave motion switch using Doppler radar intended for sterile environments. The Cal-Royal 8633-SW microwave cell switch ships with single and double gang black faceplates. The FT-1 stays relevant where you want a deliberate, discreet operator action that a passerby cannot trigger.

The pedal comes attached to a 5-1/2 foot cable of 18 AWG stranded conductor. That gets you from a receptionist's foot position to a junction or controller inside the same desk, but not across a lobby. For longer runs, land the FT-1 leads in a nearby box and extend from there with your own low-voltage wire.

Both do the same job electrically, and both are SPDT. The FT-1 sits loose on the floor and is operated by foot, which keeps the receptionist's hands free and keeps the release out of a visitor's sight line entirely. A flush desk release like the Locknetics CSW-100 / CSW-200 mounts into the underside of the desk and is pressed by hand, which is the better choice when the desk is shared or the pedal would get kicked around. Pick the foot switch when the operator is always seated at the same station.

If the operator moves around and can't keep a foot on a pedal, go touchless at the wall instead. The Locknetics WS-200 is a flush mount wave switch, the RCI 910TC Series is a touchless actuator that also takes a 433 MHz remote, and the RCI 913 is a microwave motion switch using Doppler radar for sterile environments. For a wall push instead of a pedal, the Dortronics 5286 Series push plate carries "Push to Exit" text. The FT-1 remains the choice only where a seated operator controls the release.

Not the right tool for that. A REX has to be at the door and triggered by the person leaving, and the FT-1 is a floor pedal on a 5-1/2 foot lead meant for an attendant to release someone else. For a true request-to-exit, look at the Command Access REXKIT-CL, a field installable REX switch kit with an SPDT configuration for CL180 Series cylindrical locks, or a wall push plate such as the Dortronics 5287 Series with a 1-1/2 inch push plate on a 3 inch back plate.

They solve different halves of the problem. The Command Access REXKIT-CL is a field installable request to exit switch kit for CL180 Series cylindrical locks, in an SPDT configuration - it goes inside the lock and signals when someone turns the inside lever to leave. The FT-1 is a separate SPDT foot switch on a 5-1/2 foot cable that a person at a desk presses to release the door for a visitor. If your requirement is unlocking for someone on the outside, the REXKIT-CL will not do it.

The Detex CS-400 Series is a line of electronic keyswitches with LED indicators for access control systems, so operation requires a key rather than a foot press. The Locknetics TS-100 is a dual LED status indicator touch switch with a programmable timer, useful when you want the release duration set at the switch and visual feedback on state. The FT-1 has no key restriction or indicator; its security comes from being concealed under the desk, with SPDT contacts rated 10A at 125VAC.

The FT-1 is classed as commercial door hardware. It is used at manned reception points, cash windows, pharmacy counters and dispatch desks where a staff member needs to buzz someone through without reaching for anything. The 10A at 125VAC contact rating means it will take repeated daily switching rather than occasional use.

The FT-1 is a switching device only - an SPDT foot switch with contacts rated 10A at 125VAC. If the application calls for an audible annunciation, that is a separate device such as the RCI 903 Series audible alert, an 80 to 96 dB unit with a tamper-resistant design. The two are commonly specified together on a reception opening, with the FT-1 under the desk and the audible mounted where staff can hear it.

There is a single model, FT-1. No finish, voltage or contact options to specify, which makes ordering straightforward. What you choose at the panel end is how you use the contact set: normally open for a strike pulse, normally closed for a maglock power break.