FAQ
HID Global / Mercury Security access control solutions are cyber tested and do not contain components from those companies prohibited under NDAA 2019 Section 889. Compliant Controllers and downstream boards include (but are not limited to) the following:
Mercury part number LP2500
Mercury part number LP1502
Mercury part number LP4502
Mercury part number LP1501
Mercury part number MR50-S3
Mercury part number MR52-S3
Mercury part number MR62e
Mercury part number MR16in-S3
Mercury part number MR16out-S3
Mercury controller products are certified for the UL Recognition Mark for UL294.
Mercury reader products are UL Listed mark for UL294.
If you wish to get the certificates, please follow the steps below.
Go to UL Product iQ®
Login with Email/Password (you might register first if you don’t have one)
Type "BP6565" in the Create a Search Now field
The relays are dry contacts.
A dry contact output on a device like a relay means that the contacts have no voltage or potential difference across the two contacts. The contacts simply provide an open or closed state to another device.
A wet contact output on a device like a relay means that when the relay is activated, the relay output contacts supply a voltage to whatever device is connected to the relay output contacts, say for example a light or motor.
EP and LP controllers support a feature called "Operating Modes" that can be used to support threat levels. Operating modes allow to dynamically change when definition of an access level and can be changed by use of triggers, or by manual operation. Contact your OEM partner for more information
The Mercury SDK / API is only available to authorized Mercury OEM partners. Access control manufacturers interested in partnership opportunities should contact sales – [email protected]
Mercury relays can be used on AC with an MOV installed.
However, Mercury products are not UL recognized for use with AC circuits connected to its outputs, and as such, MOV selection has been removed from all install manuals in which UL recognition is no longer retained.
The Mercury controllers support the Zeroconf mechanism for device discovery. This is useful if the device is configured for DHCP and you need to find out what IP address was assigned to the controller. The MR51e device does not support Zeroconf discovery.
The discovery mechanism can be disabled on the products if deemed necessary for security concerns. Contact your OEM partner for more information.
Cabinet tamper (TMP) and AC power fault (FLT) inputs of the panels cannot be configured and are designed to only support normally closed(NC) switch contacts and are only unsupervised. If an tamper or power fault inputs are unused, it is suggested to jump terminals together with a short piece of wire.
The timing requirements for the downstream RS-485 communication bus are very critical and expect a quick turn around time. The timing of replies/packets sent on an Ethernet connection can introduce additional latency and potentially impact communications negatively where quick turn around times are expected.
Mercury currently has not tested or approved any RS-485 to Ethernet converters to be used for downstream communications.
The rule is that two MUX8 boards can be wired in parallel but not in series. So don't try and place one downstream off of another MUX8.
Connecting MUX8 in series is not recommended as daisy chaining will add signal skew and will cause comm problem. Since the mux8 has strong biasing (pull up/pull down) to maintain signal marking when not driven, more than two of them connecting in parallel will overload the RS485 transceiver.
When attempting to navigate to a EP series panel's web page, the error ""ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH"" or ""SSL_ERROR_UNSUPPORTED_VERSION"" is raised. This is due to the panels using TLS 1.1 and modern browsers no longer support that.
A workaround is to use Internet Explorer, or Microsoft Edge configured to load the page in IE mode.
To configure Microsoft Edge to open a page in IE mode, select the settings option within Edge, then select Default Browser from left hand menu. Allow sites to be added in IE mode and enter the URL of the panel's web page. When using the default IP this would be "https://192.168.0.251".
Also ensure TLS 1.1 is enabled within the Operating System.
Mercury products are tested against the CE standards. More details can be obtained in the related documents.
Regarding the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, Mercury Security believes it is exempt based on the definition of “components and sub-assemblies” in the directive. The WEEE standard refers to finished products only.
Mercury products are tested against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Part 15, Class A specifications. For the list of conforming products please refer to the associated certification file.
Yes, The LP series of controllers supports the following Aperio hubs:
- AH30 Generation 1-4 1:8 Mercury-Powered RS485 Hub
- AH30 Generation 5 1:16 Hub
- AH40 1:16 IP Hub
Check with your OEM partner for additional details to confirm they also support this integration.
How can I access firmware files?
Firmware downloads within the Mercury portal are only available for OEM partners. If you are an end user or installer needing to perform a panel upgrade, please contact whichever OEM partner you are working with for the respective firmware file(s). The OEM partner can also confirm that their software is compatible with the firmware being installed as well as assist in loading the firmware.
Mercury Controllers report the status of their DIP switch position in their Web Page under the "Device Info" tab. It will provide status of each DIP switch (1-4) in real time (assuming the page is refreshed whenever a change is made).
The firmware that Mercury provides is the same firmware for all of the Mercury OEM partners. So there is no need to flash different firmware to the boards when changing over the host software to a different OEM provider.
The only thing unique to each partner is that when the boards are ordered an OEM code is programmed into each board. Each OEM partner has the capability to program their own OEM code into the boards, but not all take advantage of this. You would need to check with the OEM partner to see if they support this ability.
The OEM codes control the look and feel of the web configuration pages as well as the OEM factory default settings. The host software also can validate that the hardware coming online with their software has been programmed with the proper OEM code.
Mercury controllers support NTP. This can be set up via the controller's configuration page.
The relevant settings/options can be found in the "Users" tab under the "Time Server" section
How do you change the OEM code on a device?
Each product from Mercury is programmed with an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Code. This code distinguishes the OEM partner who originally purchased the equipment and can be used to control which devices are allowed to come online. Additionally, the OEM codes are used to customize the look of the web configuration pages as well as to define default configuration options.
In the case of a takeover or switch of the host application software the OEM code that is programmed in the controllers may need to be updated. Each OEM partner has the option to add ability to change the OEM code to their own OEM code and requires a unique command per device based on device type, device serial number, and OEM code. Please contact the Mercury partner directly to check if they support this functionality and the instructions on how to do so.
Up to 32,000 access levels can be configured in each Mercury controller. Card records can then be configured to support up to a maximum of 255 access level assignments per card. It is recommended to attempt to keep the number of assignments per card at a minimum as the number selected impacts the size of each card (thus the maximum number of cards that can be configured per controller). Contact your OEM partner for more information.
A total of 16 card formats exist on the controller. If using the Asset Management functionality then the upper 8 card formats are used for assets and the lower 8 card formats can be used for access control. If asset management is not being used, then all 16 card formats can be used for access control. Consult your OEM provider for more information on asses management.
Note: Only the lower 8 card formats are currently sent to the SIO modules to be used in degraded (offline) mode for facility code only.
The LP2500 has two downstream RS-485 ports that each can support 32 downstream devices. 32 additional network SIOs can be added as well.
The LP1502 has a single downstream RS-485 port that can support 32 downstream devices. 32 additional network SIOs can be added as well.
The LP1501 supports a total of 16 downstream devices, up to 8 of these can be on the downstream RS-485 port and the remaining on the network.
Contact your OEM partner for more information on capabilities supported.
Mercury supports up to 128 floors. Contact your OEM partner for more information.
Following are the memory specs for the LP Series controllers.
Two (2) 32M x 16 (64 Mbyte) DDR2 SDRAM (total 128 Mbyte)
One (1) eMMC NAND Flash 2 GByte
One (1) SPI Serial Flash 32 Mbit (4 MByte)
One (1) 512K x 16 SRAM (1 Mbyte) with battery backup
One (1) I2C Crypto EEPROM 32 Kbit for secure key storage
Two (2) 32M x 16 (64 Mbyte) DDR2 SDRAM (total 128 Mbyte)
One (1) eMMC NAND Flash 4 GByte
One (1) SPI Serial Flash 32 Mbit (4 MByte)
One (1) 512K x 16 SRAM (1 Mbyte) with battery backup
One (1) I2C Crypto EEPROM 32 Kbit for secure key storage
Two (2) 32M x 16 (64 Mbyte) DDR2 SDRAM (total 128 Mbyte)
One (1) eMMC NAND Flash 4 GByte
One (1) SPI Serial Flash 32 Mbit (4 MByte)
One (1) 512K x 16 SRAM (1 Mbyte) with battery backup
One (1) I2C Crypto EEPROM 32 Kbit for secure key storage
Two (2) 128M x 16 (256 Mbyte) DDR2 SDRAM (total 512 MByte)
One (1) eMMC NAND Flash 4 GByte
One (1) SPI Serial Flash 32 Mbit (4 MByte)
One (1) 512K x 16 SRAM (1 MByte) with battery backup
One (1) I2C Crypto EEPROM 32 Kbit for secure key storage
Yes, SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is supported on Mercury products with an Ethernet port except for the MR51e and MR62e. The EP series controllers supported v2c and the EP4502 and LP Series support both v2c as well as v3.
SNMP is off by default but can be enabled via the web configuration pages.
Mercury does not provide a custom MIB file. The products just use some of the standard networking MIB files. The MIB files include:
- snmpv2_tc.h
- snmpv2_mib.h
- snmpv2_smi.h
- ianaiftype_mib.h
- inet_address_mib.h
- i_mib.h
- tcp_mib.h
- udp_mib.h
- rmon_mib.h
- host_resources_mib.h
What are overseas systems and product development limitations?
Yes. Mercury readily supports product development and systems overseas. Typically, in global relationships, we work through our customer’s headquarters as an integrated adjunct to their engineering and technical support teams.
We provide all system documentation in English, so translation typically resides with our OEM partners. Located in California and operating on Pacific Time, we coordinate with our partners to overcome any time zone and working hour variances.
The bulk erase process for 1.x EP/LP firmware is:
- Configure Dip Switch 1 and 2 ON and 3 and 4 OFF
- Power up panel
- Within a few seconds LEDs 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 to alternately flash ON/OFF
- Within 10 seconds after the above pattern starts, change switch 1 to OFF
- All LED's will be off for several seconds seconds and then LEDs 1 & 4 will flash for about 3 seconds indicating the erase process has completed.
The bulk erase process for 2.x firmware is the same as 1.x with the difference there are longer wait times in-between steps:
- Configure Dip Switch 1 and 2 ON and 3 and 4 OFF
- Reset/Apply power to the panel. LED 1 will flash on for 55 seconds while the panel boots up.
- After the 55 second boot, LEDs 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 to alternately flash ON/OFF
- Within 10 seconds after the above pattern starts, change switch 1 to OFF
- All LED's will be off for several seconds seconds and then LEDs 1 & 4 will flash for about 3 seconds indicating the erase process has completed.
When a LP panel is migrated to the 2.0 firmware the LED activity will be:
- LED 2 ON while new partition process is started. This step only occurs for the first time a panel is migrated and will not be seen if a migration attempt occurred prior.
- LED 3 ON when new partition is mounted.
- LED 4 TOGGLES as software update files are being programmed.
- LED 3, 4,and 5 ON when software update process is finished.
Should there be any failure with the migration, LED 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 will be ON.
The Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) calculations can be found in the "MTBF Calculations" file.
Please refer to the associated files that list more details on compliance.
On the LP Series controllers the Diagnostic page has a button that can be used to download the syslog from the controller. The syslog is a system log that is captured within the operating system and can be useful in troubleshooting issues when working with HID support staff.
The syslog file that is downloaded is encrypted and would need to be sent to the HID support team that manages the Mercury solution. They have tools to extract the information contained inside the logs.
Note that the syslog is erased each time the board boots up, so it will not contain historical information if the issue happened in the past and the board has since been rebooted.
The Syslog should only be captured and submitted when requested by HID support.
When pressing the reset button on a controller or SIO, you are sending a software reset to the board. The software reset is not a graceful shutdown, it will terminate all processes immediately. When a board does not have a reset button it is recommended to pull the terminal block or POE cable. It is not recommended to pull the jumper that distinguishes between a 12V or POE connection.
Boards that do not have a reset button:
1. LP1501
2. MR62e
What is it?
Controller Data at Rest is encryption inside the Controller. When enabled, data that is stored is encrypted.
How do you enable the encryption?
1. Login to the controllers webpage
2. Check the checkbox on the Security Options webpage. Note: If a configuration is already in the controller the configuration will be deleted and a new one will have to be sent down.
3. Apply Settings and Reboot
Things to Note:
1. Firmware upgrades will keep encryption intact
2. If you want to disable encryption the only way to do this is to bulk erase the controller.
Note it is possible that the provisioned certificate will be removed during this process. Should this occur the OEM partner will need to contact Mercury to have a replacement certificate issued.
3. When enabling encryption, if the configuration is already present in the controller the configuration will be deleted.
Mercury does have a Conflict Minerals policy. Please see the attached document.
What is the battery life of the batteries on the LP/EP series controllers?
On the LP1501 / EP1501 and LP2500 / EP2500, the stored database will be saved for a minimum of three months after power is removed, assuming that the coin cell battery is fresh.
On the LP1501 / EP1501, a fully charged battery will store the database for a minimum of three days. It can take up to 48 hours to fully charge the re-chargeable battery.
On the EP series controller, the minimum password length is 6 characters. The maximum password length is 10 characters. On the LP series controllers, this has been changed to be between 8 - 64 characters.
The Mercury products provide both standard elevator control (using relays and inputs) as well as a higher-level integration to elevator systems.
The standard elevator offering comes in two forms:
- Type 1: Elevator control without floor select feedback (just using outputs connected to the elevator system).
- Type 2: Elevator control with floor select feedback (uses both outputs and inputs connected to the elevator system).
The higher-level integrations that are currently available are:
- OTIS Compass
- KONE
- ThyssenKrupp
- Mitsubishi
Contact your OEM partner for more information on what solutions they support.
- Input circuits: minimum working/service voltage: 12 volts
- Output circuits (switching DC): minimum working/service voltage: 30 volts
- Reader data lines: minimum working/service voltage: 5 volts
- Reader power: minimum working/service voltage: as required by reader
- RS-485 communication: minimum working/service voltage: ±7 volts
- Ethernet (non PoE): minimum working/service voltage: 5 volts
- PoE: minimum working/service voltage: 60 volts
Mercury offers wireless integrations to the following:
- Schlage AD-Series
- Schlage NDE Series
- ASSA ABLOY Aperio
- SALTO Sallis
- SimonsVoss SmartIntego locks.
The MR62e has a built-in web browser interface, similar to the EP and LP series controllers.
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