Side-by-side overview
Brivo and Openpath, now sold as Avigilon Alta Access under the Motorola Solutions portfolio, are both cloud-native access control platforms with broadly similar feature sets. The strategic choice between them rarely comes down to which platform has more features. It usually comes down to whether the customer wants a best-of-breed access control platform that integrates broadly across many vendors, or a unified portfolio under one parent brand spanning access, video, and broader physical security.
JB Technologies is an authorized Brivo installer. We have also worked alongside Openpath and Avigilon Alta deployments and routinely help clients decide which platform fits their portfolio. This comparison is framed as a fit-finding exercise rather than a winner-loser ranking.
Hardware lineup
Brivo's controller family includes the ACS300 single-door panel, the ACS6000 four-door panel, and the ACS6100 eight-door panel. Brivo Smart Readers including the Wave multi-tech series pair natively over OSDP, and the platform integrates cleanly with Allegion Schlage wireless locks and HID Signo readers when a customer needs them.
Avigilon Alta Access (Openpath) offers its own controller family along with a reader lineup centered on a triple-unlock model: Bluetooth, NFC, and a wave-to-unlock gesture that became one of Openpath's signature features in the early mobile-credential market. The reader form factor is distinctive and well regarded for visual design.
Both hardware families are professionally engineered and reliable in real-world installations. The hardware itself is not where the strategic decision lives.
Cloud platform and administration
Brivo Access offers a multi-tier account hierarchy, role-based administration, and a documented REST API with SCIM provisioning. The administrative interface is mature, feature-deep, and well suited to enterprise security teams.
Avigilon Alta Access offers a similarly capable cloud administrative interface, with a slightly more modern visual design owing to Openpath's tech-startup roots. Administration is straightforward, and the platform supports SSO and SCIM integrations with major identity providers.
For day-to-day administration, neither platform is meaningfully harder than the other once an administrator is trained. Visual preferences and existing internal familiarity often drive the choice at this level.
Mobile credentials
Brivo Mobile Pass and Avigilon Alta mobile credentials both run on iOS and Android, both support Bluetooth and NFC unlock, and both work from inside a phone case with no friction. Openpath's wave-to-unlock gesture was an early differentiator, and Avigilon Alta still offers it. Brivo Mobile Pass focuses on tap-to-unlock and hold-near-reader patterns. End-user experience is comparable.
Integration ecosystem
This is the most strategically significant difference. Brivo's integration philosophy is broad and vendor-neutral. The platform integrates natively with Eagle Eye Networks, Verkada, Envoy, Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, Workday, BambooHR, and a long list of other systems. Customers who run a multi-vendor security stack and want best-of-breed for each layer tend to favor Brivo because it does not push them toward any specific video, intercom, or visitor platform.
Avigilon Alta Access sits inside the Motorola Solutions portfolio alongside Avigilon cameras, Pelco cameras, and the broader Motorola unified security ecosystem. For customers who want access and video administered under one parent brand and one purchasing relationship, Avigilon Alta plus Avigilon cameras is a coherent, well-integrated story. The platform still integrates with third-party systems, but the natural pull is toward the Motorola portfolio.
When Avigilon Alta Access (Openpath) is the right choice
Avigilon Alta is well suited to customers who already standardize on Avigilon cameras, customers who prefer a unified Motorola Solutions purchasing relationship across access and video, and buildings where the wave-to-unlock gesture is operationally valuable (high-traffic doors with hands-full users, for example). The brand unification simplifies vendor management.
When Brivo is the right choice
Brivo is well suited to customers who want best-of-breed integration across access, video, visitor, and identity, multi-tenant buildings where the customer base runs heterogeneous video and identity platforms, and enterprises with a long-standing Brivo investment that prefer to stay on the platform as they scale. The open API and broad partner ecosystem give Brivo customers maximum flexibility to pick best-in-class for every layer of the stack.
JBT's recommendation framework
We frame the decision around three questions. What video platform is in production today, and what direction is the customer heading in next two to three years? Is the customer's purchasing preference best-of-breed or unified portfolio? What is the existing identity and HR stack, and which platform integrates more cleanly with what is already deployed?
If the answers point to existing or planned Avigilon video and a preference for unified portfolio purchasing, Avigilon Alta is a coherent fit. If the answers point to heterogeneous video, multi-vendor identity stacks, or a desire for ecosystem independence, Brivo's open posture pays off across the long operational life of the system.
Call (770) 637-2094 to walk through your specific deployment with a JBT engineer.
Frequently asked questions
Is it still called Openpath or is it Avigilon Alta Access now?
Both — Motorola Solutions acquired Openpath in 2021 and folded it into the Avigilon portfolio. The product is now formally Avigilon Alta Access (often abbreviated to "Alta"), but the install base and the language in most RFPs still refers to it as Openpath. The hardware lineup, the cloud platform, the mobile credential, and the touchless tap unlock motion are all functionally the same product as before the rename, with deeper Avigilon video integration layered on top.
When is Openpath / Avigilon Alta the right choice over Brivo?
Alta is the right answer when the customer is already running Avigilon video (Alta Aware / ACC) — the tight access-to-video correlation inside one Motorola pane of glass is genuinely useful for security operations centers. Alta's touchless "wave to unlock" motion is also a real differentiator for hands-busy environments like healthcare, food prep, and back-of-house logistics. For brand-new tech-forward office tenants where mobile-first UX is the priority, Alta is often the smoother out-of-box experience.
When is Brivo the right choice over Openpath / Avigilon Alta?
Brivo wins on three fronts. First, multi-tenant office: Brivo's account hierarchy is more mature for buildings where multiple tenants need separate admin scopes under a parent organization. Second, video-vendor neutrality: Brivo integrates well with Verkada, Eagle Eye Networks, Milestone, and several others — if the customer does not want to be locked into the Avigilon video stack, Brivo keeps options open. Third, deployment longevity — Brivo has been a dedicated cloud access company since 2001, which matters to enterprise security teams evaluating vendor risk.
What does the controller and hardware lock-in look like on each side?
Both are proprietary. Brivo controllers run only on Brivo Access; Alta controllers (the Alta Core series) run only on Alta. Reader compatibility is also platform-specific in practice, although Alta's Smart Reader and Brivo Wave both speak OSDP secure channel and can technically be re-terminated to another OSDP controller in a migration. The Motorola umbrella does add a new dimension: customers running Alta become part of the broader Motorola Solutions ecosystem, which is either an asset or a liability depending on their view of vendor consolidation.
What about badge and credential portability?
Mobile credentials are not portable — Brivo Mobile Pass and Alta Mobile Credential are separate cryptographic systems and must be re-issued on the receiving platform. Physical smart cards may transfer if both reader fleets read the same card technology (MIFARE DESFire and HID Signo are commonly supported on both); legacy 125 kHz prox cards may transfer if both platforms have prox-capable readers in place. JBT generally uses any platform migration as the moment to push customers off prox entirely, which standardizes the credential stack regardless of which platform they end up on.
Which integration ecosystem is broader?
Brivo's integration ecosystem is broader and more vendor-neutral. Brivo Access has documented integrations with Eagle Eye Networks, Verkada, Envoy, Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, Workday, BambooHR, Allegion Schlage wireless locks, and many others, plus a documented REST API and SCIM provisioning. Alta has fewer published integrations outside the Motorola umbrella but has deeper, tighter integration with Avigilon ACC/Alta Aware video than any other access platform — including Brivo. The right answer depends entirely on whether the customer's video strategy is Motorola/Avigilon or independent.
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