By Kent · Lock Depot Staff Writer

Two Standalone Keypads, Same Brains, Different Shell

A facilities tech ordered a standalone keypad for a warehouse door that kept getting pried at by whoever was in a hurry to prop it open. Six months later the plastic housing was cracked and the keys didn't register half the time. The part wasn't wrong for access control. It was wrong for the door. A keypad rated for a quiet office corridor doesn't survive a loading dock, and a keypad built like a tank doesn't need to be on a door nobody ever touches roughly.

DynaLock sells its standalone digital keypad in two shells built around the identical electronics: the 7300 Series and the 7400 Series. Both store up to 500 user PIN codes with three access levels each, both run on 12-24VDC or 16-24VAC, both operate as a single or two-door access controller, and both mount in a standard single-gang box with an included installation kit and self-adhesive template. What's different is the case around that electronics, and that difference is the whole buying decision.

DynaLock 7300: The Metal Case for a Door That Takes Abuse

The DynaLock 7300 ships in a sturdy, metal, vandal-resistant casing, fully epoxy filled so there's nothing inside to pry apart or pour water into. The keypad itself uses a highly sensitive piezoelectric touchpad, sealed flat under the metal face rather than raised buttons a crowbar or a fist can catch an edge on. That combination is why DynaLock spec's this one for harsh industrial, institutional, and commercial environments: a mechanical room door, a warehouse man-door, a school corridor where the keypad is within reach of anyone walking by all day.

It's a straightforward part. No backlighting, no auxiliary sensor inputs, just a keypad built to keep working after someone leans on it, kicks it, or tries to pop the faceplate off with a screwdriver at 2 a.m.

DynaLock 7400: The Weatherproof Keypad for an Exterior Door

The DynaLock 7400 solves a different problem. Its housing is UV-resistant, epoxy-sealed polycarbonate, rated IP65 water and UV resistant, built to sit outside in weather that would eventually find a way into a metal box's seams. The rubber keypad is backlit in red, so a code still reads in the dark, and it carries REX and auxiliary inputs plus two tri-color LED and audible indicators that the 7300 doesn't have. DynaLock positions it for indoor and outdoor residential, commercial, and institutional applications, which in practice means any exterior door where the keypad has to survive rain and sun and still be readable at closing time.

Those REX and auxiliary inputs matter beyond convenience. A request-to-exit sensor or a door contact wired into them lets the 7400 report or release on a signal from outside its own keypad, which is how it integrates into a small access system instead of standing completely alone. The 7300 has no equivalent input; it's a self-contained code-entry unit and nothing more.

Same Footprint, Different Size

Both are single-gang box-mount units, but they aren't interchangeable dimensionally. The 7300 measures 4.72" H x 2.60" L x 1.06" W. The 7400 measures 5.91" H x 1.65" L x 1.06" W, taller and narrower to accommodate the backlit keys and indicator lights. If a box is already cut or a faceplate template has been traced for one series, confirm the dimensions before ordering the other as a straight swap.

Reading the Series Number

DynaLock also sells narrow mullion-mount versions of both, the 7350 (7300 Series mullion) and the 7450 (7400 Series mullion), for a door pair with a mullion too narrow for a single-gang box. Same casing logic applies: the 7350 gets the metal vandal-resistant shell, the 7450 gets the weatherproof polycarbonate. If the opening needs a mullion mount instead of a gang box, the vandal-resistant-versus-weatherproof decision below still applies; only the mounting footprint changes.

Which One Actually Fits the Door

Run the decision on the door's real conditions, not on price or on what's already on the truck. A back door in a warehouse, a mechanical room, or a school hallway that sees traffic and the occasional shoulder into the wall wants the 7300's metal casing. An exterior door, a gate, a loading dock entrance, or anywhere the keypad sits under an overhang or in direct weather wants the 7400's IP65 housing and backlit keys, especially if the opening already has a door contact or motion sensor that should tie into the keypad's REX input rather than run as a separate, disconnected system.

Two-door capability is built into both, so a single 7300 or 7400 can run a pair of doors off one code list rather than programming two separate keypads with duplicate user codes. That's worth checking before ordering two units for a double-door opening that only needs one.

Common questions

Can the DynaLock 7300 be mounted outside if it's under a covered entry?

DynaLock doesn't publish a weather rating for the 7300; it's built vandal-resistant, not weatherproof. For anything exposed to rain, wind-driven moisture, or direct sun, order the 7400 instead, even under a partial overhang.

Do the 7300 and 7400 use the same programming and PIN code capacity?

Yes. Both store up to 500 user codes across three access levels and share the same setup menu, so switching between them doesn't change how the unit is programmed.

What does the REX input on the 7400 actually connect to?

It accepts a request-to-exit sensor or a door contact, letting the keypad report door status or release on that signal in addition to a valid code entry. The 7300 has no equivalent input.

Can one keypad run two separate doors?

Yes, both series can operate as a single or two-door access controller from one unit, sharing the same code list across both openings.

Is there a mullion-mount version for a narrow door pair?

Yes. The 7350 is the mullion-mount 7300, and the 7450 is the mullion-mount 7400. The same vandal-resistant-versus-weatherproof choice applies to both.

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Shop the full DynaLock access control line for maglocks, keypads, and monitoring hardware, or read how to size a DynaLock maglock by holding force and how the DynaLock 2013 handles an outdoor swing or slide gate if the keypad is going in next to a maglock on the same opening.