Upgrading or Replacing your Security Entrance Lanes, or Optical Turnstiles?

Over the past nearly 16 years in this business, I have seen a lot of new optical turnstile & security entrance lane systems be installed in new or existing (retrofit) buildings all across North America. And in recent years there has been a trend toward replacing or upgrading many of the older systems from 10-20 years ago.

Is it time to replace or upgrade your pedestrian entrance control (PEC) system? Are your security entrance lanes or turnstiles at end-of-life and are you starting to consider with what or how to best replace them? Are you looking at the wide range of competing security entrance lanes/optical turnstiles/portals and wondering what features are new, important, or critical for compatibility with your available lobby space, your new card/biometric readers and access control systems?

 Every day we are seeing an ever-increasing number of requests for new entrance control systems to replace/upgrade/retrofit an older, existing set of turnstiles with new security entrance lanes. End user clients, along with their security consultants, architects, and security integrators are interested in finding the best solution - considering the latest features and technology available.

 We invite you to read on as we examine some of the most important considerations in such an important decision.

 What are Pedestrian Entrance Control (PEC) Systems?

The term PEC’s includes all security entrance lanes, turnstiles/speedgates, barrier type optical lanes, sliding glass optical portals, high security portals, and security revolvers used as part of an integrated security strategy for an access controlled building or area within a building. Most entrance control systems are specifically designed to increase security and also enhance the effectiveness of lobby staff, which would otherwise have to check the credentials of every pedestrian passing the secure point. The PEC works by singling out any pedestrians attempting access without proper credentials. Normally a card reader or biometric authentication device is built into or integrated with the PEC. Usually the system will include technology (infrared or other optical sensors) to detect tailgating and prevent piggybacking, hence the very common newly used industry term “security entrance lanes” (a.k.a. “optical turnstiles”).

 Many PEC Systems are Reaching End-of-Life.

Many commercial and government buildings are now ready to replace pedestrian entrance control and security entrance lane systems purchased 10-15 years ago. The years 2002 through 2004 saw a sharp increase in the numbers of systems installed.. Certainly the events of September 11, 2001 had an impact on the spike in security entrance lane and turnstile interest. Meanwhile, multi-tenant buildings and hi-rises in the big cities took advantage of new multi-technology card readers that made front lobby entrance control more realistic. The same factors that make optical lanes and portals attractive for Class A buildings (heavy traffic, strong security concerns) accelerate the products wearing over time, making them appear a bit tired. The grained stainless steel finishes and stainless steel or Corian and marble tops have begun to show the years of rubbing by coats and bags. Meanwhile, internal mechanical devices and motors that move the sliding and swinging barriers have long surpassed their life expectancy, even if well maintained. Replacement parts are now becoming harder to find for some models. Downtime is expensive and detrimental to operation and traffic flow - let alone the perceived corporate image associated with non-functional security equipment.

 Meanwhile, new state-of-the-art security entrance lanes have been developed, the benefits of which would (financially and practically) support the upgrade or replacement of these old, dated systems.

 The Product Selection Decisions are Important.

Clients have concerns about how to make the right decisions because access control security products like PEC’s are usually a long term capital investment.  Sometimes there are several levels of decision makers/influencers (end users, consultants, integrators) all of whom have various needs or concerns for the features. Oftentimes on the client’s side, the decision for such systems is a long term strategic one which requires careful analysis and committee review, and upper management action. Another important consideration concerns the existing infrastructure work that was already done on site.  Clients may want to limit further investments in new conduits, product footprint locations, etc., and the product selection decision can impact the need for such additional costs. Further complicating such decisions is the variety of new physical features, available certifications, and software packages that are available. 

There are Many Important Physical Feature Considerations.

Physical characteristics, features and overall esthetics of PEC’s can vary quite a bit when considering dimensional requirements (height & width) as well as architectural finishes and lobby design criteria.

The specific client needs and installation site dimensional limitations will play an important role. In the case of replacing/upgrading existing security entrance lanes/turnstiles or PEC’s as we are discussing here, the existing footprint vs. proposed footprint must be considered. Can we cover the old floor cuts with the new proposed product? If not, are we prepared to renew and re-cut the finished floor? For example, if we are changing from purely optical turnstiles to security entrance lane optical turnstiles with retractable or swing glass barriers, can we accommodate the new wider/longer cabinet footprint over the existing smaller cabinet/pedestal footprint? Conversely, if the new products will be swinging glass type optical lanes, will the new slim or shorter cabinet/pedestal fit correctly on the existing wider cabinet spaces? Depending on the circumstances, you may want to consider fitting more lanes than before in the given area. These will all be important factors when selecting the new replacement system.

Architectural finishes will be of concern for architects and lobby designers.  Many PEC products come in a standard grained stainless finish. But custom colors, solid surfacing, natural wood and stone finishes are usually available as options. Architects like to have choices of custom and natural materials.

Clients will also be focused on the product technology features available in the newer PEC’s.

Some of the new changes in evolution of the New PEC’s are that they have very sophisticated tailgate and piggyback detection systems, although linear horizontal beams are still most common. The algorithms and firmware today is advanced greatly over the simple PLC systems of 15 years ago - allowing clients to even tailor the sensitivity of their tailgate/piggyback security detection system. Enhanced tailgate/piggyback detection technology improves accuracy, reduces both false positive and false negative incidents - thereby increasing security while reducing cost of false alarms. And of course today’s PEC security entrance lanes use long life LED lights which years ago replaced incandescent bulbs which had been standard in older turnstiles.

One very important advancement is the advent of network ready, IP addressable security entrance lanes and server based lane control panels. These advancements open up a wide realm of communication, lane control, and maintenance possibilities not available in the legacy analog, dry contacts systems of the past.  The use of network ready and IP based systems like this also provide a level of “future-proofing” your PEC system.

 Safety and Reliability are very Much Improved.

Clients should look at product reliability and MTBF or MCBF data, when available. Some products boast product lifetimes in excess of 10,000,000 cycles.  This data should be published or readily available with stated testing parameters.

UL Listed PEC and security entrance lanes are more common than ever before.  PEC products have been certified in various classifications, and all are very good - with UL#2593 being the new industry standard. Look for PEC systems that carry the UL2593 or UL325(or another certification lab using UL standards) label. Some PEC’s will only have UL certified components (i.e.; motors or power supply) but this is not the same as having a UL listed product system with the factory apposed UL sticker, especially in the eyes of many city building inspectors.

 Clients will involve Others in this Process.

Potential Buyers will want to take into account the considerations discussed in this article, but they will also involve others in the research process. It helps to have expert opinions to give support to your product decisions when presenting to upper management for budgeting and purchase approval.

We strongly recommend including security consultant/engineers in the process. Their expertise in such decisions is invaluable. There are many excellent firms providing such services. In addition to product selection decisions they will also provide critical local code knowledge and engineering and product integration design assistance.

Ask your security integrator for product suggestions. Most security integrators have selected, installed, integrated and supported many such PEC systems – they will be able to make recommendations for your specific needs.  Finally, consult with reputable mfgrs of PEC products who can point to existing references and satisfied clients in similar businesses or with like policies as your firm.  

All of the above listed resources (consultants, integrators, manufacturers) will also be a valuable resource when it is time to pitch your chosen solution(s) to management.

Justifying/Selling the Selection Internally.
Once the security entrance lane product or system has been decided upon, now comes the fun part…making the presentation to management! Often the security director must prove both the financial and security justification for the recommendation. Of course, we can always point to the intangibles, such as the value of an architecturally beautiful front entrance and a more secure workplace using the latest PEC products and designs available. We will also want to explain that the new PEC system gives a level of “future-proofing” in that it will be compatible with our network based access control and facility management systems. But sometimes all of that is not enough to get the budget approved.

So, when ROI must be addressed, it is best to look at the cost of the old system over time. How often does it need repair? Have we had to call for emergency repairs and what is the cost of that? When the system is down, do we need to add additional security staff personnel to monitor the entrance?  How long do we wait for parts? For a multi-tenant building, what is the cost of possible lost tenants due to the dated security system? Look at the true cost of the old vs. new proposed system (Total Cost of Ownership Concept).

Start the Process Early to get the Best Result.
We know that the manufacturers of PEC’s/security entrance lanes typically quote an 8 to 10 week lead time. But the design, product selection and buying decisions for such projects take a long time. Most smart and savvy PEC buyers will start the discussions 1 year or more before the intended purchase.  An experienced manufacturer’s rep and his/her project/product engineers can aid the process with product design and customization to suit the client’s specifics.  The client - along with his/her consultant, architect, and integrator - should begin the project design and product selection process early to help design a system around the client’s needs and wishes, and considering all of the herein described points.

Maybe you guessed that I love discussing entrance control designs with clients, integrators, and security engineers. I encourage folks to please contact me anytime if more info or resources are needed. www.automatic-systems.com

 

 

Feeling Safer from Terrorism at Work, Home, School, and Wherever People Congregate

The recent increase in terrorism related events worldwide had me thinking about ways in which we keep ourselves safer. The mass shootings and bombings in Paris earlier this month are but one very visible example. Truly, these things are happening every week in our world now. We are always increasing our sense of vigilance, and how we monitor our surroundings, managing who and what we associate with, and being careful about who and what can come into our "safe" areas, like work, home, schools, worship places, recreation, and the like.

Since 2000 I have been working in the "Entrance Control" industry. Essentially we are the industry who designs and builds hardware and technology to help control and manage "who is getting into" buildings, campuses, and complexes. We working within the integrated security access control platform to provide some means (physical/electronic) of allowing only authorized persons in, and keeping out (or singling out) individuals who "do not belong". In this way we help provide safety and security for folks where they work, live, play, and congregate. Of course no security device or solution is perfect, but entrance control products generally do a very nice job of discouraging unwanted access. Sometimes we are only keeping out nuisance visitors (like an unexpected vendor or a restaurant delivery service with advertising fliers) but we also help discourage disgruntled ex-employees and jilted ex-lovers and the like. Most importantly in today's world the entrance control products will prevent easy access by someone with a plan to do harm - and that is one of the main draws toward security entrance control systems today.

Typically the entrance control system selected for a front lobby will be a bank of turnstiles or optical security turnstile lanes, or maybe security portals (mantraps) or security revolving doors. All of these products can be customized to suit corporate culture, security policy, and aesthetic concerns by facilities managers, architects and interior designers. Other types of entrance control systems can be used outdoors and may include vehicle gates, rising arms or rising fence gate operators, parking gates or bollards.  Often the products will be UL listed for safety and many will be IP Network ready for ease of management, control, statistics and diagnostics by the security department.

In the coming months I will write more on this topic. I think you for visiting my page and please contact me anytime for more information, by clicking here for email or my company website:. www.automatic-systems.com

Night Clubs, Dance Clubs & Discos Need Reliable Versatile People Counting Technology

Night Clubs and Discos have a great need for reliable and versatile counting of patrons. Due to the changing light conditions (strobe lights, flashing colors) and temperature changes (frequent door openings at the entrances) the challenge of getting and keeping an accurate count of patrons is very difficult. In the past most clubs would resort to a manual count kept by a security employee who stands by the door and clicks the count in and out on a handheld device. However, this method is unreliable in the case of a distracted employee or an incident requiring his attention elsewhere in the club. Add in normal human error and fatigue and you can quickly see how an accurate patron count at a busy club is nearly impossible.

Several people counting technologies are available. Stereo vision camera systems, thermal cameras, linear infrared beams, and video analytics are some of the most common technical solutions. All of them have some litmitation as far as lighting conditions, temperature variations, and for counting individuals in large numbers.However, the technology of people counting has evolved greatly in recent years. 3D MLI (modulated light intensity) technology, using the "time of flight" measurement principle is the best solution available and can result in a more than 99% accuracy rate, even in high volume, chaotic conditions, under varying light and temperature conditions.
Using provided software, the counts in and counts out can each be measured, and tallied across several devices covering all entrances/exits. Management can hen view the total room or building population at any given moment. Alerts can be set up to advise management when certain key population levels are reached.

IEE Sensing of Auburn Hills, MI (and Contern, Luxembourg) offers the most advanced solution of this type. Their 3D MLI sensor uses the latest technology, combined with very sophisticated alogorithms embedded on an IP addressable, web accessible overhead mounted device. Get more info on people counting solutions at http://www.ieesensing.com/ or http://www.iee.lu/

Doorway and Entrance Point Tailgate Detection

Today's sophisticated access control systems are designed to help us control and manage who gets into our buildings and what times and days their access is allowed. The systems vary greatly in their size, scope, and method; however, they are all designed to make sure we know who is in the building. A major challenge faced by security professionals at major corporations, campuses and government institutions, is knowing that every person passing into their controlled access environment has actually presented a valid and authorized card, biometric identification, or author credentials. Simple card reader/door strike solutions at door entrance points are not effective for deterring and preventing unauthorized access by persons who might "slip in behind" a well meaning valid cardholder. Most time, these tailgaters or piggybackers mean no harm; they might just have their hands full, or maybe left their access card/credentials at home. However, by allowing such behavior, we "open the door" so to speak, to the possibility of an unwanted intruder entering our controlled access building.

So how are today's modern buildings being equipped to prevent such tailgaters and piggybackers? The use of optical turnstiles (with/without barrier arms or glass barrier wings) has been commonplace for the past 10-15 years, and has become even more prevalent after 9-11-01. But what is being done to protect our side entrances, doorways from parking garages and public areas, hallways between secure areas, and high security sensitive area entrances within the buildings? Actually, very little has been done up until very recently.

A number of potential solutions have been offered for the doorway tailgating problem. Some of the optical turnstile manufacturers have developed some pretty cool "doorway detectors" which act like a miniature optical turnstile, but that fit right up alongside the door jamb. However, this solution does not easily distinguish direction of the pedestrian (in vs. out), nor does it effectively count side-by-side pedestrians. The limitation of these systems lie in the fact that it can only can count the number of times that the infra-red beam pattern is broken. Wide doorways or double doors are a particularly troublesome challenge for this "door mounted tailgate detector" or "doorway detective" type system.

Potential answers to these challenges has come to us from a variety of companies with varying technological solutions. It seems to be agreed that the detection of unauthorized pedestrians comes from above. In other words, some sort of ceiling mounted or otherwise overhead located sensors or cameras may hold the key to preventing tailgating and piggybacking. These solutions have been tested to varying degrees by a number of integrated security technology professionals, with some measures of success.

Let's look at three of the overhead sensor technologies briefly here. The stereo vision camera systems have had some limited success in certain environments but may be limited as to their throughput potential and ability to resist overheating. Thermal image cameras are a potential solution assuming that external light sources (daylight especially) are kept to a minimum, which has only limited application. The seemingly best solution offered is a 3D sensor using MLI (Modulated Light Intensity) technology. Using time-of-flight light measurement, a 3D MLI sensor or camera can measure and process data very effectively so as to easily distinguish between heads (at various heights), objects, and baggage. In practical applications the 3DMLI system does very well in height volume multi directional traffic areas, with an accuracy rate in the 98% range. Check out http://www.ieesensing.com/ in the Public & Commercial Infrastructure section for info on the system offered by IEE Sensing of Auburn Hills, MI, and Contern, Luxembourg.

Protecting our Nation's Hotels from Terrorism

I have been thinking about this for a long time. I decided one day that I should talk about the topic on my blog, as it is a timely issue and one which our nation's business leaders should address if we are truly to be vigilant against further attacks like that of Sept 11, 2001.

Here is my concern: What are we doing to protection our hotels and resorts from terrorism?
In recent years, and especially since the events of 9/11/01, we have seen our country’s government and industry leaders take great steps to protect lives and property from terrorism. New technologies to detect and deter perpetrators of terror are in place at airports, city streets, entertainment venues, and cargo terminals. Unfortunately, our approach is always reactionary rather than precautionary. In other words, industry and government don’t typically make the investments in terms of money, talent, and technology until after a significant event has occurred that suddenly raises awareness of our vulnerability in a given area. There are many examples, a few of which I will illustrate here. Under-car scanning and parking entrance pop-up barriers did not exist until after the first World Trade Center bombing in the 1990’s. The monitoring of nitrogen fertilizer traffic was intensified after the Oklahoma Federal Building bombings a few years after. And later, anyone can see how we reacted with tremendous airport security after three of our nation’s planes were used to attack us on 9/11. And even then we did not scrutinize passenger shoes until after the shoe bomb incident (potential terrorist tried to use his shoes as a bomb on a plane) a few years ago. So we see how investments in protective measures do not typically manifest until after a terrorist event.

When terroristic events occur, suddenly it seems we have budgets and means available where none existed prior to the attack or event.

My idea is to prepare for such an event by offering a protection technology set which is absolutely necessary but whose importance has not yet been underscored by a terrorist event. My intention is to begin to help the right folks find this solution by pointing out the vulnerability before an event occurs, with the hopes that the targeted community will respond by taking the protective steps immediately, rather than waiting for the terrorists to point out the vulnerability. If industry does instead wait for an event before attempting to secure these solutions, then the channels will be ready and prepared to deliver protective solutions in the fastest manner thanks to our preparation as members of the security and safety industry.


So I think that we need to begin thinking of real technological solutions in order to begin to explore means for protecting hotels, resorts, and the entire hospitality industry from terrorism. Do you know when this will be addressed? I am wondering too.

Key management is critical at today's hotels and resorts

When I talk with folks about key management, one of the first things they sometimes ask is "Why would anyone need to manage keys in today’s world of electronic access control?" Or, other times they might ask me "Why don't you go see the major hotel chains and prestigious hotel properties about managing their room keys?" These are both good questions, each needs a seperate answer.

Key management is a critical part of today's modern access control systems, as a complement to the familiar door card readers and electronic strikes. The typical enterprise access control system (e.e. by Lenel or Softwarehouse to name just two) typically covers "most but not all" of the doors and access points within a building or campus. So we need to supplement that system with an electronic key management system. Why aren't all the doors covered by access control? Typically cost is a big reason. It costs several thousand dollars to equip an average commercial property door with electronic access control. Today's key management systems (i.e.; proxSafe by Deister Electronics USA) can be an integrated part of the system, yet will protect many lesser used or special area keys/doors for about $100 per door or set of keys. I will cover more of this subject in a future section. For now, you might check out a recent article in Security Products magazine: Who Has The Keys?/

Now to address the issue of may management at hotels and resorts. Yes, they need to manage lots of keys. But not the way you might think. The pass cards (mag stripe cards most often) that hotels give to guests for room access do not need to be managed. The access to rooms is added or removed from any given pass card within seconds by the hotel's hospitality management system. So if a key is lost, or ends up in the wrong hands, or if a guest forgets to return it, there is no concern.

However, hotels and resorts do have large numbers of keys to special rooms, closets, supply areas, conference centers, etc., which do need to be managed. The old system was a manual one (sign out the key, sign it in when you return). This system is prone to many errors, misuse, and is very costly in case of lost keys. Sophisticated modern hotel facility security systems today always include an electronic key management system. Maintenance folks who are only allowed to hold certain keys (master keys in some cases) during certain hours can be monitored and managed in this way using a good computerized key control system. Reports and alarms are generated for exceptions (keys out late, not returned, etc.) and all of the information and access settings are managed via the web. I have personally talked with a number of hospitality industry professionals who manage keys in this manner, or who intend to implement such a system very soon.

Please stay tuned to this blog for future posts on hotel safety and security as well as electronic management of keys and small assets.