AST Digital Magazine August 2017 Digital-Aug | Page 35

Volume 15
August 2017 Edition
entrance control (turnstiles, or PEC’s), review
a bit of turnstile history, types of security lanes,
typical applications, explain basic system com-
ponents. More recently, optical turnstiles using IR photo-
beams with/without moving barrier arms and
wings became very popular over the past 20
years.
We even offer a formula for calculating your ideal
# of lanes, and provide many useful tips for de-
signing a great system. Now today, we have IP networked, hi ghly effi-
cient security lanes of all types for the most se-
cure and demanding high volume office tower
applications.
First a short history lesson.
What are Turnstiles and PEC’s anyway?
Turnstiles control WHO is getting in.
They are a hardware device tied in with your ac-
cess control system, which help to assure only
one passage per authorized person (using a
card, biometrics, etc.).
Most times the access control integration is via
dry contacts but some systems allow for soft-
ware level integration.
The main advantage of turnstiles is that they
make your lobby staff/security team more effec-
tive and efficient.
When and where do you need a turnstile/
PEC?
Humans have employed pedestrian entrance
control for thousands of years.
Turnstiles just happen to be our modern answer
to the age-old need, anyplace where we wanted
to control who is getting in.
We can imagine in the stone-age a cave man
would have rolled a large boulder in front of his
entrance to block out intruders.
In more modern times we have employed door
locks and keys for a couple hundred years.
Over 100 years ago the first revolving waist high
turnstiles came on the scene, to control customer
traffic flow in a retail grocery environment.
Typically, we look for any secure building or cam-
pus having a minimum of 500 authorized occu-
pants, and where every credential (access card,
biometric, or other) is currently checked by an
access control reader and/or monitored by an of-
ficer or lobby staff person.
These conditions make for an excellent prospec-
tive application for automated pedestrian en-
trance control.
Why?
Because the secure facility has an interest in con-
trolling access to authorized persons (the secu-
rity need), and manpower is currently employed
to that end (potential for improved efficiency =
this is your ROI).
Today’s turnstiles and pedestrian entrance con-
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