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- 35