Optical turnstiles are viewed as a growing trend in entrance control, currently dominating the speedgate market, according to IMS Research. As a security measure, optical turnstiles restrict or control access to a building or secured area. But they are also attractive from a design perspective as their slim footprint makes them unobtrusive. Their design attributes go hand in hand with security decisions as buildings undergoing renovations want not only the best security controls in place but want those controls to be aesthetically pleasing.
Optical turnstiles are usually a part of an access control system that consists of software, card readers and controllers. They operate much like regular mechanical turnstiles, except that they rely primarily on electronic (infrared) beams, and audible/visual interfaces to control entry. Rather than physically restraining a person, the optical turnstile uses sounds and lights to alert others to attempted entry by unauthorized individuals. The beams in opticalturnstilescan monitor the number of people entering a building by using the one card, one person system. If more than one person breaks the beam after an ID card is presented, then the system will notice. Opticalturnstilesare an extremely useful system for buildings with a high level of people entering and leaving. They are also useful for monitoring how many people are in the building at any given time in case of emergency evacuation. If someone enters without using a valid ID card, an alarm will alert security staff.