The health club chain’s 800 locations across America stay open 24 hours a day and are often left un-staffed, making its surveillance and access control systems crucial.
The company’s latest upgrade happened this summer when it switched over to Fastlane Door Detective in an effort to curb “tailgating” – when a non-member sneaks in behind a member who has opened the door with a key-card.
With its previous entrance control system, tailgaters, most of whom are relatives or friends of members were slipping through the cracks, according to Anytime.
Door Detective uses microprocessors and infrared beams mounted on the doorframe to accurately monitor how many people pass through, according to manufacturer, Integrated Design Limited. The technology virtually eliminates false alarms, the company says.
With Door Detective, alarms identify violations and trigger red flags in surveillance footage so that club operators can easily track unauthorised entries. The operator can be notified, and view surveillance footage on site or from a remote location to determine whether the situation is threatening.
“More often then not, tailgaters know the person they’re following in, and are simply there to check out the gym,” said Dave Mortensen, president of ProVision Security Solutions and a software development consultant for Anytime.
“In that way, the system can be used as a profit center. The club can actually give those people a call, and most of time we can turn those into new memberships.”
Either way, the member who facilitated the violation is flagged in the system and warned the next day.
Door Detectives are now being installed in all new Anytime facilities, and in any existing clubs that opt for the upgrade. Anytime is requiring clubs that currently lack an anti-tailgating system to install the Door Detective before renewing their contract with the company.
