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Biometrics for Waterfall View Estate

The new biometric fingerprint-based access control system is now up and running efficiently at Waterfall View Estate, one of the six residential areas within the broader Waterfall Estate development in Midrand. As the treasurer of the residents association, Precious Chayambuka, points out, the system has been put in place “not only to protect our residents and property by ensuring a secured environment, but also to protect our investment.”

Waterfall View comprises of 714 homes covering an area of around 400 ha. The implementation of the biometrics access control system was necessitated by the fact that the previously used tag system was proving to be unreliable.

Says Chayambuka, “With 1800 residents it was impossible for the gate guards to recognise people without tags who claimed to be residents and pressurised guards to open the gates. In one week we recorded 11 home burglaries and so understandably, the Residents’ Association Committee was dealing with many queries and concerns from homeowners.”

Three proposals were solicited from specialist access control companies and Centurion-based ERS Biometrics was chosen on the criteria of pricing, flexibility of the system to meet Waterfall View’s requirements, system user-friendliness and the company’s back-up service reputation. The turnkey project involved the installation of fingerprint access control for residents in vehicles, pedestrian turnstile entrance and visitor control via a tag system.

Installation began in May 2014 and went live in October with four control points (three devices to record residents entering the estate and three to permit exiting). The most time consuming aspect was the need to register at least 80% of residents and permanent domestic workers onto the system before removing the existing tag system, to avoid the frustration of long entrance and exit queues. There was also the learning curve for residents to get used to the correct finger pressure and timing needed to activate the boom to open and close.

A small percentage could not be registered due to problems with unclear prints and now gain access using PIN codes. Visitors to the estate are issued with tags on verification with the resident and all details are recorded. On exiting, the tags are deposited into a drop box.

Cloud-based biometrics

The ERS Biometrics access control system is a true cloud-based security solution. The fingerprint devices are connected via the Internet to a central server which allows information management to be available as a continuous service. This allows access relating to resident’s information from anywhere, providing total remote monitoring. Access can be removed or granted at a click of a button and real-time reports can be drawn in the event of an incident.

The devices themselves are monitored remotely by ERS Biometrics to ensure they are operating optimally at all times. A dashboard at their Centurion offices indicate if a device is not communicating with the server for a set period of time, including with an alert if there is a power failure.

“Recently I was contacted by ERS as one of our devices was indicating a malfunction. I investigated, reset the device and it immediately came online. A few people have also been trained on the system. I found it easy to learn the operation, as support was a telephone call away,” adds Chayambuka.

He doesn’t claim that the access control system has solved all the problems, but believes that it has eliminated 99% that comes from outside the estate. “We have had one incident since putting in the system where a home was burgled of electronic equipment. This was a wake-up call to further tighten any security loopholes within the complex itself. We have been able to narrow down the sources of breached security and react much faster,” he says.

“Certainly, the top priority for securing the Estate is the safety of residents, particularly children, so that we can enjoy this lifestyle without fear. The access control system is an asset that adds value, putting Waterfall View Estate on par with the other Waterfall Estates in security features,” concludes Chayambuka.

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