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Single-reader turnstile

Turnstar's Tribune turnstile provides a high level of security and also allows for substantial cost-savings when an installation is using high-cost biometric readers. This is because the Tribune uses a single-reader - as opposed to two readers required by conventional bi-directional turnstiles.

The Tribune's status as a secure turnstile stems from its advanced rotation locking cycle that ensures that only one authorised person at a time can pass through the turnstile. The ultra-secure cycle begins with an external pushbutton that unlocks the turnstile. Once unlocked, the arms can be rotated from 0° to 45°, centring the user within the turnstile's framework and activating the internally mounted single-reader. An important feature here is that the reader cannot be accessed from the outside and is only activated when the arms are in the 45° position.

With authorisation verified, the turnstile automatically unlocks and allows the arms to move from 45° to 90° so that the user can continue through the turnstile. However, if authorisation fails, the arms will only rotate from 45° back to 0°, meaning that the unauthorised person is compelled to exit the turnstile in the direction they entered.

The Tribune also ensures that access transactions cannot be falsified. Sidney Sacks, Turnstar's MD explains: "If the Tribune is used with a time and attendance system, nobody can clock in or out without passing through the turnstile. With a conventional turnstile it is possible to falsify clock-ins simply by swiping your card and then simulating entry by rotating the turnstile's arms."

Another key feature is that the operating cycle only allows one reading at a time. This eliminates the possibility of multiple false transactions - something that is particularly important if the access system uses card readers.

As the use of biometrics increases in access control, so too does the demand for hardware that complements biometric systems. Pat Cooke, Turnstar's head of engineering, says: "The Tribune was developed in order to reinforce and extend the benefits delivered by biometrics. It is particularly effective at maintaining the strictest control over authorised access and it integrates with any biometric system."

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