Bolan - Leading Security Turnstile Gate Manufacturer & Supplier Since 2011
How Advanced Infrared Sensors in Security Turnstile Gates Protect Offices Anti-tailgating
It is 8:45 AM at a busy corporate headquarters in Munich. Employees are streaming through the lobby, holding coffees and chatting as they head to their desks. Employees swipes their RFID card, the glass doors of the speed gate swing barriers open, and they walk through. Right behind them, a stranger in a business suit smiles, holding a smartphone to their ear, and seamlessly slips through the open gate before the glass panels close.
No alarms sound. No security guards notice. The perimeter has been breached.
This scenario is known in the security industry as tailgating (or trailing), and it remains the single biggest weakness in corporate access control today. You can spend millions of Euros or Dollars on encrypted smart cards, biometric facial recognition, and cybersecurity software, but if your physical barriers cannot detect a second body slipping through an open door, your entire security posture is compromised.
For facility managers across Europe, stopping unauthorized entry without slowing down the morning rush is a critical challenge. The ultimate solution lies not in stricter guard patrols, but in the invisible, intelligent technology hidden inside modern optical turnstile speed gates: Advanced Infrared (IR) Sensor Matrices.
Let's explore the mechanics of tailgating, the human psychology behind it, and how the sensor technology engineered by manufacturers like Bolan Security effectively defeats it.
The Flaw of Traditional Access Control: The "Politeness Problem"
Why is tailgating so common? The answer lies in basic human psychology. We are socially conditioned to hold doors open for one another. In a European or American corporate environment, slamming a door in a colleague's face—or questioning a confident-looking stranger in a suit—feels incredibly rude.
Hackers, corporate spies, and opportunists exploit this "politeness problem." They rely on social engineering, dressing the part, and simply following authorized personnel through standard doors or outdated tripod turnstiles that lack intelligent detection.
To remove the burden of conflict from your employees, the physical barriers must take over the decision-making process. The gate itself must act as an objective, tireless security guard.
The Anatomy of Defense: How Infrared Sensor Matrices Work
Modern speed gates (also known as optical turnstiles) do not just rely on the physical barrier of the glass panels. Their true power comes from a highly sophisticated network of infrared beams traversing the passageway.
If you look closely at the interior walls of a premium speed gate cabinet, you will notice a dark acrylic strip running along the length of the lane. Behind this strip sits an array of IR transmitters on one side and IR receivers on the other.
When powered on, these sensors create an invisible, high-density Infrared Matrix across the lane.
- Continuous Scanning: The transmitters continuously fire infrared beams to the receivers.
- Breaking the Beam: When a person walks into the lane, their body breaks specific beams in a specific sequence.
- Algorithmic Processing: The logic board inside the turnstile analyzes which beams are broken, for how long, and in what order.
At Bolan Security, we often install 6 pairs of sensors on our common swing barrier, wing turnstile, etc, but on our high end speed gates utilize high-density arrays (often 12 to 24 pairs of sensors per lane). This creates a high-resolution "digital footprint" of whatever is moving through the gate, processed in milliseconds by our proprietary algorithms.
Defeating Specific Intrusion Tactics
With a high-density IR matrix, a speed gate can instantly identify the difference between normal passage and a security breach. Here is how advanced logic boards defeat the three most common unauthorized entry tactics:
1. The Classic Tailgate (Following Too Closely)
The Tactic: A second person walks immediately behind an authorized user, hoping to pass before the glass panels close.
The Defense: As the authorized user breaks the entry sensors, the system calculates their size and speed. If a second mass is detected breaking the beams even a fraction of a second later, the IR matrix recognizes it as a separate entity. The system immediately triggers an audible alarm, flashes red LED indicators to alert security personnel, and snaps the glass barriers shut instantly after the first person clears the safety zone.
2. Piggybacking (Collusion)
The Tactic: Two people squeeze together side-by-side or front-to-back, attempting to appear as one large person to fool the sensors.
The Defense: This is where the density of the IR matrix is crucial. High-resolution sensors analyze the shape and volume of the object in the lane. If the system detects a shape that is abnormally long or wide—indicating two bodies—it will deny access and trigger an alarm.
3. Wrong-Way Entry (The Sneak-In)
The Tactic: An intruder waits on the unsecured side of the lobby. When an authorized employee exits the building, the intruder quickly rushes into the lane against the flow of traffic before the gate closes.
The Defense: The IR matrix is directional. It knows exactly which sequence the beams should be broken in (e.g., from Zone A to Zone C). If beams in the exit zone are broken while an authorized user is exiting, the system detects the "wrong-way" motion. It immediately fires an alarm and drives the motor to hold the barrier closed against the intruder.
The Users Experience Challenge: Minimizing False Alarms
A system that alarms every time a CEO pulls a rolling suitcase through the lobby will quickly be disabled by frustrated guards. The hallmark of a truly advanced speed gate is its ability to differentiate between a piece of luggage and a human intruder.
Modern algorithms are programmed to recognize common objects. Because a rolling suitcase or a backpack hangs low to the ground and follows a predictable trajectory directly connected to the authorized user, the IR matrix maps it as "luggage" rather than a trailing person. This ensures a smooth user experience (UX) for employees while maintaining zero tolerance for human tailgaters.
The European Context: Physical Security meets GDPR
For European businesses, defeating tailgating is no longer just about protecting laptops and physical assets; it is deeply tied to GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) compliance.
If an unauthorized individual tailgates their way into an office building, they gain physical access to unlocked computer terminals, printed documents, and server rooms. A physical breach rapidly becomes a data breach. European and American regulators expect organizations to implement robust measures to protect personal data. Deploying anti-tailgating speed gates at your perimeter is a highly visible, effective way to prove that your facility takes data security seriously from the moment someone steps through the front door.
Upgrade Your Perimeter with Bolan Security
Relying on the "honor system" or outdated mechanical gates leaves your facility exposed to everyday security threats. Upgrading to optical speed gates equipped with intelligent infrared sensor matrices is the only reliable way to automate your lobby security, prevent tailgating, and protect your company's assets.
At Bolan Security, our engineering team has spent years perfecting the optical sensor algorithms inside our speed gates. Designed to handle the high throughput of European corporate offices, our systems offer a perfect balance of architectural elegance, smooth employee access, and ruthless tailgating detection.
Is your lobby truly secure against unauthorized entry?
Visit us to explore our range of anti-tailgating optical turnstile gates, or contact us today to request technical data sheets and discuss how our infrared technology can protect your facility.
