Sunday, June 1, 2008

Intro to technology

There are 3 main areas of technology that need to be addressed when creating a 24/7 operation:
  1. Access Control
  2. Surveillance
  3. Security

The access control system includes hardware specific to your door, your computer and fitness management software, a card reader and door controller, and various cables and wires linking all of the components together. This system is responsible for allowing members access to your club, depending on their membership status, while keeping non members out.

Surveillance systems provide you with a way to view the comings and goings of your members while your facility is unstaffed. Typically, these are digital surveillance systems, which have begun replacing older time lapse VCR's.

A security system provides a monitored system of panic buttons and necklaces. The security system may also include such things as door sensors, smoke detectors, and glass break detectors.

Each of the three systems mentioned above have several components. I plan to devote a post to each of the three systems, providing a detailed breakdown of each of them. In the next post, I'll discuss everything related to the access control system. This system is generally the one that is least understood by our customers, so I will do my best to make sure I break it down in to easy to understand pieces.

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