24 hour Gym prevents unauthorised access using Door Detective
ClubFit24 are an independent gym in Rushden, Northants looking to differentiate themselves in the very competitive fitness market. With more and more players coming in, almost daily it seems, it is very hard for the independents to compete with the financial clout of the budget chains.
As with most things these days, offering consumers as much choice as possible is key and when it comes to a gym that usually means what time of day they can access the gym.
So, ClubFit24 have decided to go 24 hour. Working in conjunction with ClubWise Software who provide the Leisure management software, All Right Now Ltd have successfully installed a new access control system that provides customers with reliable 24 hour access whilst still providing a high level of security. Stephen Goodridge from All Right Now commented: “We visited ClubFit24 to understand the client’s needs and offer an appropriate solution. The Door Detective linked to the internal CCTV system is a perfect compromise between cost and effectiveness.”
A previous fingerprint system was at best unreliable. Key requirements for the new system were a more reliable but secure form of access control as well as providing 24 hr access to members. ClubWise’s member app, FitSense, generates a single-use QR code which means that members don’t need to be issued with cards. The external door to the facility, which has an outdoor rated reader on it, is only secured during hours for which the club is not staffed. Once the customer has scanned the app on their smartphone, if their membership is valid, the door releases and they then have a number of seconds to proceed through the door. On the other side of the door, connected directly to the CCTV system is a product called the Door Detective (DD) from IDL which provides turnstile level access on an access controlled door. It has always been the problem with door access control that once the door has been opened any number of people can pass through the door unchallenged. The Door Detective uses the same technology as IDL’s range of intelligent turnstiles and effectively counts people through the door. So if you try and proceed through the open door the Door Detective will alarm and, linked to the internal CCTV system, will send a notification to the staff that there has been an unauthorised entry.
The Door Detective sits neatly behind the door with all the wiring hidden in the door frame and is connected to the electronic strike lock mechanism on the door. It was also important for the owner, Laurence James, the Co-Owner of Clubfit24, that the system could be disabled during the day as the reception area is usually staffed. Laurence is pleased with the result: “We decided to move over to All Right Now Ltd after using another access control company for 14 months, with whom we had constant issues. I was passed to Bob, who was immediately more pro-active and helpful than anyone from our former contractor. Bob organised for himself and Stephen to come out and conduct a site survey. As we operate as a 24 hour gym, both Bob and Stephen accepted that changing over control systems was a high priority. They attended the survey just a week after initial enquiry and had a quote with me just 24 hours later. I decided to go with this and they helped work to our tight lead time, with regular updates from Bob. Post installation, I can be positive about the product itself, which works very well and is a much more durable and reliable system than our previous one. Stephen has been fantastic: if we have had any queries regarding the system, he is always on call to help. I would definitely recommend this company.”
To find out more about the Door Detective, or any other products and services All Right Now offer, please contact our team by calling +44 (0)1295-660566 or send us an email to enquiries@allrightnow.co.uk.
To find out more about the ClubWise software solution and the FitSense app visit www.clubwise.com or call Guy Foster on +44 (0)1844-348301 or email sales@clubwise.com.
