Firstly, there is no definitive answer to the question of which are the best door entry systems for gymnasia in Ireland today. This is because it will depend on the specific needs of the gym in question as well as what the gym owner wants. In some cases, bespoke card readers might be needed because of the way the gym membership works, especially useful for chains of gyms that allow members access to any of their facilities in the country. There again, other gyms will issue swipe cards for their members to use when they come into the facility so the ability to read them to allow access will be of most benefit.
Alternatively, if a touch-free environment is preferred, then radio-frequency identification (RFID) cards will be a good idea. Either way, such card readers can be connected to a door opening mechanism, usually triggered by an electromagnet, that will unlock the door to allow access. Of course, modern biometric scanners are another possibility. These take the unique physical characteristics of a person and will only allow someone to come in if they detect a match. With this approach, it is not possible for two people to share their access rights, perhaps by passing an RFID fob are membership card to one another. It is worth noting that some gyms may issue tickets for non-members to use, so the chosen access control system might need to be able to scan them as well as dealing with members’ access requirements.
Consequently, there are many different factors to take into consideration when weighing up the relative merits of different gym entry systems. Gym owners and managers should not necessarily settle for the first solution that presents itself but look into the return on investment they can expect from different gym entry systems as time passes on. This is certainly the case if the gym is part of a wider leisure facility, such as a hotel or a day spa, for example. In other words, the future business model of the gym should be taken into consideration as membership numbers rise and further facilities open. After all, not all gym entry systems will offer the same versatility going forwards with an expanding business.
Why Do Gyms Need Door Entry Systems?
Gym entry systems are installed for a wide variety of reason. Door entry systems might be needed, for example, simply to control access to the leisure facility to ensure that only authorised members are able to use the gym equipment and so on. Such a door entry system would be installed to help make sure that no one was using the gym without being a fully paid up member, perhaps alerting staff to the presence of someone who is not authorised to be there.
However, gym entry systems don’t just control access because they may also be used to track when members enter and leave the facility. In the first instance, this might be so that the gym’s fire limit is never exceeded with too many people present at the same time but it could also provide manager with useful analytics that lets them know which members are present and for how long. By tracking the entries and exits of individual members, so offers or incentives can be better personalised to their customer profiles. In addition, gym door entry systems can help to keep track of who is in the gym at any given time so that it is easier to monitor membership expiration dates and to target members who might have a contract renewal coming up soon.
Please bear in mind that gym entry systems can also be adapted to provide access to only certain parts of the facility, too. In other words, a membership card or a scannable ticket might not just allow or deny access at the gym’s main entrance but could also be used to control access to certain rooms inside. This could be useful for gyms that have tiered access, for example, where certain equipment or classes are only available to members with particular subscriptions. In addition, gym owners could use the same sort of technologies to work with lockers. In other words, scanning technology could be deployed to offer locker access controls without the need for a separate, key-based system.
Types of Door Entry Systems
There are plenty of different door entry systems that can be used in leisure settings these days. Options that are particularly suited to the requirements of modern gyms include:
- Keypad entry systems
- Card reader mechanisms
- Biometric scanners, such as fingerprint readers and retina scanners
- Near-field scanners that use RFID fobs issued to members
- Turnstiles with integrated card readers
- Ticket admission systems
Other Types of Access Control for Gyms
Door entry system systems are not the only way to control access to gyms. If you want to explore other types of gym entry systems, then you should also think about products like revolving doors which allow people to be seen as they access a building. In some cases, leisure centres will also want to control who has access to their car park. As such, automated barriers may be of use, especially when the gym is situated in a central location which might make the car park attractive to non-members who might be tempted to use it without authorisation.
