[Sandy and Ed]

Originally Posted by TrapX

I managed prox card access systems and they use old technology. It's a very simple system. The reader sends out a signal continuously, your card (or cloned card) gets powered up by that signal and transmits a very long number to reply. The reader checks that number to see if it is in the list of known good numbers, and open the gate if it is.
A cloned card reply is the exact same number as the original card it copied. If it was your card, the clone transmits your card number. It is not possible for the reader to tell the difference. If TV is not replacing cards, then every clone will continue to work.
Cloned cards (for a resident) has zero impact on the system. If they need the gate arm to open, it is still just one transaction to the system.
Cloned cards to non-residents is also not any additional impact to the system. One transaction - either the clone, or the button. Pay attention to what is being sold to us. Ask yourself why would those we trust be saying misleading things?

There are encrypted cards available. Much harder to clone. Also cost a lot more. I bought cards for about $0.10 in bulk, same ones as TV uses. Encrypted cards were about $5 last time I looked, and the readers were more expensive too. It would be over a million dollars more to change to encrypted cards. And the red buttons are still there because they are county owned roads.

Every swipe is logged - date, time, card number. Nothing prevents saving that data forever. Disk drives are cheap.

Wondering what the replacement controllers will cost us. Plus the labor to install. Annual costs too. The ongoing labor to maintain all those new cards and delete old cards from service. The ongoing cost for the computers and making backups. The ongoing cost for dedicated ethernet lines to every gate.
It will add up. My guess is $350k now, and over $1million yearly. I'm thinking this is money that isn't needing to be spent.

Make the entry gates work like the exit gates. That solution saves money now and in the future. Still slows traffic. Still looks like we are a gated place (for whatever that does).

You won me over. Logical. Has my vote. Makes sense. Get rid of the cards and readers and let the entry gates work same as exit gates. Where there are two entry gates make them have a staggered opening for a “zippered” entry effect.