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| A MOBOTIX access control and alarm system was integrated with Temple Fitness's membership software |
“Australia’s first female only 24/7 gym concept giving our members the opportunity to train in a comfortable, supportive environment surrounded by like-minded women.” This is the key marketing message of Miss Temple, the latest venture of Queensland’s 24-hour gym chain Temple Fitness.
Having already worked with Brisbane-based security integrator Alarm Innovations to install integrated access control and security systems at a number of their mixed-sex gyms, they knew they could trust the company to provide the right solution for their new single-sex facilities. With a female-only clientele, being able to assure their personal safety would be an absolute priority.
An integrated solution
An access control and alarm system was integrated with the gym’s membership software along with, importantly, a duress alarm should any member require urgent assistance. “In addition to safety and security, they particularly wanted to tackle the issue of tailgating, where more than one member goes through the turnstile on a single pass.” Kevin from Alarm Innovations explains. “This can be a big source of income loss for 24 hour gyms.”
Using MOBOTIX MxActivitySensor an alarm is triggered when more than one person enters on a single membership card, sending an email to the gym management with photos and the membership number of the card used. This is considerably cheaper than using an infrared beam, the main alternative until now. It is also possible to carry out spot checks to monitor the issue of membership sharing, when a non-member borrows a member’s card to enter the gym. This will enable them to gauge the extent of a problem which has been quite difficult to track until now.
Why MOBOTIX?
“We started using MOBOTIX cameras about two years ago.” Kevin says, “After some research, I really found that the image quality, analytics, reliability, and ease of installation or integration, far surpassed other brands at the same price.” These attributes made MOBOTIX technology very appealing for a gym environment.
The energy efficiencies, which |
The solution at Miss Temple combines a myriad of functions, from security, access control, anti-tailgating event triggering, and duress alarms, to motion detection for lighting in the entire building, and air conditioning control in some areas. The energy efficiencies, which have already been implemented at the existing mixed-sex Temple Fitness gyms, have brought savings going into the thousands of dollars. The system is configured and managed through the MOBOTIX video management software MxManagementCenter (MxMC) firmware, which comes free of charge with every camera. Further customisations can also be implemented to trigger alarms for unwanted behaviour, such as entering unauthorised areas, with breaches setting off a siren and alerting the control room.
A straightforward installation
The installation, which was completed in a few days and, according to Kevin, was very straightforward, employs mainly MOBOTIX Q25 cameras. These are ideal for indoor spaces, thanks to MOBOTIX hemispheric technology, which means an entire room can be covered by just one camera, with no blind spots. “This makes MOBOTIX a much more economical solution than other brands. For a similar price you would not be able to get an installation of the same standard, with all the features, image quality and ease of use.”
The operation is managed onsite through MxMC, with alarm and duress signals being sent to the Alarm Innovations’ 24/7 control room. The control room operators have access to a single camera at a time via the browser interface, which offers virtually all the functions of MxMC including live footage viewing, event searching and playback, and alarm management. Perhaps most importantly in this instance, they can use the built-in intercom to communicate with a person at the scene of an incident, as well as control ancillary devices such as lights and doors.
Being able to prove due |
Under duress
A real standout feature at this installation is the duress and incident management process. In the event of a duress alarm being triggered, a signal is sent via the alarm panel to the monitoring centre. There, an operator is able to log into the camera where the incident has occurred using the browser and assess the situation through observing the live footage, as well as communicate with persons affected. The inbuilt microphone and speaker, standard on all MOBOTIX cameras, provides this intercom functionality. The MOBOTIX MX-232-IO-Box enables control of external devices such as lights, and importantly in critical situations, allows the opening of doors to let emergency services enter.
Protecting the business and its customers
The benefits of an integrated security system, such as the one at Miss Temple, reach beyond the safety of patrons to offer protection for the business itself. Being able to prove due diligence on the part of the gym and precisely what has occurred on the part of the claimant, shields against false negligence and work cover claims.
This can help avoid the costs of unnecessary litigation proceedings, as well as reducing liability insurance premiums. It has already been shown to be effective with a recent case against one of the Temple Fitness gym franchises being dismissed after footage showed that the customer’s claim of having been assaulted in the car park was false.
A perfect tool
With help from Alarm Innovations and MOBOTIX technology, Miss Temple Fitness has been able to save time and money by streamlining operations, reducing energy consumption and insurance costs, and providing protection against fraud and litigation. Furthermore, by assuring their patrons safety out of hours, they have been able to provide a secure and welcoming environment for their female customers. In essence, MOBOTIX has proved to be the perfect tool to provide this optimal solution, which benefits the business and the clients in equal measure.
