How to Choose a Turnstile: Tripod, Full-Height or Speed Gate

The tripod — three rotating arms — is the most common and affordable turnstile for offices and small factory entrances. It disciplines the flow to one-by-one and counts passages well, but jumping over it is physically possible — a tripod works where a guard or a concierge is nearby.

A full-height rotor turnstile rules passage out physically: a person-height structure that cannot be climbed. Its place is factory perimeters, construction sites, stadiums and remote checkpoints without permanent guards. Speed gates — fast lanes with glass wings — are the choice of business centers and lobbies: elegant, quick, up to 30 people per minute per lane.

The flow dictates the identification method. Cards and fobs are cheap and familiar, but the morning wave stalls on "dig the card out of the bag". Facial recognition passes people on the move — the terminal recognises an employee in a fraction of a second, hands free. QR codes suit one-time visitors: the pass arrives on the phone before the visit.

Count the peak honestly: if a 500-person shift enters in 20 minutes, you need several lanes or fast biometrics, otherwise a queue outside is guaranteed. We model the flow during selection and say plainly how many lanes your entrance needs.

The turnstile itself is half the estimate. It needs readers on both sides, an access controller, backed-up power, railings to form the corridor, and a mandatory swing gate — for wheelchair users, bulky loads and evacuation. On a fire alarm the turnstiles must unlock automatically — a code requirement, so the link to the fire alarm goes into the design.

Integrations turn the entrance into a data source: the attendance link sends the timesheet to the ERP, the CCTV link ties every passage to footage, and anti-passback stops a second person on the same pass.

The budget depends on the type: a tripod is the most affordable; a speed gate costs severalfold more for its mechanics and glass; a rotor sits between, depending on the build. Add installation with floor anchoring, commissioning and rights configuration. An outdoor version with heating is a separate line for gate posts without a pavilion.

We install ZKTeco and Hikvision turnstiles from Tashkent stock: survey, selection for flow and design, installation in one or two days, integration with access control and attendance, warranty and service across Uzbekistan. The entrance calculation is free.

Turnstile life is rated in millions of passages, and it reaches that figure only with scheduled maintenance. Twice a year, check the floor anchors, the lubrication of the damper mechanism, wear on the arms, and the free-passage mode that releases the arms when power is cut — fire regulations require it.

Outdoors and in unheated entrances the housing also has to cope with dust and moisture, and in winter the mechanism needs a heater. A painted steel column lasts noticeably less than a stainless one in that environment, and saving on the housing shows up as rust streaks within the first season.