TetraGate eliminates tailgating as security risk

These days the term “tailgating” refers to more than freeways and nose-to-bumper traffic. In the security field, tailgating is equally troubling — it denotes a breach by which one individual closely follows another through a door or other access point secured by the use of electronic identification cards.

Conventional access point security systems employ high-frequency RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) badges or smart cards to allow authorized people to open doors and enter secure zones. With these technologies, the person must be within six inches of the reader to swipe their card and open the door. However, this is when the problem of tailgating can occur. Other badges or cards in the vicinity are not picked up by the reader; therefore, the system doesn’t know there are other people entering at the same time — whether or not they actually possess a badge or card.

In response to this growing problem, epcSolutions has developed TetraGate, its exclusive, groundbreaking anti-tailgating software product. TetraGate, when combined with technologies and services from epcSolutions partners American Barcode and RFID, Zebra Card, Symbol Technologies, Fulcrum Biometrics and Infinova, forms a solution that can not only read a card/badge at 25 feet, but also match the cardholder’s face using biometric facial recognition. Using Generation 2 EPC (Electronic Product Code) and RFID open protocols as its base technology, TetraGate significantly increases the range by which a badge can be read. In fact, distances even greater than 25 feet can be achieved. The joint solution then employs biometric facial recognition to verify the identity of the ID badge holder, giving the person access to the door or zone. If the badge and face do not match, security personnel are alerted to process the exception according to pre-defined business rules.