News

Kiosks keeping Floridians safe

April 24, 2011

Residents living at Fairway Preserve in Naples, Fla., are feeling safer than ever now that they have a kiosk-based security system in place.

The condo community has installed a virtual access control kiosk created by the Whitestone Group, a Columbus, Ohio-based security company that has a regional office in Naples.

According to news-press.com, guests who visit Fairway now are connected via phone with a Whitestone operator upon approaching the community's gate. They scan their driver's license, and the operator confirms with the resident that the guest should gain entry.

The technology prints a parking tag that contains identifying information, such as a license plate number, that visitors must hang on their rearview mirrors.

The entry process takes about 30 seconds, according to Whitestone. Guests visiting for several days can gain access to parking tags with radio frequency identification, which is a type of tracking bar code, so that they don't have to dial the operator every time they enter.

The kiosks monitor how often guests visit, while the driver's license scan allows the company to follow up with background checks if any issues arise.

The cost
The kiosks range from $12,000 to about $20,000, depending on features, which could include cameras to capture license plates and faces, as well as intercom systems.

Whitestone developed its technology in response to the real estate downturn, said Jason Clark, regional vice president for Whitestone in Naples.

Communities that used to have security guards but could no longer afford them due to foreclosures and the economic times are using the technology, Clark said.

At $10 per hour, it would cost a community about $87,000 per year to cover one gate and one guard for 24 hours a day, according to the International Foundation for Protection Officers.

Rather than staffing a security guard 24 hours, communities - including Fairway, where approximately 190 of 264 units are occupied - can use Whitestone's contracted security guards to visit a few times throughout the day and night.

About 50 percent of Whitestone's clients didn't have any security in place prior to purchasing its kiosks, Clark said.