Guard Tour Systems have been around for years. Initially there were the old Detex systems with special keys and heavy recorders using paper disks. They were expensive and hard to read.
Starting in the ‘80s, companies began to use various devices such as “wand” systems to record “iButtons” that marked the checkpoints. These systems only read the date, time, and ID of the specific iButton. The recordings were held on the wand until they could be downloaded using a separate device connected to a computer. While much better than the Detex systems, the wands were limited as to the information they could collect and the downloading was time consuming and cumbersome.
Starting around 2010, smartphones began to replace wands and other less effective proprietary scanning devices. Smartphones could collect a much broader range of information including the name of the officer making the recording, pictures, GPS, written notes and more. Furthermore, smartphones could send the collected data at any time without the need for other devices or computers. Lastly, smartphones are less expensive.
Smartphones read various types of checkpoint markers. The least expensive are barcodes and QR codes. While less expensive, they can be easily copied. There are examples where guards took pictures of each QR code. After making copies of these pictures, they were able to scan a copy of each checkpoint from a single location, such as their desk.
Technology will continue to evolve, but today the most effective and secure checkpoint marker is a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag. They are slightly more expensive but still cheaper than iButtons. It is also easier and quicker to read an NFC tag than either a QR code or iButton.
Until recently only Android smartphones could read NFC tags. Finally bowing to competitive pressure, Apple introduced the ability to read NFC tags with their iPhone 7 and later models. Note – The NFC reading Android smartphones are far less expensive.
While there are thousands of wand systems still in use, they are slowly being replaced by smart devices. These devices provide a more comprehensive approach to physical security.
