Boom barrier with RFID or ANPR: which suits your site?

A boom barrier stops vehicles at the gate. What opens it decides how smooth and secure your entry is. The two most common options are RFID tags and ANPR cameras.

RFID (UHF) tags

A small tag is stuck on each resident or staff vehicle's windscreen. A long-range UHF reader at the gate reads the tag and opens the barrier automatically.

• Strengths: fast, reliable in most light and weather, and well proven
• Limits: each vehicle needs a tag, and tags must be issued and removed when vehicles change

ANPR cameras

An ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) camera reads the number plate and opens the barrier for registered vehicles. It also records every vehicle with a photo.

• Strengths: no tags, and every vehicle is logged with its number and photo
• Limits: needs clear, standard number plates and good camera placement and lighting

Visitors and delivery vehicles

Visitors can be handled by guards with a button, by a visitor management system that issues a pass, or by ANPR entries logged against the visitor record.

Our usual recommendation

• Housing societies: RFID for residents, with ANPR logging at the gate if budget allows
• Offices: RFID or ANPR for staff, plus visitor management
• Factories and warehouses: ANPR to log trucks, with RFID for staff vehicles

Also plan for safety: loop detectors or sensors stop the boom from coming down on a vehicle.