- Traffic signal controls access to retail shops and eateries
- System counts visitors and sounds an alarm in the event of unauthorized access
- Easy to install and configure
Retailers are breathing a sigh of relief as they are finally allowed to reopen their businesses and start trading again. But current hygiene rules must still be observed as part of the ‘new normal.’ Business owners must ensure that social distancing rules are being followed on their premises.
A Deutsche Telekom traffic light system placed at the store entrance is a reliable way to control access.
“What businesses now need is reliable solutions for the ‘new normal’ in times of coronavirus,” says Rami Avidan, Senior Vice President for IoT at Deutsche Telekom.
“The access control lighting system helps them keep their customers as safe as they can be.”
The traffic light system is easy to understand. The solution counts every customer entering or leaving the premises. When the maximum number of visitors is reached the traffic light turns red. If customers ignore the signal the system sounds an alarm and an employee is notified via smartphone. As only a limited number of people is allowed to enter, the solution also helps ensure compliance with the social distancing rules in the shop or restaurant itself, and that without owners having to hire additional staff.
But not only in times of crisis is the IoT solution useful. It also offers businesses a significant general advantage by creating transparency on the flow of visitors in their stores. As it visualizes the footfall according to the time of day and day of the week, the system can be used, for example, to plan more accurately the numbers of staff needed at any point in time. Or to decide when best to schedule activities such as shelf-stacking or cleaning the cold store. The solution can be used in many different ways and adapted to different types of business.
The Internet of Things provides greater transparency
Deutsche Telekom’s IoT solution (Internet of Things) consists of two pillars placed a maximum of five meters apart from each other, to the right and left of the entrance door. They are connected to each other via a photoelectric barrier. Every time a customer enters or leaves the shop this movement it reliably detected by sensors, enabling the system to register the number of people who are currently in the shop. The solution’s traffic signal visualizes the current status accordingly, and the values are sent in real time through a gateway to the Cloud of Things via the mobile network.
