No marketing fluff. Every claim cited. Every number sourced. Written by the people on the factory floor for the people spec'ing access control on a real US project.
28.6k words
NFPA · ADA · IBC · UL · AISI
August 3, 2026
US engineering team
Three articles, one decision, designed to be read end to end. Start broad, narrow to a class, land on a real number you can quote.
By topic
Five buyer-side topics, mapped to where you are in the process.
Series · 3 parts
Three articles, one decision, designed to be read in sequence by anyone spec'ing access control for a US commercial site.
The 2026 specifier's guide to speed gates vs tripod vs full-height turnstiles. Throughput, security tier, ADA and NFPA, vertical fit, and 7-year TCO.
Read part 1An 8-dimension head-to-head: optical speed gates vs tripod turnstiles. Tailgating, ADA, integrations (Lenel, Genetec, Honeywell), MTBF, and lifetime cost.
Read part 2A 2026 cost guide for commercial turnstiles in the US. Real hardware bands, transparent installed-cost line items, lead times, and 5-year TCO. No fluff.
Read part 3All articles
Showing 17 of 17 articles.
NewAlvarado turnstile alternatives compared by category with published specs, warranty terms, real lead times, and Alvarado's dormakaba Group ownership explained.
Gatestile Engineering Team
Aug 3, 2026
NewDormakaba turnstile alternatives compared by category, Kerberos, Charon, and Kentaur specs, US lead times, and dormakaba's own North American subsidiaries.
Gatestile Engineering Team
Aug 3, 2026
NewCompare Gatestile, Boon Edam, dormakaba, and Alvarado on US manufacturing, lead time, warranty, and published specs before you shortlist a turnstile supplier.
Gatestile Engineering Team
Jul 31, 2026
NewBoon Edam alternatives compared by category, speed gates, tripod turnstiles, and full-height units, with published specs, real lead times, and honest fit guidance.
Gatestile Engineering Team
Jul 30, 2026
NewAccess control manufacturer searches cover two different vendor types. Learn the split, how they integrate, and which one your project actually needs.
Gatestile Engineering Team
Jul 28, 2026
NewA buyer's guide to metro access control: how fare-gate turnstiles work, throughput, fare-system integration, ADA lanes, weatherproofing, and choosing.
Gatestile Engineering Team
Jul 27, 2026
NewA buyer's guide to access control gates for commercial lobbies: ADA pedestrian swing gates paired with turnstile or speed gate arrays, specs, and lead times.
Gatestile Engineering Team
Jul 25, 2026
NewWhat an access control vestibule is, how mantrap interlocks work, ADA and NFPA egress rules, real hardware options, and lead times to choose one.
Gatestile Engineering Team
Jul 24, 2026
NewHow data center facility managers spec turnstiles for mantrap entries, tailgating prevention, and colocation vs enterprise access control needs.
Gatestile Engineering Team
Jul 23, 2026
NewA vendor-neutral checklist for evaluating commercial turnstile manufacturers in 2026: lead times, warranty, certifications, US vs imported, and integration support.
Gatestile Engineering Team
Jul 22, 2026
NewA specifier's guide to full-height turnstiles: Gatestile's seven models, shared platform specs, ADA companion-lane rules, egress, site prep, and lead times.
Gatestile Engineering Team
Jul 18, 2026
How to keep a turnstile or speed gate install ADA compliant: the 32-inch rule, companion swing-gate lanes, force and timing, egress, and inspection failures.
Gatestile Engineering Team
May 29, 2026
How turnstiles and speed gates wire into HID, LenelS2, Genetec, and Honeywell: protocols, reader packages, REX, fire-alarm release, and anti-passback.
Gatestile Engineering Team
May 29, 2026
What to prepare before turnstiles arrive: power, conduit, flooring, structural blocking, surface vs embedded mounting, and lead-time sequencing for a smooth install.
Gatestile Engineering Team
May 29, 2026
A 2026 cost guide for commercial turnstiles in the US. Real hardware bands, transparent installed-cost line items, lead times, and 5-year TCO. No fluff.
Gatestile Engineering Team
May 6, 2026
An 8-dimension head-to-head: optical speed gates vs tripod turnstiles. Tailgating, ADA, integrations (Lenel, Genetec, Honeywell), MTBF, and lifetime cost.
Gatestile Engineering Team
May 2, 2026
The 2026 specifier's guide to speed gates vs tripod vs full-height turnstiles. Throughput, security tier, ADA and NFPA, vertical fit, and 7-year TCO.
Gatestile Engineering Team
Apr 29, 2026
Authority + growth
Authority
Every claim in our articles is anchored to a published code, an engineering standard, or a manufacturer datasheet. The full reference list:
Standards
Industry
Editorial standards
Four rules. The whole methodology fits on a sticky note.
Every claim is cited or labeled.
Manufacturer-published numbers cite the datasheet. Integrator-side estimates are explicitly labeled as estimates. Ranges include their source.
No sponsored content. Ever.
We don't accept payment to feature, promote, or omit. Our articles compare us against the competition honestly because the comparison holds up.
Articles are reviewed annually.
Codes change. Pricing drifts. The Updated date you see at the top of every article is the last time we walked the article line by line.
Real author. Named on every article.
Bylines are credentialed real people, not 'Gatestile Editorial Team.' E-E-A-T isn't a marketing checkbox; it's a discipline.
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The team behind these articles
Every article on the field guide is written by a named member of the Gatestile team: engineers, specifiers, and project-economics leads working on real US commercial access control every day.
Engineering & Specifications, Gatestile
Articles under this byline are produced by the Gatestile team behind our product catalog and project quotes, working from the same spec data we publish on our product pages. Every number is checked against Gatestile manufacturer spec data or the cited public standard before publishing.
Gatestile manufacturer spec data · Cited public standards (ADA 2010, NFPA 101, IBC, UL) · US-assembled in Brooklyn, NY
