Using the Kentix SmartXcan with Access Control Systems

The Kentix SmartXcan has been helping to keep our team safe during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Paired with an access control system, you too can create a smart solution which can limit access for people whom’s body temperature may be higher, helping to reduce the risk of transmission. We’ve taken a look at access control systems and how the Kentix SmartXcan can integrate with your existing infrastructure.

Buildings have made use of access control systems for decades. Hospitals, care homes, apartment blocks, office buildings, public buildings, anywhere you can think of there is likely an access control system in place. These access control systems are in place to ensure that the right people can access the right areas of a building, and that the wrong people cannot.

However, with the rise of COVID-19, an access control system based only on access permissions may no longer be enough. This is where the new SmartXcan unit from Kentix comes in.

How can the Kentix SmartXcan help?

Because of the pandemic, not only is there now a concern of whether the correct people are allowed access to a building, there is also the concern of whether that person is likely to spread a disease that they are not even aware they are carrying. This is why Kentix have designed the SmartXcan to not only act as a stand-alone unit to advise the user whether or not they have a fever – the first symptom of a viral infection in 90% of cases – but to also integrate with an access control system through its multiple interfaces.

Using anonymous readings via its thermal imaging camera, and deleting them quickly after reading, allows the SmartXcan to be fully GDPR-compliant, and using contactless technology it removes the concern of itself being a surface for COVID-19 to spread.

The SmartXcan can either use webhooks to send a HTTP signal to a network-based access control system whenever it scans someone, or use its digital outputs to wire into a legacy system and say “this person is fine, let them in if they are authorised” or “this person has a fever, do not let them in, even if they are authorised”.

With stock readily available, the Kentix SmartXcan provides an ideal solution to help protect those who are unable to work from home. For assistance with developing your IoT solutions and integrating devices with your existing equipment get in touch to discuss your requirements.

Kentix SmartXcan Fever Screener Review

We’ve been busy testing the new Kentix SmartXcan Fever Screening device, throughout this blog we’ll be sharing our findings and thoughts in our Kentix SmartXcan Review.

The Kentix SmartXcan (which we pronounce Smart Scan) is designed to quickly take a reading of human body temperature for the purpose of fever screening.

What is it?

The idea is that you have the device inside the entrance to your building and any visitors, staff etc. will scan themselves on entry before proceeding further. If their body temperature is above a certain threshold then a visual and audible alarm sounds and that person must then leave (and would probably be recommended to self-isolate).

I feel that this will play an important part in controlling the spread of COVID-19 as we learn to live with the virus in the longer term. I also feel that people’s attitudes towards the spread of illness will change forever and people will be more aware of bringing any illness into a workplace such as influenza.

The device is a compact unit in plastic casing, there are no buttons on it for normal usage so it is designed to be zero touch to avoid spreading germs. It contains a number of sensors used to take a reading. The main component is a thermal imaging sensor, there are also a distance sensor, ambient temperature and humidity sensors.

How it works…

How it works is, you hold your head roughly 30cm in front of the device, the distance sensor then activates the thermal imaging sensor and a thermal reading is taken. So there is no need for anyone to touch the device in operation at all. This is combined with the ambient temperature & humidity and ran through Kentix’s algorithms to work out a body temperature. It recognises the area around the eyes to do this so it is getting a body temperature rather than a skin surface temperature. In my testing, it is very accurate when compared with a digital mouth thermometer.

If the reading is below a certain pre-set temperature, then the LEDs on the front of the device light up green and a single loud beep sounds, you are OK to go. If the temperature is slightly above this level, some red LEDs will appear along with a prolonged and repeating beeping, if the temperature is above the highest set threshold then the alarm is more insistent. The device comes with sensible default settings for these levels but they are fully adjustable.

This is an image of my head from the Kentix SmartXcan web interface, looks like I don’t have a fever today

Installing the Kentix SmartXcan

To use the scanner stand-alone there’s nothing you need to do other than power it on. It is powered by standard 802.3af 15.4W PoE (Power-over-Ethernet) so can either be connected to a PoE enabled network, or an injector can be used (which we can also supply if needed). When powered on, the thermal sensor needs time to warm up which takes ten to fifteen minutes, the LEDs around the sensor will flash red until it is ready to use, so bear that in mind when testing, you do need to wait for it to warm up.

Going further, the device has a built-in API which you can use to remote control it and it can integrate with other systems using webhooks, either for logging activity (such as anonymous temperature readings, or non-anonymous if using the RFID version with tags for your staff), or integration with access control systems to actually stop people with fevers and high temperatures from going further into your building.

One thing to note is that the device must be used indoors, because it needs to be able to take an accurate temperature reading, direct sunlight and variable temperatures experienced outside will affect it’s performance.

The Verdict…

I have scanned myself with it many times and fortunately I appear to have never have had a fever. Amusingly though, my cat jumped on to my desk (since I’m currently working from home still) and looked at the scanner. It took a reading and decided my cat had a slight fever with a temperature of 38.5 degrees. This did worry me slightly but after a web search, I discovered that a cat’s normal body temperature is between 38 and 39 degrees. So it would seem it accurately read my cat’s temperature too!

A nuisance but fever free

I don’t think fever/temperature screening is the be-all and end-all of protecting work places and public places from COVID-19 but I do feel that it is an important part of it and this device when coupled with other measures can help us get back to some level of normality.

I know there are concerns with any device that is taking any kind of image of people, however this is fully GDPR compliant in that it is not obtaining any identifying information at all. That is unless you are using the RFID version and intentionally logging temperatures of staff, it is then up to you to handle that data correctly. It’s worth mentioning that the device doesn’t actually store the thermal images, it just displays them temporarily in the web interface. As you can see from above, it is not possible to identify a person from these.

We will have stock in very soon so please get in touch to find out more.