Tailgating is when someone walks into your club by following a member through the door without swiping in themselves. No swipe means there's no record of entry, no proof they were there, no payment for services. It undermines your access control and chips away at both revenue and security
If members are letting friends in, or strangers are slipping through during busy periods, you’re effectively running an open door.
Setting up a tailgating detection system helps to;
- Protect revenue: Unpaid usage isn’t harmless. Over time, it adds up , especially in 24/7 or low-staffed clubs.
- Create accountability: If something is damaged or goes missing, you need to know who was inside. Without a recorded entry, you have no trail to follow.
- Change behaviour: Visible monitoring and clear enforcement reduce door holding and casual rule-breaking.
- Reduce admin: Your team doesn’t need to babysit the door or review footage manually. The system flags the exceptions for you.
How Tailgating Detection Works with GymMaster
GymMaster’s Tailgating Detection works alongside your access control to automatically flag suspicious entries.
The setup includes two cameras at your entrance:
One counts how many people enter per tag swipe
One captures a clear image of each person entering
The system compares the number of swipes against the number of people who walked in. If extra people enter, the system flags it immediately.
Inside GymMaster, you’ll see:
The member whose tag was used
A captured image of the entry
The incident logged on the Visitors page
Is It a Good Fit for Your Club?
Tailgating Detection is worth considering if:
You operate unstaffed or after-hours access
You suspect members are bringing friends in
You’ve had theft or damage issues
You want tighter control without hiring more staff
Can you confidently say you know exactly who is inside your facility at any given time? If the answer is no, tailgating detection gives you that visibility without adding complexity to your day-to-day operations.
If your club is fully staffed during all open hours and tailgating has never been an issue, it may not be necessary.
For More Information, see our pricing, and tailgating setup pages.
Common Questions this Covers
- What is tailgating
- Do we need tailgating
- How do we stop members letting their friends into the club
- How do we prevent unwanted access to club
- How do we prevent non-member access
- Can we setup access cameras
- Can we monitor illegal access to club