Open Doors Without Touching Anything. Required for Healthcare and Food Processing.

A touchless wave entry system uses a motion detector, typically a passive infrared or microwave sensor mounted above or beside a door, that activates the door's automatic opener or access control release when a person waves their hand in the sensor's detection zone. No card, no PIN, no physical contact with any surface. The wave gesture is detected within 1 to 3 seconds, the access control system receives a trigger signal, and the door unlocks and opens automatically or the electromagnetic lock releases. Some installations combine a wave sensor with a credential reader: the credential authenticates, then the wave opens the door hands-free.

Healthcare facilities are the primary application in Texas: operating room entries, ICU corridor doors, medication room access, and any door where staff carry items or require gowned hands-free passage. Food processing and commercial kitchen environments use them for hygiene compliance where hand contact with surfaces must be minimized. Corporate offices use them at lobby doors, cafeteria entries, and restroom corridors to reduce high-touch surfaces. Post-pandemic retrofits in Austin and Houston office buildings frequently add wave sensors to main entry points as a permanent hygiene feature.

For full hands-free operation, yes. The wave sensor triggers a signal that needs to activate something: an automatic door opener (low-energy or full-power), an electromagnetic lock release, or an electrified strike. If the door already has an automatic opener, we connect the wave sensor to the opener's activation input. If the door uses an electromagnetic lock with an existing access control panel, the wave sensor connects to the panel as an input that triggers the door release. For doors that are push-pull manual, an automatic low-energy operator must be added for the wave entry to function.

Detection zone configuration is the key. Motion sensors have adjustable sensitivity and detection range, typically set to activate only within 12 to 18 inches of the wave gesture zone. Sensors mounted at the correct height and angle minimize side-approach false triggers. Bi-level sensors that require both upper and lower zone activation reduce false triggers from passing foot traffic. We tune each sensor during installation, testing for false activation from adjacent corridors and high-traffic paths before the installation is accepted.

Yes, and this is the recommended configuration for controlled-access areas. The user presents their card or mobile credential to authenticate, then waves to open the door. Authentication confirms they are authorized; the wave opens the door hands-free after the authentication succeeds. This two-step process also provides an audit log: the credential swipe ties the door open event to a specific person. Pure wave-to-open without credential authentication is appropriate for general-use doors where occupancy is unrestricted but contact with door handles needs to be minimized.

ADA requires that accessible entrances be operable without grasping, pinching, or twisting. A wave-activated automatic door opener satisfies this requirement. The wave sensor must be mounted at a reachable height per ADA 308, typically between 15 and 48 inches above the floor. The activation zone must be accessible from a wheelchair approach angle. Low-energy automatic openers must meet ANSI/BHMA A156.19 standards for opening force and speed. We design wave entry installations to meet ADA technical specifications and note compliance in our project documentation.

Commercial-grade sensors from Optex, Camden Door Controls, and Seco-Larm are rated for continuous operation in commercial environments. MTBF ratings for quality sensors run in the hundreds of thousands of cycles. The main maintenance requirement is lens cleaning, particularly in dusty industrial or food processing environments where particulate accumulation can reduce sensitivity or cause false triggers. We recommend a quarterly inspection schedule for healthcare and industrial installations. Sensor replacement, when needed, typically runs 30 to 60 minutes per door.

Yes. Wave sensors provide a dry-contact output that connects to existing access control panels as a request-to-exit or door-trigger input. Most commercial access control platforms including Lenel, Software House, Brivo, and Genetec support these inputs natively. The access control panel logs the input event, which records the door release alongside any credential event. We confirm input availability on your panel during the site survey and identify any panels that require an expansion module to support additional inputs.