ZXN Fitness

Lane 01 The door

Who lets the first member in at 05:45?

With their own fob or phone. ZXN Fitness checks each member at the door against their membership: paid up, allowed at this hour, waiver signed. If all three are true the door opens for a few seconds and the visit is recorded as a check-in. If not, it stays shut and the member's phone says why.

By . Last updated .

What happened here at 05:45 at Ferrous Yard?

Nobody has to. Sam holds a fob to the reader by the shutter. The software checks that Sam's membership is paid and allows this hour, opens the door for six seconds and records the visit. The owner is still asleep, and the first check-in of the day is already on the register.

  • 05:45:02Fob read at the front door
  • 05:45:02Membership paid, access allowed at this hour
  • 05:45:03Door open for six seconds, check-in recorded

Ferrous Yard is a gym we made up for this page: a strength and conditioning gym in a unit on an industrial estate, with one class room, a free-weights floor, a front desk, two coaches and an owner who would rather be coaching. No real gym is meant.

What does the door check before it opens?

Three things, in the time it takes to lift a fob to the reader.

  • The membership is active and paid, or inside its grace period after a failed payment.
  • The membership allows this hour and this door: a daytime plan does not open the door at 05:45.
  • The waiver and PAR-Q are signed and current.

A member who fails a check is told why on their phone, and the front desk sees the same reason in the staff app.

How is a check-in recorded?

Every opening is a check-in against the member, with the time and the door. Members can also check in at the desk tablet or with the code on their phone, so a gym without a door controller still keeps a register. The register is what the office screen counts at 09:00 and what the staff app lists at 17:30.

What happens to a member whose payment has failed?

The gym chooses. By default there is a grace period of a few days: the door still opens, and the member sees a note asking them to update their card. When the grace period ends the door stays shut until the payment is made, and the member can pay from their phone at the reader. What happens behind the scenes is in the front desk at 07:10.

Who sets the opening hours?

The owner, and anyone they make a manager. Opening hours, staffed hours and the hours each membership allows are set on one screen, and the door locks itself at the end of the day, as it does at Ferrous Yard at 22:00.

Which parts of the suite are at work in the door?

What else do gym owners ask about the door?

Does it need special door hardware?

It works with an electric lock and a reader at the door. A gym without one can run check-in from the desk tablet or the member's phone, and add the door later.

Can a member lend their fob to a friend?

Each fob belongs to one member. A fob used twice within a few minutes at the same door is flagged in the staff app, so the desk can have a word.