New Windsor Hills Security Gate

[conniehar90]

Here now. We have stayed at WH at least 5-6 times and love it. Our last visit was just last August. Well, they have now "upgraded" their security gate equipment and it is horrible!! In the past, you showed your pass as you enter and the gate had a motion sensor to open the gate for you. Now you receive a printed ticket with a barcode that you are supposed to scan in order to open the gate. It does not work well at all. This causes a back-up of 6-8 cars at all times! You even have to scan the pass to open the gate to get out! The reader just does not read the barcode well and every car is stuck there trying to get the machine to read it!

It is bad enough that we will probably not stay here in the future. So disappointing!

 

[dtum]

Maybe they are still working the bugs out of the system. Sure hope that is the case.

 

[XYSRUS]

Was just there and yes it's a little wonky, but it wouldn't deter me from staying there again. The problem is that people don't let the gate close/start to close from the person in front of you and when you scan your barcode you have no way of knowing if it was accepted and then you go forward and get stuck with the gate closing on you! One at a time people....one at a time.

 

[kidshop]

Do you think they are moving away from a manned gate? Why would you need to scan yourself in, if a guy is always there?

 

[conniehar90]

I think they were trying to help out the security guards so that they didn't have to check the date on everyone's pass like they did before. But, we noticed on a couple mornings this week that the guards were out by the scanner and were scanning the tickets for people to try to move it along - kind of like the CM's helping with the FP's at TSMM! Ha.

To the poster who suggests one at a time - the gate is sooooo slow that it takes forever for it to close and for the next person to scan. That is not the answer.

 

[XYSRUS]

Not close entirely. Yes, that would take too long. Just let it start to close. Scan your ticket and the gate wil open fully again.

 

[Badger Brent]

We just returned today from WH, and yes the new system has some bugs in it. The trick for us was to get close enough to lay the barcode flat on the reader. Once we did this, no problems. I did notice that when people were coming home from the parks around 10 pm, the guard stood there and waived people through as you showed your parking permit. Not nearly enough to keep a person from staying here though. Relax, it's a vacation.

 

[cey]

We have been at WH for almost 6 weeks now and have another 2 weeks to go. Yes, the new barcode entry system is very annoying and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. I was told that they do not have a manual override code to hold the gate open so vehicles could leave in a timely manner....... Yes, I do not want to be in Windsor Hills in the event of an evacuation. It would be a nightmare!

What I have noticed this year, for the first time in 6 years, is the large number of buses with baseball teams etc. The management companies are renting out houses to these teams and they are jamming them full of teenagers/young adults. I happened to be walking by as they were leaving one day and counted 15 young women leaving with their dufflebags out of one house. Ditto for the next two villas. As they had on their uniforms, it was a dead give-away who they were! These teams are gone all day but party at the main pool or their individual pools well into the wee hours. They also had to post signs in the gym area, banning all those individuals who were under 18. This was due to the amount of young people who were monopolizing the equipment and leaving the area in a mess! Trust me, you do not want to be renting near these groups of individuals! So much for the family atmosphere of WH.

My other pet peeve is the amount of people who are bringing dogs into the resort. There is a definite increase in small dogs, but I am talking about large dogs! The villa next door was rented for one week by a family with a German Shepherd and White Husky. These animals were locked inside the 4 bedroom villa all day and then the owners would let them out to do "their business" on the lawns. Not a good situation! I can also tell you that the cleaning staff did not spend any extra time, cleaning the villa. They were in and out of there within 60 minutes! If you or any of your family have pet allergies, my advice is to check with your owner or management company regarding their pet policy!

I have gone ahead and booked for two months next year, because I deal directly with my owner and I trust him and his management company, but I too have some concerns about the direction, WH is going!

 

[sjanus]

I do know it is a new system and they are still working out the bugs. They are not going to replace the 24 hour manned system. This system is meant to increase the security of the resort and is a top of the line system used in many major resorts. Please share your concerns with the HOA as they are very active and always looking to improve Windsor Hills. The website is www.windsorhillsmaster.com and you can send an e-mail voicing your concerns. Guests no longer have to pay a $10 per card returnable fee to access the amenities with the system, as the card once issued is used for all. I am sure the resort will value your feedback and make necessary changes along the way to make the system more efficient.

Sandy

 

[deejay-55]

Do you think they are moving away from a manned gate? Why would you need to scan yourself in, if a guy is always there?

The Windsor Hills HOA take security very seriously, and the new computerised system is there to help in that aim. This is additional to the guards on duty. We will certainly continue to visit with our family.

 

[dtum]

The Windsor Hills HOA take security very seriously, and the new computerised system is there to help in that aim. This is additional to the guards on duty. We will certainly continue to visit with our family.

I think the fact that some owners are renting to large school groups would keep me away more than the new security gate. I would hate to check in at my house only to find a spring break party going on next door.

 

[conniehar90]

I would imagine the lines to get in and out will be much worse this week and next. I understand security is important but at least find a security system that works. We took a couple of pictures from 8:00 am in the morning and 10pm at night. Seriously, there is a line of 10 cars trying to get in. If it was just one or two people that couldn't get it to work, I would understand, but every person has to attempt to scan their pass more than once because it just doesn't pick up the barcode. Get equipment that works! Thanks for the website - I will definitely voice my opinion.

Yep, it's a vacation and we had a great time. I am actually a VERY laid back person and not much bothers me. But inefficiency is one thing that does.

We did not notice any problems with large groups but we were in the condo area.

 

[Willa]

Just giving this thread a little bump to see if the gate is working any better, or for more tips about it!

 

[JenSinMA]

Just giving this thread a little bump to see if the gate is working any better, or for more tips about it!

I'm staying there now. Although we just checked in yesterday, we've been in & out several times already. The gate has worked flawlessly for me every time. Its just slow. Once it opens, it stayes open for several seconds. Once it *starts* to close you can put your barcode up to the reader and it will stop closing and reopen fully. Also, the instructions emphasize holding the barcode still in front of the reader--don't wave it. It usually hasn't taken long to get in or out, but once yesterday there was a backup of about 4 cars.
HTH. We're LOVING out house so far!

 

[Heluvsme]

Thanks for the update Jen, I've been curious as to how it's working since they first introduced it.

I'll keep checking back to this thread to see if there are anymore updates.