Most secured doors release with a push of an exit button. A touch-free exit sensor does the same job with no contact at all: wave a hand near the sensor and the door releases. Simple idea — but in the right building it's the difference between a door people fight with and one they never think about.
How a no-touch sensor works
The unit contains an infrared sensor that detects a hand entering its detection zone — typically adjustable from a few centimetres up to around 15–20cm. When it triggers, its relay switches exactly like a pressed exit button: power to the maglock is interrupted (or the strike is energised) and the door opens. LED indicators confirm the trigger, usually changing from red to green.
To your access control wiring, it is an exit button — same COM/NO/NC connections, same position in the circuit. If you can wire a push-to-exit switch, you can wire a no-touch sensor.
Where touch-free earns its keep
- Healthcare and care settings — clinical areas where hand contact with shared surfaces is the enemy. This is where no-touch exit became standard.
- Food preparation and kitchens — staff with gloved, wet or full hands can leave without touching anything.
- Laboratories and clean rooms — contamination control on the way out, not just the way in.
- Busy staff corridors — anywhere people pass through with armfuls of stock, trays or tools. A wave beats an elbow-press.
- Post-2020 workplaces generally — plenty of facilities teams now spec touch-free as the default for shared doors, purely for hygiene expectations.
Where a push button is still the better choice
Touch-free isn't automatically the upgrade. Stick with a mechanical press-to-exit button where:
- The area is tight — in a narrow corridor, a sensor set too wide can be triggered by people simply walking past. (Adjustable range helps; so does sensible placement.)
- You need certainty of intent — a physical press is unambiguous. On high-security doors, that matters.
- Users may not understand a sensor — in public-facing areas, a clearly labelled green button is self-explanatory to everyone, including visitors and children.
What to check before you buy
- Detection range adjustment — essential for narrow spaces; set the zone so a deliberate wave triggers it and passing traffic doesn't.
- Relay contacts — COM/NO/NC change-over contacts work with both fail-safe maglocks and fail-secure strikes.
- Status LEDs — visible confirmation the door has released stops people pushing against a still-locked door.
- Timed output — an adjustable release time (how long the door stays unlocked after a wave) saves fiddling at the controller.
- Your escape route rules still apply — on designated escape routes, a touch-free sensor complements but does not replace emergency release provisions such as break glass call points.
Thinking of going touch-free? See our no-touch exit sensor range — stainless steel, LED-indicated and ready to wire in place of any exit button, with free next-day UK delivery when you order before 4pm. Not sure a sensor suits your corridor? Email hello@securemydoor.co.uk for free advice, 7 days a week.