1987

Door alarm switches on rollup doors have always been known in the industry as a weak link in security. In 1987, Envirocom Inc began installing individual door alarms on roll-up doors for the storage industry.

We quickly noticed all the issues commonly associated with the typical door alarm switch and bracket. Issues like marginal operating gaps, flimsy brackets with loose nuts and bolts, poorly housed reed switches that were easily broken, magnets improperly installed due to unclear instruction, and, worst of all, difficult installation processes that made even the most experienced installers struggle.

These were only a handful of the examples all door alarm switches on the market had problems with. These are ALL major issues that any one of will cause a door alarm to malfunction or not even work at all. Individual door alarms on site are a crucial component to every storage facility that not only aids in the security of the property but also can be used to further automate the site when done properly.

So, we began to develop our own switch that would address every problem known to the storage industry.

1993

It took a few years and a couple of different iterations of what eventually became the Trackit Switch, but in 1993 after meticulous testing and careful engineering, Envirocom and our clients were confident our newly designed switch would outperform anything available on the market and began field testing.

The first property using the Trackit Switch was a site in the Houston area with 625 rollup doors all armed with our switch and installed by our team. The site still runs with all 625 individual door alarms to this day without issue.

1996

After 3 years of flawless performance in the field and countless individual door alarm installs, we submitted the Trackit Switch for its 1st government patent in May of 1996 for the approval of a composite reed switch-bracket that would mount to a rollup door track and could not sustain any damage due to repeated hard impacts. The switch is the bracket.

1998

Two years later, in 1998, the patent for the Trackit Switch was granted. The innovative “switch is the bracket” design approach made it possible to do away with all extra attachment hardware between the reed switch housing and the mounting bracket.

Manufacturing the composite reed switch-bracket using materials that work together making it impossible to break or even bend the Trackit Switch, and using supplied pop-rivets (no screws, no nuts, no bolts) that mount the switch high at the top of the door track results in the resolution of virtually all past switch – magnet misalignment issues and makes the Trackit Switch undefeatable to potential thieves or intruders. NO FALSE ALARMS.

2003

The Trackit switch will not damage due to any hard impacts, shocks or sustained pressures that could be applied in the natural environment. Therefore, a 2nd government patent was submitted in early 2003 making the switch itself an OEM part of any rollup door, the doorstop.

The doorstop is an essential component supplied by the manufacturer that is applied to the top of every rollup door track. It is an ideal location to house the reed switch because no extra holes or hardware are needed to mount and install the switch.

It keeps the switch located up high and out of the way, reducing the risk of wires getting yanked out or jostled around by tenants or employees. Using the doorstop to house the reed switch also helps to standardize the installation process making mounting the Trackit switch even easier and much faster than the competitors.

The Trackit switch is routinely installed by our customers internationally without fail. There is no need to drill holes or use invasive hardware that may interfere with the normal operation of the door or to use hardware that will hopefully hang on by just a thread or two.

Invasive hardware was never the intent of the door manufacturers’ design for the operation of the rollup door. By making the switch a functional OEM component of the rollup door and track all operational issues caused to the rollup door due to individual door alarm installation is eliminated. To date, rollup door manufacturers like Trac-Rite have made provisions for the Trackit Switch on their doorstops.

While submitting the 2^nd government patent, Trackit also submitted and was subsequently granted a 3^rd government patent, further expanding the electronic capabilities of the Trackit Switch.

Not only will the switch secure the state of the rollup door, but we had also begun to use the Trackit Switch to provide automation to individual stalls using the opening and closing of the door to control the functions. This made the Trackit Switch even more versatile by giving one easy-to-install device control over multiple functions across the entire property.

It led us to develop capabilities that would now allow just one switch and magnet set to control systems such as door alarms and a Smart automation control module at the same time. The Smart automation control module managed by the Trackit Switch ties into stall lighting, HVAC dampers, exhaust fans, electric mag door locks, etc., allowing control over them all.

It is both UL and cUL listed and will not lock up. It carries a 5-year limited warranty and has an operating range of 120/277vac with a 20-amp isolated load characteristic. 

These early stages of research and development for the Trackit Switch are the building blocks for what is one of the most versatile and reliable security component options on the market today, with many more innovative ideas to come.