How Do Detectors at Stores Work?

These detection antennas send out a signal, and security tags or labels attached to products and merchandise within a store answer back. When an item with an active tag or label passes by or between these antennas, an alarm sounds, indicating an item is leaving the store.

What triggers the sensors at stores?

RFID Tags. Plastic security tags clip a radio-frequency identification chip directly onto an item. When the chip crosses the detection sensor, an alarm is triggered to alert store employees to the theft. These tags are available in many forms, such as gator, clam shell and golf ball.

Do barcodes trigger alarms?

No. What triggers the alarm is actually a magnet. ... The magnet is usually placed near the barcode so that the cashier knows where to disable it or, in places that have the structure, they can disable the magnet simply by scanning the item.