Choosing the right automatic door sensor types keeps an entrance opening reliably and closing safely. Sensors are what tell the door someone is there – to open it, and to hold it clear of people in its path. This 2026 guide walks through the main automatic door sensor types, what each one does, and how Coetz specifies, installs and services them across South Africa.
What automatic door sensors do
Every automatic entrance uses two kinds of sensor: an activation sensor that opens the door as people approach, and a safety sensor that keeps the door from closing on anyone in the opening. Set up to recognised automatic door technology safety principles, the two work together so the door opens hands-free and closes safely every cycle.
The main automatic door sensor types
Here are the automatic door sensor types you will find on most entrances:
- Microwave motion sensors – detect movement toward the door and trigger it to open; the most common activation sensor.
- Active infrared (presence) sensors – hold the door open while someone stands in the opening, preventing it closing on them.
- Passive infrared (PIR) sensors – detect body heat and movement, often used where you want to reduce false triggers.
- Combined motion-and-presence sensors – one unit that both opens and safeguards the door.
- Push buttons and touchless wave switches – manual or hygienic hands-free activation for accessible entrances.
- Safety photocell beams – an extra safety line across the opening that reverses the door on obstruction.
How to choose the right sensors
The right mix of automatic door sensor types depends on the door and the traffic. High-traffic retail needs fast, wide-detection motion sensors plus reliable presence sensing; hospitals and clinics often add touchless activation for hygiene; secure entrances pair sensors with access control. We specify the combination that suits your building and set the detection zones correctly.
Keeping sensors working
Sensors drift out of alignment, collect dust and occasionally fail – which is why regular maintenance matters. On each service we clean and test every sensor, check the safety zones and reset the door to safe operation, and we carry genuine spare parts for fast repairs.
Why choose Coetz
Coetz supplies, installs and services automatic doors and their sensors as one accountable team. We match the sensors to the door and traffic, commission them to compliant safety, and back the entrance with service and genuine parts. Explore our full automatic doors range and how the sliding door mechanism fits together.
Supply, installation and service across South Africa
As a Gauteng-based team we install and service across the region and supply nationwide. Whether it is a single shopfront or a multi-door development, your sensors are specified, fitted and maintained by Coetz – with fast local response and load-shedding-ready battery backup.
Coetz has years of experience with automatic entrances across South Africa, from single shopfronts to multi-door developments. We match the operator, sensors and door to your traffic and building, install to standard, and back every entrance with service and genuine spare parts – so the door keeps working long after the invoice is paid.
Getting an accurate quote
Because every entrance differs, the best way to specify sensors is a site assessment. Tell us the door type, traffic level and any hygiene or security needs, and browse our automatic doors range, and we will recommend the right sensors and quote supply and installation.
Tips for reliable sensing
Keep sensor lenses clean and clear of stickers or signage, report doors that open late or close early, and set a regular service interval. Ask about touchless activation for hygiene and safety photocells for extra protection. Because Coetz is Gauteng-based, we respond fast for both installation and service.
What are the main automatic door sensor types?
The main automatic door sensor types are microwave motion sensors for activation, active infrared presence sensors for safety, PIR sensors, combined units, push buttons and touchless switches, and safety photocell beams.
What is the difference between activation and safety sensors?
Activation sensors open the door as people approach; safety sensors hold it open and stop it closing on anyone standing in the opening.
Are touchless sensors available?
Yes – touchless wave switches let people open the door hands-free, which is popular in hospitals, clinics and food premises for hygiene.
Do you replace and service door sensors?
Yes – Coetz specifies, replaces and services all common automatic door sensor types, fitting genuine parts and setting the detection zones correctly.
What we check before quoting automatic door sensor types
The structural opening decides most of the specification, so we measure that rather than any existing frame. We then check whether the head is level and can carry an operator, what sits above the opening — a bulkhead, sprinkler line or services void all dictate where the header can physically go — and whether there is power at the head. Getting those three right before anything is ordered is what keeps automatic door sensor types on programme.
Power, load-shedding and access control
Decide up front whether the door should fail open for escape or fail secure for stock, and whether a battery backup should keep it running through a load-shedding slot or simply park it safely. Whichever you choose, staff need to be shown the manual release. Access control belongs in the same conversation: card readers, push buttons, intercoms and time clocks are far cheaper specified with the door than cabled in afterwards through a finished ceiling.
Matching the system to the traffic
Count the people, not the doors: one cycle is one open-and-close, so a doorway used by hundreds of people a day is doing far more work than the same doorway in a quiet office. That count, the opening width and the glass weight decide which system suits automatic door sensor types.
- Single sliding for shops, receptions and clinics.
- Bi-parting for malls, supermarkets and hospital corridors — openings up to 5000 mm.
- Telescopic where the wall beside the opening is short.
- Swing operators to automate an existing hinged door.
Can you automate a door we already have?
In most cases, yes — a swing operator such as the MCW-100 automates an existing hinged door up to 1,200 mm and 150 kg (interdependent).
Do automatic doors work during load-shedding?
Only if that was specified. A battery backup keeps the door operating through a slot; without one, the door should be set to fail open or fail secure, with a manual release staff know how to use.
How much work will the door really do?
Traffic is the number that sizes automatic door sensor types. Count people in and out, then add deliveries, staff movements and trolleys. A quiet reception and a supermarket entrance can look identical on a drawing and behave completely differently in service, which is why the cycle estimate belongs in the specification rather than in the assumptions.
Preparing your enquiry
Quotations turn around faster when the basics arrive with the enquiry: structural sizes, a clear photograph, the traffic the entrance carries and any deadline. That is enough to specify automatic door sensor types and to say whether a site visit is needed before a fixed price.
- Structural opening sizes.
- Photograph of the opening, square-on.
- Traffic level and trading hours.
- Access control and backup power requirements.
Comfort, access and energy
A door that opens only when it is needed keeps conditioned air inside and dust and noise out, which is the practical argument for automation beyond convenience. Set the hold-open time for the slowest user rather than the fastest, add presence detection so nobody is caught in the opening, and the entrance works for everybody who uses the building.
Can the hold-open time be changed?
Yes — it is adjustable at commissioning and afterwards, which is how sites run a longer hold during deliveries and a shorter one at quiet times.
Can we choose a different glass?
Yes. The standard is 6.38 mm laminated safety glass, and tinted, obscured or performance glass can be specified, and is quoted separately, where the frontage needs it.
Automatic door sensor types at a glance
- Pricing for automatic door sensor types follows the opening width, the glass and the sensor layout.
- Ask us to confirm the opening before ordering automatic door sensor types.
- Every enquiry about automatic door sensor types gets a written specification, not a verbal estimate.
Automatic door sensor types: getting a quote
If you are weighing up automatic door sensor types, MC Automations, our parent company, can help: it supplies, installs and services automatic doors. To quote accurately, we need to know:
- The opening. The width and height of the clear opening, with photos of the existing frame or shopfront.
- Sliding or swing. The MC-125 automatic sliding door system is R27 590 and the MCW-100 swing door operator R15 900, excluding VAT.
- Traffic. How many people use the entrance, and whether trolleys, prams or wheelchairs pass through.
- Power. Whether there is a power point near the head of the door.
- Installation. Installation is included in Gauteng; outside Gauteng it is quoted per project.
- Service and warranty. We recommend a service every six months, and the operator carries a 24-month warranty.
Questions about automatic door sensor types? Call 010 412 0062, WhatsApp photos to 076 613 4418, or price an automatic door in the online estimator.
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