At the lane
AI detection
The plate model runs at the lane. Daylight and IR use the same box — not a round trip for inference.
PARCS
Gates & kiosks
Camera missed a character. The arm still goes up.
If they already paid, the gate opens — even when the camera gets two letters wrong. If they haven't, they pay at the QR or the kiosk.
DABC128
Camera read
Instant open
Match stays at the lane.
Plate read, the open decision, and the signal to the arm never leave the island. That is why the lane line is done in 230ms, not a 1.2s trip on the internet.
Lane 230msInternet 1.2s
At the lane
Decision logic
Paid, permitted, or close enough is decided on the controller. Fuzzy match lives in that if-statement.
At the lane
Gate signal
The gate opens from a local signal. Photos can upload later. Slow internet never holds the arm.
Admin, checkout, and photo upload still use the network. The gate does not wait on it.
Hardware
Use the gate you already have.
Camera, kiosk, and your existing controller. Most drivers never stop — the kiosk is only for people who have not paid yet.
- Camera
- Reads in daylight and at night.
- Kiosk
- Only if they have not paid yet.
- Your Gate
- Use the gate you already have.
Admin Portal
Open the gate from anywhere.
The lane intercom shows whether they paid. An admin can open the gate once or hold it open from the Admin Portal.
https://admin.spotparking.com/lots/north-garage/gates/north-entry
Lots / North Garage / Gates
North Entry
Digital Gate · North Garage
ClosedOnline
Last vehicle
8ABC123
Paid 2m ago · Hourly · $12.00
ses_04f1
| When | Event |
|---|---|
| Today 07:12 | Entry · paid hourly · instant open |
| Tue 18:04 | Exit · overnight · permit |
| Tue 08:11 | Entry · overnight · QR checkout |
| Mon 16:40 | Exit · paid at kiosk |
Arm
Vend logs on the same session.
Open 5 minVend once
Some call centers route stuck-at-gate calls before they reach your team. Partner desk, not a Spot product. Admin Portal
Who stops
Most cars never stop.
68% already paid or have a permit — the plate is the ticket. Everyone else pays at the lane, on a phone or at the kiosk.
Never stop
68%
Already paid or permitted. The arm opens on the plate.
Pay on the phone
22%
Scan a QR at the lane, then the arm opens.
Pay at the kiosk
10%
No phone, no session — they use the device.
A week at North Entry
The number on each day is how many never stopped. Weekends dip because more visitors pay at the lane.
69%
72%
67%
72%
75%
56%
52%
Same plate, four visits
8ABC123 at North Entry — one car using all three ways through.
Today 07:12
Never stop
Came in. Already paid hourly.
Tue 18:04
Never stop
Left on an overnight permit.
Tue 08:11
Pay on the phone
Came in. Scanned QR at the lane.
Mon 16:40
Pay at the kiosk
Left. Paid at the kiosk.
What you don't need at the lane.
Before
- Ticket-spitters and lost stubs
- A person in a booth
- Call us, we'll raise it
- Rip out the PARCS stack
After
- Paid plates never stop
- QR or the device on the island
- Support sees status and vends
- Usually a relay on the arm you have
Retrofit and compliance
Usually the controller you already have. Status, allowlists, and temporary open live in Admin. Spot is SOC 2 Type II compliant.
Common questions.
PARCS is lane hardware and kiosks. Digital Gate is the enforcement SKU on Enforcement.
Does the gate work with no internet?
Plate read and the open decision run on the lane controller, so the gate does not wait on the internet. Admin Portal, checkout, support, and photo upload still use the network. That is local match, not an air-gapped PARCS.
Can I keep my existing gate hardware?
Usually. Spot integrates with most existing controllers through a standard relay or dry contact. Paid and permitted plates raise the arm; everyone else pays at the QR or the kiosk. A site walk still matters for loops, safety edges, and nested arms.
What if LPR misreads the plate?
Fuzzy matching scores near-miss reads (0/O, 1/I, 8/B, S/5) against recent sessions and the allowlist. A hit still vends. A miss holds for QR, the payment device, or the support line. It cuts trapped parkers from misreads. It does not claim perfect reads.
What if the driver has not paid yet?
The gate stays down. The driver scans the lane QR into Spot checkout, or pays on the physical device in the island. Status flips, then the arm goes up. Same session object as paying two blocks away.
Can someone open the gate remotely?
Yes. The lane intercom lets support see the plate, the session, and whether money already moved, then open the gate. Spot Admin Portal can check live status, edit allowlists, remotely open one passage, or hold the gate open for a timed window. Overrides are logged.
Is AI support routing a Spot product?
No. Some support desks use call centers to classify inbound “stuck at gate” calls. That is a partner capability. Spot’s product is the lane: local match, the intercom line, payment status, and remote open.
Is Spot SOC 2 compliant?
Yes. Spot is SOC 2 Type II compliant. Independently audited controls cover security, availability, and confidentiality. The report is in the Trust Center.
The camera can miss. The arm still goes up.
Local match. IR in any light. QR or the kiosk when they have not paid. Support and Admin when something goes wrong.
- 18ms
- Lane match
- IR
- Any light
- Admin
- Vend when it stops