For security companies

A scanned tag proves the guard was at the post. It doesn't show what they saw.

Guard tour systems built on QR codes or NFC tags are the industry standard, and they do their job well. This page compares them with what Trogster does: photo, video and voice-note records at each checkpoint. Some security companies need one, some the other, and some use both.

Five things that happen on a site

And what each kind of system gives you when the client asks about it.

The client asks whether the 02:00 round was walked.
A log of tag scans with times. Strong evidence, and the reason these systems exist.
A record per checkpoint with photos, the time and the GPS location from the guard's phone.
The guard finds the back gate open.
The scan shows they were there. Many systems add an incident form or a photo option.
A photo or short video of the gate and a voice note: "Gate 3 unlocked, chain cut, secured with spare padlock."
A tag is damaged, stolen or painted over.
The checkpoint can't be scanned until someone replaces the tag.
Nothing to replace. The checkpoint is a job in the app, not a sticker on a wall.
You win a new site on Friday and start Monday.
Order, install and register tags at each point first.
Create the checkpoint jobs in the dashboard and link the guard's phone with a 9-digit code.
A guard misses a round entirely.
Good systems raise a missed-patrol alert in real time.
You see the gap on the dashboard, but Trogster doesn't send alerts for missed rounds today.

In plain terms

Dedicated patrol systems are better at

  • Proving presence at a fixed point, scan by scan.
  • Live tracking, missed-round alerts and panic buttons.
  • Large contracts that specify a tag-based system in the tender.

Trogster is better at

  • Showing the client what the guard actually saw, in pictures and in the guard's own voice.
  • Starting a site the same day, with no hardware to buy or fit.
  • Keeping costs low on small sites: $15 a month covers three phones and each extra phone is $5, however many checkpoints you add.
  • Giving clients a clear, professional record when a contract comes up for renewal.

Already have a tag system? You don't have to rip it out. Some companies keep the tags for presence and add Trogster for the checkpoints where the client wants to see conditions: gates, fences, alarm panels, generator rooms. Because Trogster bills per phone, not per checkpoint, adding it to existing guards is cheap to test.

Try it on one site for 14 days

Set up your checkpoints as jobs, link one guard's phone, and look at the records the next morning. No card, no hardware.

Start free Trogster for security teams

Other comparisons

Product names mentioned are trademarks of their owners. Features differ between patrol systems. The descriptions here are typical of QR and NFC guard tour products as of November 2026 and are not a review of any single vendor.