A gate with a "Read Problem" is typically due to which issue?

• A. Expired ticket
• B. Dirty or faulty Read Head
• C. Power outage
• D. User not present

Answer: (B)

When a gate shows a “Read Problem,” the issue is with the credential reader not getting a reliable read of the card. The part that matters here is the read head—the sensor that detects the card’s data as it passes by. If the read head is dirty (dust, oils, fingerprints) or faulty (worn or misaligned), the signal from the card can be blocked or garbled, so the system can’t interpret the credential properly. Cleaning the read head with a soft, lint-free cloth (and using manufacturer-approved cleaner if needed) or replacing the reader usually fixes this.

To help, also ensure the card is presented correctly and within the recommended distance and orientation, since poor presentation can mimic a read problem. The other possibilities don’t fit as well: an expired ticket is about the credential’s validity, not about reading the data; a power outage affects the entire system rather than just the read head; and a user-not-present scenario involves the event of a person not being there rather than a hardware read failure.