The evolution of gate access control systems

Landline-based gate access control

For several decades, gate access control systems were often controlled by landline-based telephone systems. Such systems were programmed at the hardware or keypad level, and often required a landline telephone system to run.  While these systems improved security for many properties all over the world, there were detractors of such systems. These included the lack of visibility into who utilized access codes; inability to open or close the gate remotely, and the requirement that device programming manually occur on the hardware itself.

More modern systems

With the advancement of internet technology and smart phones, gate access control systems have evolved as well. Today there are gate access control systems that provide live, streaming video of visitors.  There are gates controlled remotely from a smart phone app or web browser.  Transaction records of all gate activity are recorded for later review.  And the majority of gate programming activities are now handled by the gate owner themselves.

These new, more modern gate access control systems are typically powered by a cellular network or a hardwired internet connection. The adoption of such systems accelerated in recent years.  This is due to the increasing costs of running telephone landlines, and the simultaneous growth in cellular coverage in most areas. Depending on the product manufacturer chosen, many systems also include built-in cameras in the system hardware.  Thus photos are now taken of all access transactions, and external cameras capture different views of visitors.

Many new modern gate access control systems also facilitate the use of keycards, access codes, and integrate with gate openers or clickers. However, the biggest draw of these modern systems is gate owners controlling their gate from wherever they are .  This adds a high level of convenience that simply was not possible with older, landline-based gate access control systems. The fact that all gate transactions are now recorded and reviewed at the touch of a button also increases the level of security possible for a home or business owner.  This provides newfound peace of mind that you know exactly who came and went on your property, and when.