The evolution of gate access control systems

For several decades, gate access control systems were often controlled by landline-based telephone systems. Such systems had to be programmed at the hardware or keypad level, and often required a landline telephone system to run on. While these systems have improved security for many residences and businesses all over the world, there were a number of detractors of such systems. These included the lack of visibility into who was utilizing access codes, the inability to open or close the gate remotely, and the requirement that device programming had to happen in person, on the hardware itself.

With the advancement of internet technology and smart phones, gate access control systems have fortunately been evolving as well. Today there are gate access control systems that provide live, streaming video of visitors; gates can now be controlled remotely from a smart phone app or web browser; transaction records of all gate activity can be recorded for later review and the majority of gate programming activities can be 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 has accelerated in recent years 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 so that photos can be taken of all access transactions, and external cameras can also be utilized to capture different views of visitors.

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