What Types of Remote-Controlled Gates Are Available Today?

In today’s world of access control, remote-controlled gates encompass two different fundamental features—a property owner’s own personal access in/out of a location, and then visitor management.   Old-fashioned clicker style remotes could, and still can, allow for a property owner’s and a visitor’s entry, as long as the clicker is near enough to the property access point’s entry hardware to be able to communicate with it.  What has greatly changed is that now gates and doors can be remote-controlled by app-based applications, and such tools can be utilized to grant anyone entry into a property from wherever the app user happens to be—anywhere in the world.So, proximity now no longer has to be a requirement with the latest remote-controlled gate systems.

Let’s review a little bit of the history of remote-controlled gates.

People that have ever utilized drive-up gates for security–that did not have any type of remote to open or close them–don’t necessarily love having to get out of their vehicles to do so.  Manually opening and closing gates takes a number of seconds on both sides, and can be unpleasant if the weather is extra hot, chilly cold or pouring down rain.

The convenience factor is one reason why the first remote-controlled gates became mainstream decades ago.  Many gates could be controlled by small handheld remotes, fobs or clickers that utilize RFID or Bluetooth technology, and simply needed to be depressed when in close proximity to the gate in order to open or close them.  These types of remote-controlled gates are great if the remote holder is nearby to open or close the gate for themselves, but unfortunately those technologies do not allow for opening and closing of gates from great distances.  So, if a user that had an RFID or Bluetooth technology-based remote-controlled gate was 2 blocks away at the grocery store picking up milk, their remote could not open the gate for a visitor that just arrived.  Most consumers would agree that such remotes are great for property owner access, but are often less convenient when it comes to managing visitor entry because the remote must be in close proximity for it to work.

Newer remote-controlled gates often use hardwired internet connections or cellular networks to communicate to smart phones and web-based portals instead of just to fobs and clickers.  This allows users of these remote-controlled gates to now open or close such gates from wherever they are—as long as their smart phone has a connection or they are able to access the internet.  This has greatly expanded the convenience factor for such remote-controlled gate users, because they can now check the status of their gate, and open or close it for a visitor—from wherever they are.  These newer technologies have expanded gate management from something that could only be done at the gate itself, to something that can literally be controlled and managed from anywhere.

Some remote-control gate manufacturers that utilize hardwired internet or cellular for their gate systems can also log detailed records of all activity at such gates as well.  Visibility of what codes were used for access, pictures of entrants and exiters, and time and date stamps for all access attempts are now features that make these remote-controlled gates more secure and convenient than ever.

If you are in the market for a remote controlled gate, consider what type of functionality is important to you.  If you simply want to grant access for yourself when you come and go, then an RFID or Bluetooth remote controlled gate system is sufficient.  If you prefer the ultra-convenience of being able to manage your gate from wherever you are, and appreciate the peace of mind that comes from having detailed logs of who comes and goes and when, then a hard-wired internet or cellular based remote-controlled gate system is a better choice.