An electric gate is an excellent choice for commercial and larger residential properties in and around Melbourne, where security and convenience are paramount. They're an incredibly important part of a complete security system; we'll understand why that is the case shortly.
First, let's briefly review what makes electric gates so secure and reliable.
Being vulnerable to tailgating, no gate is guaranteed to prevent all threats. However, with other security measures such as cameras, keycards, and keypads, automatic electric gates are an excellent way to protect property from intruders.
What Are Electric Gates? How Do They Work?
Before discussing the security of electric gates, you'll need to know what exactly an electric gate is and how it works.
An electric gate (or automatic gate) is a kind of powered gate that is opened and closed by an electric motor. They are typically found at the main entrances of large commercial and residential properties.
Automatic gates are becoming more popular in Melbourne and its surrounding suburbs. They are a convenient and reliable way of protecting your home or business from potential intruders.
If you're in or around the Melbourne area and are considering installing an automatic gate on your property, don't hesitate to contact us and talk to our friendly team about a custom-built gate solution.
Are Electric Gates Stronger?
You might wonder whether an electric gate can be made as strong and secure as a conventional, manually operated gate.
While manual gates vary in strength and reliability, you can be confident that a good quality electric gate will be reliably resistant to brute force attacks. These things are designed to withstand quite a bit of force, so you won't have to worry about them being knocked down or broken through.
The electrical components of automatic gates are housed in a secure unit made of very strong materials. This means it is very difficult to break into the electric motor system, making them highly resilient and tamper-proof.
Who Can Open An Electric Gate, And How?
If electric gates open and close themselves automatically, how do they decide when to do so? How are they controlled?
Once it has been fully installed, an automatic gate will then be programmed by a technician to meet the user's requirements. And if the user later decides that they want the gate to function differently, then the gate can be reprogrammed at any time to accommodate that as well.
There are many ways to control an automatic gate, but they fall broadly into two categories: local and remote.
Local controls might be a numeric keypad for entering a security code, a biometric scanner, or a reader for a keycard. You approach a control panel by the gate to authorize access yourself.
Remote control systems are great for businesses where the gate is controlled from an office on-site, and staff can see the car approaching the gate via a security camera.
This is often combined with a voice intercom system so that the staff can talk with whoever intends to enter the property and choose whether to open the gate remotely from the office.
There are also computerized control systems that can automatically open your gate based on Wi-Fi connections or GPS data from your car or phone so that the whole process of approaching your house and driving into your garage is completely automated with no human intervention necessary, which is especially convenient and not to mention, very futuristic.
Potential Security Issues
One potential issue with electric gates is something called tailgating. This is where an unauthorized person can sneak in through the gate by tailing behind the authorized vehicle of someone who has just opened the gate.
This attack is only possible because the closing mechanism of electric gates is typically rather slow. No matter how strong the locking mechanism or materials are, an electric gate alone is insufficient to prevent all attempts at breaking into a property.
Automatic gates should be understood as just one complete home security or commercial security system component.
To combat tailgating attempts, it's also a good idea to have a system of security cameras.
Having speed bumps built into the road surface near the main gate may also be a good idea. That way, it's more difficult for unauthorized people to make a tailgate attempt by slowing their vehicle while driving to the opened gate.
A complete security system's other features are parking barrier gates, sensors, electronic keycards and keypads, security guards, and additional gates to complement the main front gate.
Depending on the scale of your property and your security requirements, you might want to consider these additional measures when putting together a security plan.
Are Electric Gates Likely To Break Down?
Considering the tech involved and the moving parts built into automatic gates, it's reasonable to ask whether they are likely to fall victim to mechanical failure, electronic issues, or anything like that.
Of course, nobody wants their gate to suddenly stop working when they need to get in or out, which is why modern electric gates are made to be super reliable.
Older automatic gates were known to break down occasionally because their mechanisms, pulleys, and harnesses would wear down much faster than the modern builds we have today.
When properly installed and set up for everyday use, mechanical and technical breakdowns become rare. An electric gate may be one of the most dependable bits of tech you own.
Weather Conditions
What about wear and tear due to weather conditions? While this used to be an issue for older designs, modern automatic gates are built to endure testing weather conditions like storms and gales. They are also tolerant of extremely high and low temperatures.
So regardless of how hot or cold the day might be, rain, snow, or burning hot sunshine, any good quality electric gate will continue working as intended and protecting your home or business.
Are Automatic Electric Gates Safe?
When we think of a great big hunk of metal swinging around or sliding open and closing of its own accord, it's tempting to imagine it moving about uncontrollably, causing damage and harm to anything or anyone in its path.
Thankfully, it's not like that.
Modern automatic gates have all kinds of safety features built to prevent damage to your car, your person, or anything else that might get in its way.
Automatic electric gates have strong, reliable brakes built in so that even faster-moving gates can immediately stop themselves from moving should anything come close.
Modern gate motors can be equipped with an optional reflective laser system that detects any objects blocking the gate's movement so that it can stop the motor and engage the brakes if necessary. Commonly referred to as obstacle safety sensors or beams.
What Are The Next Steps?
If you want to install automatic gates or want to learn more as part of your assessment, we're here to help.
We have years of experience installing automatic gates in and around Melbourne metro-wide. Plus, we cater to commercial and residential projects in and around Melbourne. So give us a call today!