Driveway gates are incredibly useful for improving home and driveway security, but for some homeowners, a more advanced solution is necessary. Whether you need to take extra security measures or you just want to make the process of accessing your home more elegant and efficient, a gate access control system is a fantastic choice.
Many homeowners assume that an access control system is just an extra unnecessary expense, but this isn’t true at all. Simply installing a new driveway gate won’t necessarily keep potential intruders out. If you want total control over who has access to your property, then you need a driveway gate access control system.
What is meant by ‘access control’?
You’ve probably come across the term before, but what does ‘access control’ actually mean? And why is this safety feature becoming an increasingly popular choice for homeowners? Whilst it also adds to your ideal home aesthetic, installing a driveway gate serves the primary purpose of making you and your family feel safer. However, if you want more control over who can actually get through this gate, then an access control system is what you need.
As the name suggests, access control is all about controlling who can access your home. Access control features, such as keypads and remote control fobs, are designed to keep out people who haven’t been granted access to your home, such as trespassers and unwanted visitors, whilst making it quicker and easier for residents and trusted visitors to come and go. This means you can improve the security of your home without sacrificing convenience.
Types of access control
Thankfully, when it comes to access control, you won’t be short of options. It all comes down to your preferences and how you choose to greet your guests – not to mention clear off unwanted visitors!
Here at The Expert Gate Company, we offer three different residential gate access control systems to choose from, so everyone can find a solution that suits them. Each system also comes with remote control fobs as standard, so you can simply press a button to grant easy, automatic access for residents whilst maintaining strong security measures for everyone else. Let’s take a closer look at these three options:
1. Keypads
For some, a simple keypad may be the most efficient security method, which comes in handy when leaving your house on foot, as you can just type in your unique passcode and leave. No one will be able to enter if they don’t know the passcode, so you’ll have peace of mind that trespassers can’t sneak onto your property. And if you’re away from home, you can give your passcode or remote control fob out to those that will need to enter whilst you’re not there, whether this be gardeners, the postie or a family member. This means you can strike a great balance between security and ease of access.
2. GSM intercoms
GSM intercoms make for a more personable experience, allowing you to have a quick chat with visitors before letting them come on in. This can make it easier for you to identify visitors and decide whether to grant them access, since they’ll just need to speak into the intercom to identify themselves.
A GSM intercom would be particularly useful if you have a lot of deliveries coming to your house. Whilst friends and family could easily call or text you to let you know they’re outside, this may not be so straightforward for delivery workers or other visitors. In this case, a keypad may hinder access for visitors who don’t know how to best contact you, so choosing a GSM intercom instead could be a great solution.
3. Video intercoms
If you also want to see who you’re speaking to, you might choose the increasingly popular video intercom. This will help you be extra sure that your visitor is who they say they are, enabling you to enhance your home security even further. A video intercom may also help you to spot suspicious behaviour if a stranger is trying to gain access.
6 key benefits of driveway gate access control
We’ve already briefly touched on the benefits of access control throughout this post, but in addition to obvious advantages like home security, there are plenty of other key factors that recommend these systems. Here are six of the fantastic benefits of gate access control for your driveway:
1. Entrance with ease
Through the use of remote control fobs, passing in and out of your property has never been easier. Plus, if you’re either in a rush yourself or need to let guests back out of the gate, you won’t need to waste time unlocking it manually. Simply hit a button and watch as your gate does the magic.
2. Security
Burglaries can be absolutely devastating to homeowners. Not only will you experience the financial loss of having valuables stolen, but the loss of your sense of security, safety and belonging in the one place you should feel totally at ease can be very hard to come to terms with.
Access control systems aim to reduce the risk of burglaries as much as possible, allowing people to control who is allowed in, or out, of their property when they are away from home. For those that are trusted to enter your property when you’re away, you may choose to share your passcode with them, or give them their own remote control fob. This means trusted friends and neighbours can look after your property, water plants and take in deliveries whilst you’re away, which can reduce the risk of burglary even further by making your home look occupied when it isn’t.
3. Safety
If you have pets or young children, the possibility of them getting out of the garden and running into the road can cause you a lot of anxiety. However, with a robust access control system, you can keep them safely within your property and away from passing cars.
In addition to the inherent safety provided by access control systems, they also come with plenty of safety features to minimise the risk of accidents. These can include photoelectric sensors that detect the presence of obstacles, preventing the gates from closing on anyone who happens to stand in their way.
4. More privacy
Your driveway gate’s main purpose, alongside enhancing security, is for you to feel a strong sense of privacy in your own space. Gate access control systems improve privacy by eradicating the possibility of trespassers entering your property, allowing both you and your family to spend time in the garden, inside your home or away without stress. Plus, it also accounts for when your neighbour’s overly curious dog wants to leave you gifts on your front lawn, so you can avoid any nasty surprises from unwanted animals when you step onto your driveway in the morning!
5. Less stress
These advanced security methods carry the benefit of heightened freedom, permitting you to leave home whenever you need without feeling anxious about your home security. Not only this, you won’t need to reschedule deliveries, or make sure that your timetable matches up with your builder’s. A gate access control system allows you to live your life as you wish, without being constrained by security fears or the need to go out and grant access manually.
5. Increased property value
While it’s true that regular driveway gates can increase the value of your property, installing automatic gates with an access control system can add even more money to your property’s asking price. Automatic, secure gates are extremely attractive to security-focused buyers, especially if they’d prefer to have these features included rather than install themselves.
Even if you’re not hoping to move any time soon, investing in features that can add to the value of your home is always a great long-term strategy. Installing gate access control represents an extra cost at the moment, but it will end up paying for itself and more when it’s time to sell.
6. Aesthetics
When choosing to go automatic, you won’t need to compromise on your ideal home aesthetic. Whether you’re a fan of the traditional wooden driveway gate or the elegant steel driveway gate, there’s a design out there for everyone. Our experienced installation team here at The Expert Gate Company can install the perfect gate access control system for you no matter what style of driveway gate you have. Plus, if you want to keep your access control system discreet and unobtrusive, we can help you blend it in with your current driveway aesthetic to keep everything looking elegant and cohesive.
Want to know a little more about the benefits of access control systems? Our team of friendly professionals are here to help. From initial installation to gate servicing, we can lend a helping hand to make the whole process as easy, and cost effective, as possible. Get in touch with us today!