Access Control: Automatic Gates and Entry Systems Around Charlotte

There are four parts. The gate closes the opening. The operator moves the gate. The entry devices tell the operator when to open. The safety devices stop the gate if something is in its path. Each part depends on the one before it, which is why we look at the gate first.

• Gate: a driveway swing gate or a sliding or cantilever gate, framed stiff enough to be pushed by a motor.
• Operator: swing arm or slide operator, sized to the weight and length of the gate and to how many times a day it cycles.
• Entry devices: remotes, keypads, card or fob readers, intercoms, and vehicle sensors for automatic exit.
• Safety devices: photo eyes and sensing edges that stop and reverse the gate when it meets an obstruction.
• Power: a hard-wired feed or, on some residential gates, a solar panel and battery.

At a home, the usual setup is a swing or sliding driveway gate with remotes in the cars, a keypad at the entrance for guests and deliveries, and a sensor that opens the gate on the way out. At a business, the questions change: how many vehicles a day, who needs a credential, what happens after hours, and how emergency vehicles get in.

Fire and emergency access requirements for automated gates are set by the local fire marshal and differ between jurisdictions. For a commercial or multifamily entrance, confirm them before the equipment is chosen.

Power at the gate is the first item. An electrician normally runs the feed and any conduit under the drive, and it is far easier before paving than after. We also need to know the slope of the driveway, the clear space beside or behind the opening, and how far the gate sits from the road, since a car should be able to pull fully off the street while the gate opens.