Q: What happens when you have a power outage?
A: You must purchase a system with a battery backup installed, most gate operators today have them installed but some do not, so make sure to ask for it specifically when requesting a quote.
Q: How does emergency services gain access through the gate in case of an emergency?
A: There are several ways you can accomplish this but the most common are the following:
– #1: Siren Operated Sensor, this device will listen for the Siren or Yelp sound from the EMS, Police or Fire Truck and will automatically open the gate.
– #2: Fire Knox lock, this is specifically used for the Fire Department only, the Fire Department is the only department that has the key for this lock and when opened the gate will open for them.
– #3: Have a keypad installed and provide the EMS, Police and Fire Dept. with their own keypad combination, you will need to contact each department separately to inform them of the code.
Q: How will the Uber driver or taxi cab get through the gate?
A: If you have a telephone entry system then you can buzz them in when they call your phone, but if you only have a keypad you will either have to give them the keypad code to get through the gate or meet them out at the gate. Warning: It is not wise to give out a keypad code to strangers.
Q: How will the gate prevent from hitting a vehicle?
A: Vehicle safety is provided by the following, safety induction loops positioned under the gate arm or in the path of the gates swing, these induction loops create a magnetic field between the gate and the vehicle and tells the gate operator to stay open until the vehicle has cleared the induction loop. Note: Photo eyes main purpose is not for vehicle protection but additional photo eyes can be added to provide this function.
Q: How are people protected from being hit by the gate?
A: To answer this question I must start by stating that a pedestrian is not supposed to walk through an automated gate. With that being said not everyone knows this rule and they will do it anyway, so the first line of protection is the gate operator itself, if it hits an object it will reverse open (how much it reverses open depends on the operator installed), the second line of defense is a photo eye sensor, this sensor will reverse the gate back to its open position if the laser beam is broken while the gate is closing. The last line of defense is a safety edge sensor, this is a padded contact sensor so if it hits a person the gate will reverse back to the open position.
Q: How does the gate open on exit?
A: There are multiple ways for the gate to open on exit, you can install a free exit induction loop, free exit driveway probe, a motion detector, or a keypad/push button station/remote controls. Please discuss these different option with your sales person to figure out which is the best for your application.
Q: How do we know who comes and goes through the gate?
A: In order to know who enters or exits an automated gate system you must have a digital controller installed, digital controllers come in many different types. Some are standalone units and some are PC Programmable units. Please discuss these different option with your sales person to figure out which is the best for your application.
Q: Can the gate be programmed to stay open during normal business hours?
A: Yes, but you will need to either have a 24/7 programmable timer installed which you can program to hold open through the timers schedule feature or have a PC Programmable access controller installed. Discuss these different option with your sales person to figure out which is the best for your application.
Q: What happens if the system fails completely and we need to get out?
A: Every gate operator is installed with a manual override release, some come in the form of a key release and others have alternate ways of manually releasing the operator. This function is standard with all gate operators; discuss these different option with your sales person to figure out which is the best for your application.
