Common Questions About Remotes, Keypads and Access for Driveway Gates
How does an automatic driveway gate know when to open?
An automatic driveway gate opens when its control board receives a signal from an input device, and the board does not care which device sent it. A remote, a keypad, a call box, a vehicle sensor and a push button all end up as the same thing at the board: a contact closing. The operator then runs the leaf to its open limit, waits for the closing delay, and runs it back. Everything else on the access side is a choice about who or what is allowed to close that contact.
What is the difference between a remote and a keypad?
A remote is a small transmitter that sends a coded radio signal to a receiver on the control board. A keypad is a weatherproof panel mounted on a post, where a person enters a code. Remotes suit household vehicles, since the driver presses a button from the seat. Keypads suit guests, deliveries and anyone without a remote, since a code can be given out and later changed without collecting a device.
Both can exist on the same gate. Many Round Rock driveways use remotes for the household and a keypad at the post for everyone else. Each remote is learned by the board individually, and removing a lost remote from memory takes a moment, so a lost transmitter does not leave the gate open to anyone who finds it.
Where should a keypad or call box be mounted?
A keypad should be mounted where a driver can reach it from the window without leaving the vehicle and without blocking the road. On a driveway near a busy street, that usually means placing the post well back from the curb, at least one vehicle length, with the panel at the height of a car window. A pickup sits higher than a sedan, so some installs use a post with two panels at different heights.
The post is set in its own footing, not attached to the gate frame. A keypad on the gate itself moves and vibrates with every cycle, and the wiring flexes until it breaks. In expansive clay soil a post that is shared with the gate also shifts with the gate, which throws off the reach for the driver.
How do exit sensors work?
An exit sensor opens the gate for a vehicle leaving the property. The most common type is a loop detector, a coil of wire cut into the concrete behind the gate. When a large mass of metal rolls over the coil, the detector sees the change and sends the open signal. The loop is cut into the slab and sealed, then wired back to a detector board in the control box.
A second type is a radar or infrared sensor mounted on a post. These do not need cutting into concrete, which helps where the slab is thin or already cracked. They can be triggered by something other than a car, such as a person walking up or a branch moving in the wind, so placement and sensitivity are set carefully. Around Brushy Creek and Forest Creek, where trees overhang many driveways, loop detectors are usually the more dependable choice.
What stops the gate from closing on a vehicle?
Three separate devices guard against it. Photo eyes send a beam across the opening, and when the beam is broken the operator will not close or will reverse. A safety loop buried in the driveway at the gate line holds the leaf open as long as any vehicle sits over it. A reversing edge on the leading edge of the leaf reverses the motion when it touches something. A well installed automatic gate uses at least two of these, because each one has a way of failing that another one covers.
Each device is tested at installation and again at each service visit. The test is physical: an obstruction goes in the beam, a vehicle rolls onto the loop, a hand presses on the edge. A device that has not been tested is a device that is assumed to work.
Can a gate be opened by a phone?
Yes. A relay module can be added to the control board, and it connects to a phone through a wireless network or a cellular link. The phone sends the same contact closure that a remote would. This suits households that want to open the gate for a visitor from inside the house, or that want to know whether the gate was left open. The convenience comes with a limit: a gate that depends on a network connection also needs a local backup, such as a remote or keypad, for the day the connection fails.
What happens during a power failure?
When the power fails, a battery backup keeps the operator running for a number of cycles, depending on the battery and the weight of the leaf. Heavy steel and wrought iron leaves use more energy per cycle than light aluminum ones. If the backup runs out, the manual release allows the leaf to be moved by hand. The release is a keyed lock or a lever on the operator, and everyone who uses the driveway should know where it is and how it works.
After a long outage, the operator may need a moment to reset its position. Some boards remember the last position, and others find their limits again with a slow first cycle. Neither is a fault, and a note on the control box explains which applies.
Does the weather affect remotes and sensors?
Heat, cold and moisture affect them all, in small ways. Remote batteries weaken faster in a hot car, and the range shortens as they fade. Photo eyes fog or collect dust and get misaligned when a post shifts with the soil, and low sun at certain times of day can wash out a beam. Wiping the lenses and rechecking the alignment in each season avoids most nuisance faults. Keypads are sealed, but a cracked case or a loose gasket lets water in, and the panel is replaced when that happens, not patched.
How is access shared with delivery drivers and guests?
The simplest approach is a keypad code that the household changes from time to time. Some boards allow timed codes that work only on certain days or hours, which suits cleaners, landscapers and deliveries. A call box connects a visitor to a phone or an indoor handset, so the household can decide whether to open the gate. In neighbourhoods near Old Settlers Park and Dell Diamond, where visitors for events may park along the street, a call box keeps the gate closed until someone has been identified.
What should be written down after installation?
The household should keep a short record: how many remotes were programmed, where the manual release is, what the closing delay is set to, and the date of the first service check. A gate that is understood by the people who use it is used correctly, and a gate that is used correctly lasts longer.