The Smart Gate Upgrade Checklist.
Audit your community's current vulnerabilities and understand what a modernized system could deliver, before you talk to any vendor. Print this page and take it to your next board meeting.
1 · Gate inventory, one pass per access point
Walk each entrance at different times of day. Document:
- Location name and gate type (sliding / swing / barrier)
- Motor brand and age
- Current access method (fob / remote / keypad / guard)
- Estimated daily crossings, and when they peak
- Lighting conditions at the approach
- Known issues (slow close, sensor faults, dead remotes)
- Photos: the gate, the motor housing, the approach lane
2 · Security gaps
What the board will actually act on is documented incidents, not impressions:
- Tailgating incidents in the last 12 months (count them)
- Unauthorized access events and how they were discovered
- Visitor-management volume currently handled by staff or guards
- Resident complaints about access, trending up or down
- Any insurance inquiries or premium pressure tied to access control
3 · Cost baseline
Your current system has a real annual cost, even without a guard:
- Guard wages, benefits, and overtime (if staffed)
- Fob / remote replacement and programming, per year
- Intercom and gate-hardware maintenance
- Staff time spent handling access complaints and call-downs
4 · Readiness check
Upgrade now if most of these are true. You don't need a guard on site for the math to work — access-admin time, visitor friction, tailgating, or insurance pressure can justify it on their own:
- Annual guard costs are material and could be reduced through automation, or there's no guard but access-admin time and visitor friction are adding up
- Tailgating has created board-level concern or insurance inquiries
- Resident complaints about visitor access or fob management are increasing
- Gate motor and infrastructure are in good condition (under 10 years old)
- Budget exists, or can be justified through operational savings
5 · When to wait
Hold off (or combine projects) if:
- Gate infrastructure needs replacement regardless of access control
- Major construction will disrupt normal traffic patterns
- Board turnover is imminent and priorities may shift
- The current system genuinely meets security and operational needs
With sections 1–3 filled in, the payback math takes five minutes; the calculators disclose their formulas so you can show the board exactly how the number was built.
Step one of the assessment, done for you.
Send a few photos of your gate, and we'll confirm compatibility and send a detailed quote, usually within 48 hours. It installs on the gate you already have.
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- 1-year hardware warranty
- No gate replacement
- Compatibility answer in 48 hours