Set of Barrier Gates

I found this great primer on automatic gates recently and wanted to share it with you. It was an article entitled “Automatic Gates: An Introduction” found on Realty Biz News.

Note: Pictured to the left is a set of cantilever gate barriers recently installed in a Chicago north suburban location company’s parking facility by ECI.

The following barrier gates are explained with brief applications:

• Barrier arm gates which use vertical barrier arms rotating in and out of the gate opening.
• Bi-folding gates which have two panels that fold back to allow access.
• Cantilever gates which are supported from rails running inside the fence structure.
• Slide gates which slide back and forth across the opening.
• Swing gates which are hinged on one side and open and close like a door.
• Vertical lift gates move vertically up and down over the gate opening.

However, I would add to the description that there must be a third component required beyond just a barrier gate and a gate operator to make them ‘automatic’. There must be someway to authorize the gate to open and allow access for a vehicle through the gate opening without exiting the vehicle and manually opening the gate.

In other words, some credentials must be presented that are authorized to allow access at that particular time and day. Otherwise what is the use of an automatic gate barrier if a vehicle cannot gain access?

Crudely (and inefficiently) you might have to press a button which activates an intercom and connects to a guard shack or even the inhabitant(s). The person at the other end then pushes a button to signal the gate to open upon verification that you are allowed to enter. This is the same principle used in getting ‘buzzed’ into an apartment building or condominium.

Or you might enter a number on a keypad, insert or swipe a card by a reader, use a proximity device to send a signal (based on RFID – Radio Frequency Identification principles), etc.

Otherwise, you might as well just install a fence, a berm, a bollard or some other type of permanent blockage!

For more information about barrier and security protection ECI offers,  please visit our Vehicle Access Control Systems page. Or contact us: