Investing in a luxury home or mansion may give you a great place for entertaining, but it also puts more weight on your shoulders when worrying about keeping your investment safe. A security gate at your driveway entrance or right before your garage door can keep out intruders and discourage break-ins just by looking intimidating. If you have the budget for the very best in security gate upgrades, consider at least one of these five high-end options.
License Plate Capturing Cameras
Want a traceable record of every vehicle entering your property, with permission or without it? Mount a small hidden camera at license plate height so that it can snap a shot every time some one pulls up to the gate. Of course, the camera can only get a clear shot if the vehicle stops and waits for the gate to open. Don't expect to get reliable and readable license plate records from cars that drive into the gate at full speed to ram it out. Thankfully, this is a rare occurrence that can be prevented with other upgrades.
High Tech Access Options
Every few years a new form of access control comes on the market, and many of the latest upgrades to arrive in the last decade or so work with outdoor security gates. Your options for controlling access to your property through the gate include the following:
- Key pads that require a numeric code that changes automatically or manually
- Card operated locks, or cardless systems that use a chip mounted in your vehicle rather than in a card you can lose
- Biometric systems that read your fingerprints, which can be programmed to let in a wide range of people
- Intercom and video screen systems so you can view who's trying to get in before you open the gate
- Smart phone operated units that use randomized verification.
You can also combine a few of these different access control techniques for increased security. Most of these high-tech systems also allow you to set schedules so that certain codes, keycards, or chips given to employees or friends only work during certain times. Look for access logging equipment too to keep track of who's coming and going.
Heavy Weight Ramming Reinforcements
If you're concerned about more than just burglary and petty theft, you may be concerned that an intruder might use their vehicle as a battering ram to create thousands of pounds of force on the gate. Security gates vary greatly in how much force they can take, and the best models feature hidden or obvious reinforcements in the form of steel center beams and reinforced hinges. The speed of the moving car multiplies the weight of the car as it nears the gate, so get help from a professional when calculating how much force you need to resist to keep a large truck or car from breaking through the gate.
Long Distance Sensors and Alarms
Sometimes the best way to deal with an intruder is simply to be aware that they're coming long before they arrive. If you've designed a long driveway to preserve your privacy and keep your home far from the nearest road, set up motion sensors and weight alarms at the beginning of the driveway even when the gate is located closer to the house itself. Getting advanced warning that someone is driving near your home will give you a chance to check security camera views or alert your security company when you're not expecting guests.
Facial Recognition Access Controls
Want the most complex and newest security gate upgrade available, no matter the cost? Invest in facial recognition software and cameras that can tell whether it's you, a family member, or a burglar with a quick look at your face. This technology has only been on the consumer market since about 2011, so it's still out of most homeowner's budgets.
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