Access control for a complex decides who can open the shared gate, and makes it possible to take that access away. A typical setup combines a gate motor with tags or remotes for residents, keypad codes for domestic staff and contractors, and an intercom for visitors that rings through to each unit.
The parts of a complex access system
- Gate motor and safety beams sized for a gate that opens many times a day.
- Resident access by remote, tag or card, each one registered to a unit.
- Keypad codes for staff and regular service providers, ideally one code per person.
- Visitor intercom at the gate that calls the right unit, by handset or cellphone.
- Pedestrian gate on its own lock or reader, so people on foot do not open the vehicle gate.
The problem most complexes have
Over the years, remotes get copied and shared, codes get passed on, and nobody knows how many working remotes are in circulation. When a tenant moves out, their remote usually still works. A managed system fixes this by registering each tag or remote to a unit, so a lost one or a departing resident’s access can be removed without recoding everybody.
What trustees and managing agents should ask for
- A list of every registered remote, tag and code, by unit.
- A simple way to remove access, and who is responsible for doing it.
- Battery backup on the gate motor and the access controller for load shedding.
- A maintenance arrangement, so a gate that fails at peak hour is attended to quickly.
Linking it to the rest of the perimeter
Access control works best alongside the electric fence and cameras at the gate, so a forced entry is detected and recorded. We look after these systems for body corporates on an ongoing basis.
If your trustees cannot say how many working remotes exist for your gate, that is the place to start. We can audit what is installed, recommend whether to register the existing remotes or move to tags, and quote the work for the body corporate in writing.