Whether you’re looking for a new gate intercom system because your old one is breaking down or you’re looking to keep up as competing properties upgrade their own systems, buying a new system can be a frustrating task. Not only do you have to consider the financial impact of a brand new intercom, but there’s also a host of other considerations you should keep in mind.
In this guide, we’ll go over a few of the top must-have features your new intercom needs to provide your residents with the most convenient access experience.
1. Smartphone functionality
These days, smartphones play an integral role in everyone’s day-to-day routine.. People use their smartphones as planners, to pay for things, browse the internet, and more — and they expect that functionality in more and more aspects of their everyday lives.
Now, cutting-edge gate intercom systems utilize the power of the smartphone to empower residents to use their smartphones to open the door remotely.
Old-school gate systems depend on a resident being near a substation in their apartments to let in a guest. However, with the power of wireless, internet-connected gate hardware, residents can use their smartphones to open the gate from anywhere in the world.
Moreover, the best gate intercom systems don’t stop at mobile access. To enhance the lives of your residents, look for a gate intercom system that enables video calling with smartphones, which then lets residents see who’s at the gate. Another popular feature is cloud-based administration, which allows staff members to make changes and view security logs whether they’re on- or off-site.
2. Vehicle entry solutions
Smartphone access is a great solution, whether you’re looking to manage access for a pedestrian or a vehicular gate. But for property managers who want quick and convenient vehicle entry, you can look for a gated entry solution like a sticker detection system.
With a sticker detection system, a resident places a sticker on their windshield. Then, when the resident drives up to your gate, a sensor scans the sticker and opens the gate automatically.
This system has some benefits compared to giving your resident a physical credential, like a fob or a card, for a vehicular entry gate. In this traditional case, a resident will have to stop at the gate and search around for their credentials – creating potential delays or traffic jams at your property.
3. Purpose-built delivery features
In today’s internet-powered age, residents are receiving more packages than ever. So, the best gate intercom systems have adapted and created features that make receiving deliveries easier.
For example, consider gate intercoms that let residents text visitor passes to delivery couriers and recurring guests.
These visitor passes could be PINs or QR codes that allow a guest to gain temporary, authorized access to a property without the intervention of a resident.
Then, after a guest is done with their visit, the pass automatically expires to ensure that nobody can gain unauthorized access to the property after hours.
4. Ease of installation
Before you get started, the first step of installing a new gate intercom system is removing the old one from your property. And if your old intercom is wired, that might be more trouble than you think. Intercom systems based on older technology have copper wiring that sends signals between the gate and the property.
And if you’re looking to install another wired intercom, you’d have to rip up flooring, walls, and even outdoor landscaping — only to lay new wiring. As that copper degrades, building residents might find that the gate doesn’t open for their guests, even if the resident presses the button.
Luckily, modern gate intercoms use newer, wireless technology to establish a connection between a gate and a resident instead. By depending on networks like WiFi or Bluetooth, a wireless gate intercom can sidestep many of the problems that old-school gate intercoms have.
For installers, there’s another benefit — instead of having to painstakingly remove and replace every inch of copper wire from your property, they can simply leave the wiring where it is and easily install the new, wireless technology.
This means that a modern system can be retrofitted into any gate at a low cost, no matter where that gate is or what technology it previously used.
5. Integrations
It’s always important for any gate intercom system to be able to stand on its own with its own features. Nonetheless, integrations with other hardware or software will create a more cohesive experience and increase resident satisfaction.
The best gate intercom systems use their wireless capabilities and internet functionality to interact with other hardware and systems, like smart locks, alarms, and property management software.
This way, you can add and remove residents from your property’s security system with just a few clicks. In a non-integrated system, you’d have to manually add and remove a resident from multiple software platforms and security systems. This isn’t just time-consuming. It represents a potential security risk if a resident’s old, unauthorized credentials can still open doors.
In addition to shoring up gaps in your security, integrations can save time and increase convenience — keeping your residents and staff happy and increasing your retention rate.
