Control Your Gate with Your Phone – Everything You Need to Know

The trend of our time is to cram as many functions as possible into the mobile phone, and one of them can certainly be controlling a garage door or sliding gate. The advantage of this solution is greater convenience, since we hold our phone in our hand for much of the day. There are currently several ways of controlling operators with a mobile phone. In this article we briefly describe how the most widely used ones work.

GSM module and a zero-fee plan – ring and open

As its name implies, the GSM module needs a stable mobile network and a SIM card to work. Every mobile operator has a so-called zero-fee plan in its offer, where the card is used only to receive calls or SMS messages. You can get this free card within a few minutes. Once the SIM card is activated, you switch off voicemail and delete all SMS messages and contacts from it. The whole process should be free of charge and so should using this card. You insert the card prepared in this way into the GSM module, which you then connect in a suitable way to the operator's control unit. Note: always leave the installation of the GSM module to a trained professional.

Efficient management of 10/100/1000 users

You then enter into the GSM module the individual phone numbers that are to be authorised to operate the gate. Users are added or deleted by SMS message, or in bulk using software on a PC. The number of users is limited by the memory capacity of the GSM module. We offer modules for 10, 100 or 1000 users. User management is very simple and efficient. This system is suitable, for example, for hotels and accommodation facilities, or companies with a dedicated car park. Guests or employees receive access to the parking area limited to precise times.

Advantages and disadvantages

A GSM module is useful in a family house, but also in a medium-sized or large company with a larger number of employees. Using a GSM module carries no running costs. Adding and removing users is quick and efficient. In terms of price per number of users, it is the cheapest investment. A minor disadvantage is the lack of feedback on the status of the gate. From a safety point of view, the gate should be controlled only with a direct line of sight to the equipment. Camera systems and the like are a solution.

Wi-Fi module and a phone app – control from anywhere

A Wi-Fi module is especially suitable for garage door operators, since it needs a stable home/business Wi-Fi network within range to work. Installation in a driveway gate operator is not unusual either. In our range you will find branded Wi-Fi modules directly from Hörmann, Came or Nice. We also offer a somewhat cheaper, so-called universal solution from the Meross brand. A Wi-Fi module is installed in a similar way to a GSM module, on the control contact of the operator in question. You then need to download the relevant app from the Google or Apple store.

Granting access by invitation and checking the gate status

After installing the app, a procedure is required on first launch in which the type of operator and the functionality to be available are specified. Unlike a GSM module, most Wi-Fi modules can show the user feedback on the status of the gate, whether it is closed or open. Alternatively, in the advanced settings you can set a schedule for when the gate should open, or always close in the evening hours. The administrator delegates access to other users by invitation sent by e-mail or SMS message.

Summary

A Wi-Fi module is especially suitable in the private sector with a stable Wi-Fi signal. Granting access, as with a GSM module, is efficient by means of invitations sent by e-mail or SMS. The number of users is mostly unlimited. The operator can be controlled from anywhere in the world with internet coverage. For example, you can be on holiday by the sea and partly open and close the garage door for a courier with a parcel. You can also check the position of the door afterwards and, for example, control it with the Apple or Google voice assistants.

Bluetooth module – control the gate at close range

Bluetooth technology brings a limitation in the form of shorter range, but on the other hand no additional network is needed, only a smartphone with Bluetooth. We currently offer Bluetooth modules from Hörmann and Came. In both cases an app downloaded from the app store is needed.

German Hörmann and Italian Came

The German Hörmann offers a Bluetooth receiver that is integrated directly in SupraMatic 4 series garage door operators or available as an external HET/S-24BLE receiver. This can also be used, for example, in driveway gate operators and operators from other manufacturers. Access to the receiver is charged as a one-off fee of €8 per user. The Italian manufacturer Came offers the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Key, which connects via the RSE system connector and works with newer types of control units with an RSE connector. The second option is the so-called surface-mounted Bluetooth reader, which is universal and can also be connected to operators from other manufacturers. A version for 15, 50 or 250 users is available.

Summary

Bluetooth works over a shorter distance, but it is all the more reliable, and the user does not have to search their pockets for a remote control. In addition, they have a direct line of sight to the operator being controlled and so, from a safety point of view, can see the status of the gate.

Bonus: Hörmann homee brain – the gate as an IoT device

A special category is the smart remote control from Hörmann. The homee brain cube is the result of cooperation with the German company hom.ee, which develops smart home products. Essentially it is a BiSecur remote control that sends commands in cooperation with the homee mobile app. The Hörmann cube can easily be linked with further additional cubes supporting the Zigbee, Z-Wave and EnOcean protocols.

Status feedback, automations and much more

On first launch the user scans the QR code directly from the homee brain cube and then selects the type and model of the operator. In the settings they can easily add further users and their roles. A big advantage of Hörmann BiSecur technology is two-way communication with the operator and therefore feedback on the position of the gate.

Summary

Hörmann homee brain hides powerful smart home functions in a small body. When extended with further homee cubes, it even becomes part of the other IoT devices in the home. The advantage is a single central app with many functions and settings, the creation of schedules, scenes and automations, and control by voice commands.