With parking at a premium in, and around, the CBD restricting unauthorised vehicle access to private building carparks has become a huge concern for apartment owners.

Poor building security, particularly in upmarket venues, poses a risk of cars being damaged or stolen.

The dilemma for building managers is to provide fast, convenient vehicle access for building residents while ensuring the carpark entry is safe and secure.

Inner-city apartment block thought it had the answer

A prestige apartment complex, situated in a prime location and surrounded by busy roads, the building management sought to ensure their residents carpark was easily accessible and secure.  

Key considerations for controlling building carpark access were:

  • The need to accommodate a 4 metre wide carpark entry with a low ceiling height
  • The ability for residents to make a safe and quick exit from a very busy street into the carpark
  • Securing vehicle access into the carpark without creating a great inconvenience to residents
  • Keeping the cost of maintenance down despite the high frequency of gate use.

The installation of a drop wire automatic gate seemingly offered the perfect solution.  

Suited to underground carparks due to its low overhead clearance requirement this stainless steel wire gate also provided the desired level of security.

Why this wasn’t the best solution in this instance?

  • The gate needs continual maintenance and repair over and above normal operating wear and tear.  This was a result of resident’s driving over the wire rope before it was fully down.   Because the wire cable drops below the driver’s vision they were not always able to see when it had reached its resting position. This caused the wire rope to twist eventually leading to fraying as well as placing a strain on the motor resulting in damage to the internal brakes.
  • The very slow closing time of 7 seconds, necessary to allow for vehicle clearance, leaves time for a second vehicle to pass through behind the first vehicle – creating a serious risk to building security.
  • There were also instances reported to building management where the wire cable had lifted before the vehicle had cleared the steel rope, unfortunately safety beams alone do not always provide adequate protection.

Faced with high maintenance costs of the existing gate the apartment complex’s Body Corporate Manager was prompted to look for a more suitable alternative.

How Rotech’s Sentinel AG Automatic Boom Gate addressed all the issues

Accommodating the 4 metre wide carpark entry with a low ceiling height

The drop wire gate was initially selected over an automatic boom gate as the underground carpark ceiling height would not be sufficient to raise a standard boom pole long enough to extend across the width of the entrance.

Installing Rotech’s Sentinel AG automatic boom gate with an articulated arm meant that the 4 metre vehicle lane was secure and allowed a vehicle of up to 2.5 m high can pass underneath.

Enabling a safe and quick exit from a high traffic street into the carpark

Engineered to deliver reliable, fast access control in high volume situations the Sentinel AG boom gate permits quick and convenient access by residents when entering or exiting the carpark.

With adjustable speed control the Sentinel AG’s absolute encoder constantly monitors the speed and position of the boom pole.  This allows the control unit to accurately adjust the speed on closing and opening providing high speed, smooth operation and longer life.

Increasing building security

All residents and authorised visitors are required to swipe an access card to raise the boom gate allowing entry to the carpark.  The Sentinel AG’s intelligent software prevents the problem of a second vehicle tailgating behind another vehicle by instantly lowering the pole to half-way - the gate will not open until the second vehicle presents an access card.

Mechanically tough and durable the strong gearbox and self locking mechanism prevents damage from vandalism as the pole cannot be forced.

High visibility and safety sensing prevents damage to cars

The electronic safety sensing function is an important safety feature of the Sentinel AG boom gate.  The design of the boom gate’s motor ensures instant reversing of the boom pole if any of the safety devices are activated or if the pole is obstructed. 

Strategically placed programmable warning lights on the top of the cabinet and along the boom pole enable residents can easily see the position of the boom pole, even at night.  Loop detectors and  safety beams also ensure vehicles and pedestrians alike are protected.

Low maintenance – frequent use

The hi-tech Sentinel AG boom gate’s unique design provides the residents with higher levels of performance in terms of safety, security, ease of use and more importantly – low maintenance costs.

The Sentinel AG boom gate features a revolutionary brushless motor which provides much greater reliability and efficiency and will handle up to 4000 operations per day.  It’s ultra low power consumption and brushless motor requires minimal maintenance saving significant time and money on maintenance.

For more information about Rotech’s boom gate products visit our Automatic & Manual Boom Gates page.