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Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once said that he wanted to “make a ding in the universe”. This was a powerful expression of his sincere desire to innovate, to disrupt and to create a brand that would revolutionise technology and reshape society.

In 2020, seventeen thousand kilometres from the high-tech corporations and social start-ups of Silicon Valley, leading access automation manufacturer Centurion Systems has just released its most innovative and intelligent gate motor yet, the D5 SMART: a cerebral sliding gate solution that’s been igniting the industry’s imagination since news of its imminent release first started making the rounds late last year.

It’s been just over a decade since CENTURION introduced its iconic D5-Evo, a product which, at the time, was light-years ahead in terms of its functionality and user experience and gave installers and end-users access to a plethora of advanced features and operating parameters via an LCD interface.

“The D5-Evo was an evolution [of the original D5, launched in 1996]. This is a revolution” asserts the company’s national branch manager, Johan Lessing. “It’s a total game-changer [that is] pushing the limits of technological innovation and giving the world a fully intuitive gate automation solution”.

So-called “smart” technology has been a hallmark of the Digital Age, mostly characterised by intuitive user interfaces – often app-driven – as well as remote monitoring and control and a capacity to learn from its environment. We’ve seen this sort of intelligence make its way into everything from TVs to fitness wearables; however, a bit of a vacuum existed in the access control space.

“It made a lot of sense [for CENTURION] to make security smarter,” says Mr. Lessing. “This is the twenty-first century, and people want solutions that really make their lives easier. That has been CENTURION’s brand essence since the very beginning”.

How exactly does the D5 SMART gate motor make life easier?

When the term “smart technology” is mentioned, one generally thinks of electronic and software intelligence and, with an intuitive app-based interface for commissioning the motor and configuring its many advanced features, this certainly applies to the D5 SMART. However, the system is also mechanically intelligent, with an optimised design that makes it exceptionally easy to install.

From an end-user perspective, faster operating speed – twice that of the D5-Evo – means that homeowners will spend much less time waiting for their gate to open and close, minimising the risk of them being tailgated or targeted in their driveway. Additionally, longer battery standby autonomy (at 24 volts) helps to ensure that D5 SMART users won’t be stranded on either side of the gate when load-shedding comes a-knocking, as it has been doing with increasing regularity these past few months.

Meanwhile, the theft of domestic gate motors has surged in recent years, with operators being snatched with wild abandon in communities across the country, leaving entrances vulnerable and homeowners frustrated. The rising popularity of access automation has, like most in-demand items, led to an underground market predicated on the sale of stolen gate motor parts.

But CENTURION believes that the D5 SMART is a gigantic step towards solving the problem of gate motor theft and tampering.

According to Mr. Lessing, the system incorporates novel theft protection and detection technology.

“We’ve designed a patented theft-deterrent bracket for the D5 SMART, which will make stealing the motor very, very difficult. Furthermore, the unit has a built-in vibration sensor that will alert the homeowner to tampering or undue movement at the site of the gate motor”.

The D5 SMART was officially launched at the CENTURION-hosted Access Automation Expo in March, and is now available from Centurion Systems branches and leading security distributors countrywide.

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