What Gate Motor Will You Choose?

The first Matrix movie, released in 2003 (feeling old yet?) gave us one of the most iconic scenes in film history. Laurence Fishburne’s character, Morpheus, offers Neo – played by Keanu Reeves – a choice between two “pills”, one of which will wipe his memory and return him to his relatively pedestrian life, and the other one promising to tear the veil from the face of reality and show him the world as it really is. Somewhat predictably, Neo chooses the red pill and is “treated” to a look behind the thin veneer of reality, setting in motion a sequence of events that would see him squaring off against an army of clandestine agents intent on keeping the world blind to their sinister machinations. The point is, we are faced with many choices on a daily basis; from the relatively mundane, such as deciding what outfit to wear to work, to those demanding a little more thought, for example deciding what car to buy. Fortunately, we generally aren’t required to choose between a life of watching Netflix and being plunged into some dystopian future dominated by a nefarious new world order. That would suck. Big time. Choosing the right gate motor for your home or business may seem like a daunting task, which is why we’ve put together the following list of pointers to help you make an informed decision:

Consider how many operations the gate will be required to perform over a 24-hour period. Will the gate motor be used on a domestic gate that is only used a handful of times every day, or will it be installed at a busy complex or office park?
How heavy is the gate, and how much force is needed to set it in motion?
Is power a problem in your area? Consider going for a solar solution!
Do you need the motor to be battery backed-up?
Is speed important, taking into account that a faster gate motor is more beneficial from a security point of view?
What added functionality should the gate motor offer? For example, do you need a motor with automatic closing and intruder-detection alarms?
How many people will use the gate?
Should the operator be compatible with complementary solutions such as GSM devices and card readers?