Guide: Access Control · approx. 4 min read
A typical nature reserve has more people needing access than most business parks. Wardens and rangers. A rota of volunteers that changes every season. Graziers checking stock. Contractors cutting reed or laying hedges. Researchers, surveyors, the vet, the fire service. Most of them hold a key or know a padlock code, and after a few years nobody's sure who still does.
Phone-based (GSM) gate access control fixes this. Here's how it works on a reserve.
How GSM access control works
A small controller at the gate holds a SIM card and a list of authorised phone numbers. An authorised user rings the gate's number; the controller recognises the caller, rejects the call at no cost to them, and opens the gate. Unknown numbers are ignored. Depending on the controller, users can also open the gate through an app. You manage the list of users remotely, from a phone or computer.
For more detail on the hardware options, see our guide to choosing a PAL GSM controller.
Setting it up for the people on your site
Staff and wardens
Permanent access at all times, with the ability to open the gate remotely for someone else, such as a delivery or the emergency services.
Volunteers
Add them at the start of the season and remove them when they leave. Where the controller supports it, limit access to working days or daylight hours so a volunteer's number can't be used to open the gate at 11pm.
Graziers
Give access only to the entrances serving their grazing units, not the whole reserve.
Contractors
Access for the dates of the job only. When the work finishes, access ends automatically.
Emergency services
Keep a manual release for fire and ambulance, and agree the procedure with your local services. Many sites also give the control room a number that staff can call to open the gate remotely.
The practical benefits
- No lost keys or leaked codes. Removing someone takes seconds.
- A record of who came through. Useful for lone-working checks and for spotting misuse.
- Gates stay shut. An automated gate closes behind every vehicle, so stock stays in and unwanted vehicles stay out.
- Less driving. Staff don't need to drive out to let someone in or lock up the car park.
Mobile signal and power
GSM control needs a usable mobile signal at the gate. Many reserves are in poor-signal areas, so we check coverage across networks during the site survey and fit an external aerial where it helps. If there's no mains at the entrance, the controller runs happily on the same solar power system as the gate.
Talk to us
Tell us how many entrances you have, who needs access and whether there's power and signal at each one. We'll specify the gate and control system to match. Call 01371 831731, book a site survey, or read more on our conservation and nature reserve page.