§ 01The motor
Three motor types. One decision to make.
01
Underground rams
BFT Sub · FAAC 750
Hydraulic or electro-mechanical rams buried below the gate leaf. Completely invisible in operation — the gate appears to move by itself.
Opening forceUp to 500kg leaf
Speed12–18 seconds
BackupBattery + solar option
Best forSwing gates, traditional settings
02
Above-ground rams
CAME Ferni · BFT Phobos
Column-mounted actuators. Faster installation, lower cost, and more straightforward to service. Visible, but discreet in RAL black.
Opening forceUp to 400kg leaf
Speed10–15 seconds
BackupBattery standard
Best forSwing gates, modern settings
03
Sliding gate gearmotors
CAME BX · BFT Ares Ultra BT A
Rack-and-pinion gearmotors for cantilever and tracked sliders. Self-locking when stopped — no separate lock required.
Gate weightUp to 2,000kg
SpeedVariable, up to 18 m/min
BackupBattery standard
Best forCantilever and tracked sliding gates
§ 02Eight ways to open it
Every method. Every budget.
Most installations use two or three together. ANPR + app is the most popular combination.
01
Key fob remote
Standard two-button fob, 100m range. Supplied in pairs. Cloneable.
02
Smartphone app
Open and close from anywhere. Live status, open log, share access with family.
03
Video intercom
Colour touchscreen panel at gate, handset or app at house. Night vision standard.
04
Keypad
4-digit code. Up to 10 codes, each with individual access log. Vandal-resistant.
05
ANPR
Number-plate recognition. Gate opens automatically for registered vehicles. Instant black-listing.
06
Loop detector
Buried inductive loop on exit side. Gate opens automatically as vehicle approaches from inside.
07
Push-to-exit
Pedestrian button inside the drive. Single press to open; gate closes automatically.
08
Timer / schedule
Open at school-run time, close at dusk. Fully programmable via app or controller.
§ 03Existing gates
Gates we didn't make. Can they be automated?
Retrofit — usually possible
When your existing gates are worth keeping
If the gate leaves are structurally sound and the hinges are adequate, retrofitting a motor is almost always possible and significantly cheaper than replacement. We assess every gate before quoting.
· Wrought iron and steel — nearly always retrofittable
· Timber — possible, depending on condition
· Existing piers assessed for hinge capacity
Replace — sometimes the right call
When starting fresh makes more sense
Sometimes a gate is beyond saving, or the design is so far from what's wanted that keeping the leaves defeats the purpose. We'll tell you honestly which route makes sense.
· Gate leaves corroded beyond galvanising
· Piers damaged or insufficient for motor weight
· Significant width or height change required
§ 04Safety
Six layers. BS-EN 13241 standard.
01
Force limitation
Motor stops and reverses if resistance exceeds BS-EN 13241 thresholds. Tested on every installation.
02
Safety edges
Rubber safety edges on the leading face of the gate leaf. Trigger a stop-and-reverse on contact.
03
Photocells
Infrared beam across the opening. Interrupting the beam stops the gate mid-cycle.
04
Flashing light
Amber beacon flashes while the gate is moving. Required by BS-EN 13241.
05
Manual release
Emergency release key allows manual operation during power failure. Supplied with every motor.
06
Obstacle detection
Motor encoder detects stall before safety edges trigger. Secondary layer of protection.