Useful CENTURION Security Tips

Just because the holiday season is at an end doesn’t mean criminals will be taking a break from their evil business – anything but!  We still need to be one step (or, if possible, several steps) ahead and the best way to achieve this is by taking proactive measures.  We’ve all heard that old adage:  prevention is better than cure – and that folk wisdom holds true when it comes to protecting our homes.

Here are some ways you can use your CENTURION gate motor or access control device to keep the baddies at bay:

·         If you have a keypad – remember to change the Master Code!

It’s so easy to forget to change the default master code.  If you take one thing away from this article, let it be to remember to change that little code.  The Master Code generally operates Channel 1, and if you are using that channel to activate your gate motor and open your entrance gate, the default master code is all an intruder needs to gain access to your property and cause incalculable damage – so either change your master code yourself, ask an installer to do it for you, or contact our Technical Support call centre on 0861 003 123 (RSA only) so that we can guide you through the process

·         Make use of Positive Close Mode

Yes, criminals are clever, but that doesn’t mean that their approaches aren’t downright barbaric at the best of times.  You may find that oftentimes your gate leaves a small gap when it’s closed – a gap that might just be big enough to get a crowbar in.  Ergo, the evildoer now has access to your property through simple kinetics.  The vast majority of our gate motors have the Positive Close Mode feature which allows the gate to close up right against the endstop – use it!

·         Intruder-detection Alarms

This feature is available on all our D-Series (D5-Evo, D10, D10 Turbo and VECTOR) operators and allows you to turn your infrared safety beams into high-tech intruder detection devices.  Two different alarm configurations are available, namely:

o   The Break-in Alarm, which will cause the onboard buzzer to emit a continuous tone whenever the closing beams are interrupted, and

o   The Ambush Alarm, which will cause the onboard buzzer to emit a continuous tone if either the opening or closing safety beams have been interrupted for a pre-defined period of time.  This is particularly useful since it means you will be notified of people loitering in front of your entrance gate or if your beam lenses have been covered or otherwise tampered with – the modus operandi of many modern criminals.

·         Keep the manual override access door locked

The manual override thumbwheel/lever/cam lock is used to disengage the motor’s gearbox so that the gate can be operated by hand.  It requires no great flight of fancy to imagine what criminals would do should they somehow gain access to this.  Apart from the fact that they would be able to override the gate motor’s gearbox, they would also be able to remove the cover and gain access to a slew of other vital components such as the battery.  Keep the access door locked!

·         Be in the know

Only last year we introduced the G-SWITCH-22, a GSM-based device that can be interfaced with a host of electrical devices for monitoring and controlling purposes.  Simply connect one of its dual inputs to your gate motor’s controller and receive an SMS notification on your mobile phone
whenever the beams are activated or the power to the operator is cut.  In addition G-WEB, the associated web interface, allows you to upload transaction logs so you’ll really be in the know.

·         Keep rolling

Opt for a remote receiver that uses rolling code technology.  Dipswitch and fixed code remotes are quite easy to duplicate, and it takes only a moderately determined criminal to figure this out.  Rolling code-compatible remotes, on the other hand, changes or “rolls” its transmission data every time the button is pressed, making code-grabbing impossible.

We trust that these tips and guidelines will help you keep your home or business secure not just over the festive season, but throughout the year.