5 Tips for a Worry-free Long Weekend Away

Come Friday, the country’s national highways will once again be packed as scores of South Africans make their way to various destinations in an attempt to squeeze the last few drops of sweet summer from the rapidly-fading season. A mass exodus from all the major cities on Thursday afternoon will mark the start of the four-day weekend, the sun glinting off the roofs of cars, caravans and Venter trailers like the scales of some gigantic metallic snake coiled along the length of the N3.

Make sure that you get the most out of your long weekend away with these five tips promoting maximum peace of mind.

Inspect your mode of transport

Copyright: ikonoklast / 123RF Stock Photo

Nothing puts a damper on holiday festivities faster than car trouble. Not only can it be extremely dangerous getting stranded out in the middle of nowhere (we’ve all seen The Hills Have Eyes and Wrong Turn, haven’t we?), but a breakdown is likely to end up costing you precious time and money that could have been better spent on typical holiday revelry.

Be sure to check the following aspects of your vehicle:

• That your tyres (including the spare) are all in a good condition
• Fluid levels (water, oil, brake fluid)
• That you have enough fuel
• Lights and indicators (including those of your trailer if you are taking one along)

Finally, if your insurance company offers roadside assistance, save the number on speed dial.

Confirm your reservation beforehand

Again, if countless horror movie tropes about cannibalistic families preying on desperate shelter-seekers are anything to go by, the last thing you want is to have to look for last-minute accommodation because your original booking didn’t pan out. Always confirm check-in times and dates a good couple of days before your trip, and be sure to take proof of payment and reservation with you.

Read some online reviews

Copyright: jirsak / 123RF Stock Photo

In the Information Age, there’s precious little information that can’t be found online, including accounts of previous visitors’ experiences at guesthouses, B & Bs, hotels and resorts. Do yourself a favour and search for ratings and reviews about your intended accommodation. Websites such as Booking.com, Tripadvisor and Lekker Slaap enable you to book directly via the website as well as read reviews. You can really save yourself a world of discomfort and disappointment by doing some online research first. Tried and true!

Check news sites for information about strikes that could affect you

There are a number of ways that your trip could be adversely affected by industrial action. Firstly, if there’s a fuel strike planned, it’s important that you stock up on enough of the stuff to get you to your destination and back. Fill up your tank, fill a couple of cans and keep them in a cool, safe place away from heat and open flames. Secondly, strikes often turn violent, so if you’re travelling through affected areas, you might want to consider a route change.

All-important security

We all knew we were building up to this point, didn’t we? But concerns about security amount to one of the leading causes of worry during vacations, probably because we are not comfortable with relinquishing control and leaving our homes and possessions unattended for extended periods of time.

But fear not, you don’t have to give up control completely. For example, you can install a GSM device and receive SMS notifications when someone opens your gate, or there’s a power outage back GSM intercom fitted and answer your intercom from anywhere, giving the impression that you’re home. Below we’ve provided some additional security tips:

home. Or have a

• Have a friend or neighbour collect your mail
• Check your alarm system before embarking on your trip (a GSM device can also be configured to notify you of alarm events, and it enables you to switch your alarm on and off via SMS text messages from your phone)
• Put outside lights on a day-night switch and set it up so that the lights come on at night (or – you guessed it – just invest in a GSM device! You can also connect lights to your D5-Evo’s light relay and use the gate motor’s onboard timer to automatically switch them on and off. #IntelligenceInMotion)
• Inform your armed reaction company that you’ll be away from home for a while
• Ask someone to maintain your swimming pool while you’re away
• Lock valuables in a safe
• Check that doors, locks and windows are secure

Soul of a New Machine: The Legend of the D5-Evo (Part 1)

The so-called Information Age has meant massive changes in virtually every aspect of our lives: from the way in which we communicate to the way in which we consume information. By the second half of the 20^th century, every interface was undergoing a dramatic facelift and becoming slimmer, lighter and, above all else, smarter, embracing the Brave New World that the techno-prophets and digital pioneers in Silicon Valley promised. CDs were being replaced with iPods, CRT with flat screen and dial-up with fibre, and all over the world the citizens of this planet were experiencing a connectedness that had never before been possible. Then came the mysterious and ethereal Cloud, and the digital game changed yet again. Suddenly, physical storage devices were going the way of the dinosaurs and information and media started to live in the ether, mere ghosts consisting of ones and zeros. Technology seems to be in a state of constant flux, as well it should be if it is to remain the faithful servant of Mankind’s diverse needs.

But, in 2009, the world of access automation was in need of a hero. Despite some groundbreaking innovations such as battery backup and rolling code technology, it had not yet fully caught up with the evolution that was sweeping through the technosphere. But the winds of change were about to reach the security sector, and their arrival signaled the birth of a true access automation legend.

The D5-Evo built upon the equally legendary foundation of its predecessor, the original D5 - an access automation staple if ever there was one – incorporating the same tried and tested mechanical design. CENTURION marketing and sales director Richard Rohman explains some of the thinking that went into the design of the original D5 sliding gate motor:

“When we were developing the D5, we looked at the beautifully-moulded and machined Italian operators that were, at the time, hammering some old tin box-looking operators at every turn. But we were worried about our ability to die-cast the gearbox as well as the out-of-mould machining still needed to be done. It was for this reason that the injection moulders across the road from us at the time suggested we try producing a gearbox using the latest in injection mouldable engineering polymers. It worked and worked well, to the extent that it became the norm for all locally-produced gate motors in South Africa”.

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing back in those early days, as Richard is quick to point out.

“Then came the quest to get rid of the horrible limit switches. Pat [Dickens, CENTURION MD] and I walked a long, hard road with this one, moving from traditional limit switches to optical limits and then back to really robust limit switches to finally our only locally-made limit switches, all of which were far too costly and cumbersome to install. Hence, the development of the DOSS (Digital Origin Seeking System), which is a story on its own”.

As the country’s security situation continued to deteriorate and it became increasingly necessary for homeowners to get into their properties as expeditiously as possible, speed became another critical consideration. The engineer overseeing the development of the original D5 was tasked with ensuring that the machine went no slower than a robust 16 metres per minute.

“[We] had to get clever with speed control on the D5,” Richard remembers, “because it was always a complaint with installers of competitor products that their faster machines weren’t very accurate when it came to stopping; when the motor reached its end-limit.”

This shortcoming prompted CENTURION’s design team, under the supervision of Ian “Roz” Rozowsky (who would later become the Research and Development director), to design the D5’s electronic controller – the now-famous CP80 – in such a way that smooth acceleration and deceleration could be achieved, a feature that was perfected with the D5-Evo.

The landscape at the time (around 1996) was somewhat desolate in terms of functionality, with the vast majority of gate motors on the market offering little more than simple opening and closing of their loads. However, the growing concerns around crime and home security led to a demand being created for more versatile, feature-rich gate operators, and this became a bit of an obsession for the CENTURION team.

According to Richard, they were always keen on giving the client more than they could wish for in terms of features.

“At the time, our competitors provided row upon row of dipswitches to allow the different features to be set, but these cost money and weren’t all that intuitive. So Roz developed the fancy menu system using a couple of LEDs and a pushbutton. It was very cost-effective and, once you had been shown what to do, fairly straightforward to use.”

Some 13 years later, the aptly-named D5-Evo (short for “evolution”) took the world of access automation by storm, packaging a plethora of incredible features – a number of them world firsts – into one compact, easy-to-use and remarkably intelligent LCD controller. The new machine finally ushered gate automation into the 21^st century, marking a new era in domestic security. Not only did the D5-Evo address homeowners’ growing security concerns with innovative features such as the built-in Intruder-detection Alarm feature-set, but it also spoke to the needs of installers. The LCD interface made for supremely easy commissioning, while removable terminal strips and advanced diagnostics made maintenance a dream.

Today, some seven years after it first came onto the scene, the D5-Evo is showing no sign of slowing down, and seems to be holding on to its unofficial title of “South Africa’s favourite gate motor”.

Stay tuned for part 2 of our series on the birth of the D5-Evo, in which R & D director Robert Dickens – who was intimately involved in its design - provides a personal account of those exciting early days and traces the D5’s evolution in an exclusive interview. You don’t want to miss it!

Part 1 of Installer Series: Making the Sale

While the rising crime rate means that proper access control is now a necessity rather than the luxury it was in decades past, security equipment is still not exactly something that leaps off the shelves like, say, the latest iPhone. For most, it’s still very much a grudge purchase; something that has to work extra hard to get consumers to reach for their cheque books (do people even still use those?).

As an installer of security and access control equipment, selling probably constitutes a significant part of your job and is at least as important as the actual installation of the equipment. So, the question remains, how does one awaken desire in that homeowner that’s on the fence about whether or not he really needs that alarm system? How does one make him really want that gate operator and go gaga for a new garage door motor?

In this, the first article in our Installer Series, we’ve compiled a list of sure-fire tips to help you sell, curated from our resident sales guru Scott Wilson.

The “closing the deal” misnomer

According to Scott, too many salespeople focus on the “closing” part of the transaction, but often neglect to do all the prep work needed to get there, sort of like wanting to cross the finish line without doing the race. This lack of preparation and groundwork can lead to the transaction falling through, as no initial trust and rapport is established with the potential client.

You sell yourself, not the product

“The minute you sell, you come across as a salesperson, and most people turn their back on a salesperson” Scott explains. He emphasises the importance (in fact, he refers to these points as “non-negotiables”) of arriving on time, notifying the client in advance if you’re going to be late, appearing presentable and providing accurate and up-to-date documentation to accompany your installation. It’s all about first impressions.

Satisfy their needs

“Take a step back, and ask yourself why you would not buy from somebody” Scott advises, citing not having their needs met – and not price - as the main reason that consumers won’t use a particular product or service.

Price is a negotiable factor and consumers tend to opt for the solution or service provider that adds the most value, even if the price is slightly higher.

Ask questions (the “why” factor)

Why does the client want a gate motor? Why does he want that particular gate motor? The more information you have, the better you’ll be able to provide a solution to give the customer what he or she needs (tying in with the point above).

Handle objections

“When people try and close deals, the biggest problem is that they haven’t handled objections” warns Scott.

If there are any objections, they need to be handled first, because if the customer doesn’t place the order there and then, it means that there is something that they are still not completely convinced about. This can be remedied by asking questions about the customer’s situation (see the point above), and ensuring that the customer is happy with and understands your responses to his or her objections.

Sell them the whole package

Scott goes on to say that while the gate motor or access control product might provide the user with the initial answer, the whole package comes back to the installer. “The package deal that the installer offers the homeowner or the company, is actually what these people are looking for. They’re not looking for someone just to install a gate motor and walk away. They’re looking for someone who can offer more than the next person, and that “more” tends to be the small things that don’t have a monetary value”.

Sell them on the benefits

Terms like “rising and falling edge” and “dry contact” mean precious little to the man (or woman) on the street. Even ubiquitous jargon like “battery backup” has the tendency to elicit looks of blank confusion or plain indifference. If the response to your pitch is “so what?” you may need to tweak your approach a little.

Remember, the average homeowner doesn’t give a hoot about the gate motor’s capacious remote control memory or its high duty cycle; he only cares about how owning one is going to benefit him. Focus on the fact that he’ll no longer have to get out of his car in the pouring rain to open the gate and, even better, he’ll significantly reduce the likelihood of getting hijacked in his driveway.

Sell them support

When it comes to technology, competent after-sales support (or the lack thereof) plays a significant role in the consumer’s decision to adopt (or avoid) a certain solution or brand. Make sure that your customer knows that you’ll be there for them long after the installation has been completed.

References (or referrals) are critical

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Would you be comfortable giving your hard-earned money to someone who you know nothing about? Unlikely.

Presenting the homeowner with your references before beginning the quoting process, helps you build trust and rapport with your potential customer and will help put his mind at ease about the transaction.

Stay tuned for more useful sales tips and tricks - only on the official Centurion Systems blog!

Your Sliding Gate: What You'll Need

Unless you possess the power of teleportation (in which case we’d like offer our thanks for reading our modest newsletter, oh visitor from another world), chances are that you gain access to your property by means of a point of entry enclosed by walls, or “gate” as we sometimes like to call it (as an interesting aside, the word “gate” derives from the old Norse word gata, meaning road or path). But, perhaps you only recently had the fence or wall erected and it as yet sans gate, or you have simply decided to automate an existing one. Then, dear reader, it is important to know what kind of hardware you’ll need and what function it performs, lest you end up with a gate that is either recalcitrant  or, even worse, unsafe. Fortunately, we’ve been in the gate automation business for going on 30 years and we’re channelling that experience towards guiding you in any-gate related endeavours that you may wish to undertake.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Guide-rollers

Guide-rollers do exactly what their name suggests, they guide the gate. In other words, the guide-rollers – which are normally just two nylon rollers that rotate on shafts – hold the gate vertically and prevent it from falling over which is, you know, something you’d want to avoid if possible. For improved safety, we recommend fitting additional support posts to prevent the gate from falling over should the guide-rollers fail.

Anti-lift Brackets

Again, the job description is more or less in the name here. Anti-lift brackets help prevent unauthorised access to your property by ensuring that the gate can’t simply be lifted off its track by some devious criminal/strongman combo (of course, most gates are light enough not to require a strongman to lift it, hence the need for anti-lift brackets).

Endstops

Endstops are very important from a safety point of view and prevent your gate from abandoning its track. Remember that there is always the chance, however remote, that the gate will overrun its limits (and we’d like to point out here that with our new generation of gate motors, the chance is even more remote since the operator will always look for the origin magnet and will run the gate slowly if it is not detected), and you don’t want the gate behaving like a runaway train with nothing to stop it. CENTURION recommends installing mechanical endstops that are sturdy (preferably welded onto the track) and do not move even when subjected to considerable force.

Wheels

The movement of your gate depends largely on the presence of a collection of spherical objects that rotate about a shaft, or “wheels”. Keep in mind that the entire weight of your gate will rest upon the wheels, so it’s important to keep them in a good condition and rotating freely. They will also need to be compatible with the profile of the rail. CENTURION stocks both U- and V-profile gate wheel kits, as well as the novel GateShox system which dramatically reduces noise in sliding gates. Over time, the rails of sliding gates can become corrugated and uneven from use, and GateShox help absorb the load through a spring system, resulting in a smoother ride and quieter operation.

Rack

If you’re planning on automating your gate (and, let’s be honest, it’s the logical thing to do), you’ll need a toothed rack fitted along the length of the gate to mesh with the pinion of your gate motor. The setup works in an almost identical fashion to the rack-and-pinion configuration found in the steering wheel mechanisms of most cars and, depending on which operator you’re planning on having installed, you’ll need either Raz, nylon angle or steel rack. Not sure which one? Give us a call on +27 11 699 2481 for some friendly advice.

A Reliable Gate Motor

We previously likened buying a new gate operator to selecting a new car. Considerations such as the weight of the gate, maximum number of daily operations, push force and duty cycle all need to be taken into account when choosing an automation system. But, most of all, it’s important to ensure that you choose a gate motor that will never leave you out in the cold, so to speak. CENTURION manufactures a wide range of reliable swing and sliding gate motors for domestic, light industrial and full industrial applications. Our operators are constructed from only the most robust materials in accordance with the ISO9001 quality assurance system, and carry a 24 month warranty.

The Maths of Access Automation

Believe it or not, there is a certain degree of geometry as well as basic algebra involved when automating your home.  Intimidating as this may seem, all that is needed is to keep a few elementary numbers close at hand and you should have an installation worthy of Pythagoras (if he had been an installer of gate automation equipment, and not a mathematician).  In this blog post – our fifteenth for 2012! – we will be looking at a few distances and measurements to keep in mind when performing your installation.

·         When installing a sliding gate motor, mount the origin magnet 500mm away from the sensor in the closing direction

·         The distance between the magnet and the sensor should be no more than 20mm

·         When preparing to install a roller-door operator (RDO), first ensure that the springs are balanced by opening the door halfway.  The door should not move of its own volition for more than 20mm in either direction

·         Install ground loops 30mm to 50mm beneath the road surface

·         Loops should typically have 20 turns per metre and there should be a minimum distance of 1 metre between opposite sides

·         Mount external receivers as high up as possible for maximum range

·         The maximum number of daily operations is 150 for the D5-Evo and 750 for the D10

·         The D5-Evo can handle loads weighing up to 500kg while the D10 can effortlessly move a gate weighing up to a ton.  Lighter gates can be automated with the D2Turbo (250kg with a top speed of 24 metres per minute) or the super-fast D10Turbo (240kg with a top speed of 50 metres per minute)

We hope this post has been helpful – please feel free to leave comments and suggestions in the comments section!

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.

Gate motor lightning protection

Lightning season is upon is (if you live in the Southern Hemisphere, anyway) and, as is sadly often the case, electronic devices will be taking a beating and by extension, so will our bank balances.  Replacing lightning-damaged equipment not only takes a considerable monetary toll (especially since vis major or so-called “acts of God” are not covered by most warrantees), but comes at a great cost to our convenience as well.  Gate motors may not be exempt, but there are some ways of minimising the chance of a lightning strike or at least minimising the damage that ensues.

1.       Proper earthing

This is arguably the most important point to consider with regards to lightning protection.  If you’ve ever taken a high school science class, you should know that electricity always takes the shortest route to ground, and an unprotected gate motor may well provide a lightning bolt with the ground it seeks.   Therefore, it is of paramount importance that you connect your gate motor to a suitable earth point, such as the track that the gate runs on.  Earthing can further be improved by installing an “earth spike”, which is essentially just a metal rod, next to the motor.  It is far more likely that lightning will strike this rod, as the rod provides it with a more stable earth.

2.       Surge limiters

There are some very effective products on the market that can be connected to a gate motor’s power supply and provide it with a means of “clamping” the excessive voltages induced by lightning and power surges.  Of course, these surge arresters will not prevent lightning from ever hitting your gate motor but it should at least minimise the amount of damage that it causes to the electronics.

3.       Built-in lightning protection

Gate automation companies are well-aware of the risk that lightning poses to electronic equipment, and as such much attention is given to the design and integration of onboard lightning protection.  Nowadays, most gate motors come standard with gas arresters and other surge-limiting components to minimise the damage caused by lightning strikes.  Again, the idea here is not to prevent lightning from targeting the motor (the person who invents such a means will be an instant millionaire!) but rather to protect the most vital components.

4.       Take preventative action

If the weatherman reports that a storm is on the way, it is always wise to unplug sensitive electronic devices.  This may cause some short-term inconvenience, but will save you a lot of heartache (not to mention cash) in the long run.

CENTURION revolutionises house-sitting

With the festive season in full swing, many of us will be trading our offices and cubicles for the seaside, our laptops for fishing rods and our suits and ties for shorts and slops.  We’ve slaved away for 12 long months and now it’s finally time to go spend that well-deserved Christmas bonus.

But what happens to your house while you’re away?  There’s nothing worse than having a 1000 kilometres of highway behind you and then suddenly realising you’ve forgotten to arm the alarm or switch off the geyser.  It’s a sinking feeling, and one that most people are all too familiar with.  On top of that, there is always the worry that someone may somehow gain access to your property by some devilish means or other.

Fortunately, past experiences, though sometimes unpleasant, often drive innovation – and what can possibly be more innovative than being able to monitor the goings-on at home even when you’re half a world away?  Rest easy, weary traveller, for CENTURION provides the solutions you seek.

Some time ago, we introduced the G-SWITCH-22, a GSM module with two inputs and two outputs for monitoring and controlling various electrical devices.   While many probably opt to use this novel little device for opening their gates at home – which, let’s be honest, is a great feature – the G-SWITCH can also be interfaced with common household appliances such as fridges and geysers, affording the user great peace of mind and convenience.  With the wind in your hair and the smell of the ocean in your nostrils, you need only give the G-SWITCH a missed call or send it a text message for it to take care of that one crucial thing that slipped your mind.  And the best part, perhaps, is that it’s a two-way relationship.  Your G-SWITCH can be set up so that it notifies you via text message when your gate is activated, the power trips, the alarm is set off, etc.  Whatever happens on the home front, you will be in the know.

But let’s not forget the all-important security factor.  What ways are there of safeguarding your property and preventing unauthorised access?  Well, you’ll be glad to know that CENTURION operators come standard with a unique Holiday Lockout feature that allows you to electronically lock your gate automation system and bar any remote controls other than the one that invoked the lockout, from activating the gate motor.  This means that, should a particularly crafty criminal somehow devise a way of circumventing the security measures already in place and learn his own transmitter into the system, he would still have no way of using it on your gate since only your remote will be able to disable the lockout.  If you don’t trust yourself to remember to enable the feature before you embark on your journey, you can always wire up your G-SWITCH to the lockout input and enable it from wherever you are, using your mobile phone.

So now, with everything taken care of back home, all that’s left for you to do is to kick back and soak up the sun.      

Add that extra level of security to your entrance!

In an increasingly security-conscious world, many home-owners choose to secure their automated gates with chains and padlocks at night for fear that intruders will pry the gates open using crowbars or by some equally nefarious means. This often has the unwanted side-effect of users forgetting about the padlock and consequently trying to activate the gate while the lock is still in place, causing consideraable damage.  Enter the ARMADA electric gate lock.

Gate automation is the final bastion when it comes to keeping criminals out of your property and safeguarding you and your family.  But how secure is your automated gate really?  Modern criminals will stop at nothing to get to your valuables, they have become smarter and more resourceful and a truly failsafe system is needed to ward them off.

The word “Armada” means armed.  It conjures up images of the proud and nearly indestructible Spanish naval fleet and it has always been associated with the military, with dedicated task forces, with defence.  But without the mettle to back them up these words are just that, words.  That is why the ARMADA gate lock, constructed from tough Grade 304 stainless steel and capable of withstanding up to 750kg of applied force – making it much stronger than the more traditional magnetic locks - is all the security your automated gate will ever need.  It has become all too easy for intruders to pry open both sliding and swing gates using crowbars or other instruments, and equally easy for them to simply lift your gate off the rail or bend the rack straight.   This has left many home- and business owners resorting to bulky padlocks and chains to secure their gates at night; a method that is not only unsightly and in most cases unreliable, it can also cause severe damage to  your gate motor if it is inadvertently left on and the motor activated. 

The ARMADA’s design allows for it to be incorporated into your existing swing or sliding gate, it is completely inconspicuous and as dependable as gravity!  The slam lock action means that the lock engages the moment your gate is closed, and all it takes to release it is a short pulse from your existing remote control.  Besides the amazing security and peace of mind offered by the lock, it offers a host of other features and benefits:

• It only draws current when activated, which means there are no expensive electricity bills
• The lock is supplied with  a key operated, failsafe manual override incorporating in case of a power failure
• Fitting the ARMADA to sliding gates eliminates the need for anti-lift brackets
• Stainless steel construction - ideal for coastal regions
• Not reliant on automation – also suited for manually operated gates
• No additional interfaces or relays necessary
• Unlocks just before the gate is opened and re-locks when the gate closes
• Bolt action ensures secure locking of double leaf or single leaf, swing gate systems
• High-volume capability, so it is ideal for both residential and commercial, as either new or retrofit installations
• Low-force lock engagement ensures reliable operation even at the tip of a wide gate
• Models available for swing gates and sliding gates in both left hand and right hand configurations
• 12V DC operation with optional power failure protection
• Instant security as lock automatically engages when gate is closed
• Optional mounting box for easy installation onto gate frame

Installers used to be wary about installing any sort of solenoid lock because of their rather dubious reputation for burning out when exposed to a long pulse, but they can now rest easy knowing that the ARMADA comes with a current limiting interface already installed. 

Armada Electric Gate Locks are available from CenturionSystems and leading security distributors.

“Welcome to the world of...futuristic gate automation!”

Long gone are the days of gate motors serving a singular purpose:  that of opening and closing your entrance gate.  Mammoth strides have been made in the fields of gate automation and access control, with automation equipment being tailor-made to suit a plethora of applications, and offering the user hitherto unknown functionality.

“Welcome to the world of tomorrow”.  This is an oft-quoted phrase in science fiction movies and literature.  It conjures up images of hover cars and teleportation devices, cities in the sky and Artificial Intelligence – sentient devices that answer to our every beck and call.

Is it then such a great stretch of the imagination to say that we have already arrived there, in this proposed “world of tomorrow”?  With the space-age innovation that CENTURION has brought to the world of gate automation and access control, it doesn’t seem to be a stretch at all!  CENTURION strives to boldly go where no gate automation company has gone before, to paraphrase another sci-fi staple.

There has been a lot of talk of the so-called “Digital Age” of late, and we have incorporated the philosophy of a digitised – yet personal – approach to security and convenience into our range of gate automation and access control equipment.  Nowhere is this more evident than in our D-Series operators – revolutionary gate operators that make use of an intelligent controller complete with LCD display for easy setup and diagnostics.  The features inherent in the D-Series operators would be quite at home in any number of futuristic settings; especially the ChronoGuard timer functionality which allows the user to set auto-activations right through the year as well as time-barring inputs and outputs for greater security.  The Ambush Alarm and Break-in Alarm also enable the user to turn their infrared safety beams into hi-tech intruder detection devices.

Of course, the D-Series operators aren’t the only innovations that set CENTURION apart from other gate automation companies – far from it!  Only recently we launched the G-SWITCH-22, a GSM-based module designed with those seeking the ultimate in security and control in mind.  Mere years ago no-one would have imagined that it would be possible to monitor and control a gate from halfway across the world, but the G-SWITCH-22 has made this a reality.  By simply initiating a missed call from your mobile phone you will be able to control up to two different electrical devices.  Our fast-paced lifestyles dictate that we also be able to monitor certain appliances remotely and again this almost unimaginable convenience is made possible by the G-SWITCH-22’s dual inputs. 

Apart from safety, it really is convenience that we as human beings living in the 21^st Century are after.  We demand ease of installation and ease of use.  CENTURION has once again stepped to the forefront of innovation with the recent launch of the SMARTGUARDair completely wireless access control keypad.  The SMARTGUARDair works in much the same way as a remote control transmitter, with the added benefit of being able to activate 15 different channels, and is powered by two AA alkaline batteries.  From the moment that the keypad is powered up to when it is completely set up and ready to use should take no more than a minute or two, which will without a doubt prove invaluable in an age where time has taken on a certain monetary value.

Other products available from Centurion Systems include intercoms, proximity tag readers, traffic barriersand traffic barrier accessories.       

A word of welcome

Hi there

This is a platform where we will discuss everything you ever wanted to know about gate motors, home automation and security in general but was afraid to ask.  Or maybe you just didn’t know who to ask? 

Everything, from current trends in automation and perimeter security to new products being introduced to tips and tricks for getting the most out of your gate motor, will be discussed here, on the official Centurion Systems blog.

We’ve taken the wealth of knowledge gained from our dedicated technical support team and, armed with this, we intend making this the definitive source of information for anything related to gate automation and access control. 

Even if you don’t have a gate motor, chances are you have a recalcitrant intercom at home or a garage door that just doesn't want to cooperate – whatever the case may be, be sure to check in here for the latest news and guidelines.  After all, the sole intent of automating a gate is to make life easier for you, and it is in keeping with this ethos that this blog was created.

We like to think that we need no introduction, but for those unfamiliar with Centurion Systems, allow us to tell you a little bit about ourselves.

Centurion Systems is a leading South African manufacturer of gate automation and access control equipment.  We offer our clients, in over 50 countries worldwide, unparalleled service, and a wide range of award-winning products for domestic, light industrial and industrial automation applications.

These include:

·         Swing gate motors

·         Sliding gate motors

·         Intercom systems

·         Remote controls and receivers

·         Traffic barriers

·         Inductive loop detectors

·         Garage door motors

·         Proximity card readers

·         GSM modules

·         Keypad access control.

Over the past 25 years, CENTURION has established itself as The Automatic Choice in access automation. Our ethos of “continuous improvement” is at the heart of our company, we are committed to bringing our valued clients products that offer unmatched physical security and convenience and service to match.

Also, don’t forget to leave your comments, suggestions and queries in the comments section.