Can I open my gate from my phone?

Yes, you can open your gate from your phone. We add a small wifi or cellular controller to your gate opener, and then you can open it from anywhere you have signal. Kodiak Gates & Iron, a custom iron shop in Caldwell, Idaho, installs phone controlled gate openers, including on gates we didn't build.

Phone control isn't a different kind of gate. It's a control added to the opener. What makes it work well is good signal and power at the gate.

Why is phone control separate from the opener?

Because the opener is the motor, and phone control, keypads, intercoms and remotes just tell the motor to run. Any of them can be added to an opener that's installed right.

That's where most problems start. An opener that fits the gate takes a phone controller with no trouble. An opener fighting a gate that drags or sags will fail the same way from a phone, a keypad or a remote. No app fixes that.

That's why we get the gate right first, then add the controls. Most opener companies don't weld, and most welders don't install openers. Kodiak does both. See our gate automation service.

Why would I want to open my gate from my phone?

So you can let people in when you're not there. A contractor shows up before you get home. A family member loses a remote. A neighbor checks on the place while you're away. You open the gate from wherever you are.

Most phone controllers also keep a log of when the gate opened and who opened it. That's handy on a property where several people come and go.

Do I need wifi or cell signal at the gate?

You need one or the other, and it has to be good at the gate, not just at the house. A cellular controller needs cell coverage at the gate post. A wifi controller needs your home wifi to reach that far, and on a long driveway it often doesn't.

This is the number one reason phone control disappoints people. Your gate may sit far from the house, behind trees or downhill. Wifi that's strong on the porch can be useless at the post. We check signal at the gate when we measure. If it's weak, we use a cellular controller, a wifi extender aimed at the gate, or a keypad as the main control with your phone as backup.

Can I let a delivery driver in when I'm not home?

Yes, in a couple of ways. You can open the gate from your phone when they arrive. Or you can give them a keypad code, one time or ongoing, so a driver, house cleaner or dog walker can get in without a remote.

Codes can be set up for each person and turned off later. If you get a lot of deliveries, a keypad with codes often works better than the app, because you don't have to answer your phone every time.

Can I see who's at the gate before I open it?

Yes, with a camera or video intercom at the gate. That's a separate device from the opener and the phone controller, and it needs its own power and signal.

If you want both video and phone control, plan them together. That way it's one trench and one set of conduit. Adding a camera after the driveway is closed back up is the harder way to do the same job.

What if the internet or signal goes out?

Your gate still works. Phone control is just one way in, so the gate still opens with a remote, a keypad or the manual release. Phone control comes back when the signal does.

That's why we never install a gate where the only control is an app. A keypad or remote as a second way in is the difference between an annoyance and being locked out. It's the same idea as a manual release for a power outage. Read our guide What happens to an electric gate in a power outage?

Who does the work?

Kodiak Gates & Iron is a family run iron shop in Caldwell, Idaho. Jose Luis Dominguez started in the trade at 19 and has been a licensed contractor since 2007.

The person who measures your gate also builds the bracket and installs the opener. If your gate needs iron work before it can be automated, it stays one job with one shop.

What does your driveway decide?

We come to you. The drive out is part of the job, not a reason to say no. We work in Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Star, Kuna, Garden City, Caldwell, Nampa, Middleton, Garden Valley, Bogus Basin, Cascade, Donnelly, McCall and Tamarack.

For phone control, your property decides almost everything: how far the gate is from the house, what's between them, whether there's cell coverage at the post, how far the nearest power is, and what a trench would cross. A gate close to the house in town and a gate at the bottom of a foothills driveway use the same app and need two different installs.

Kodiak provides first year maintenance at no cost, when Kodiak did the installation.

Ask for an onsite estimate

Here's the most useful thing you can do first: stand at your gate, or where it will go, and check the signal on your phone. Then send us a photo of the gate and posts, where the property is, and about how far the gate is from the nearest power.

Request an onsite estimate, or call 208-906-1526.