Free on-site gate assessment - hinges, posts, and your LiftMaster or Nice gate operator checked before anything is quoted
The assessment is free and the quote is the invoice.
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AfterFast, Reliable Gate Access Control Across Allentown
Gate access control in Allentown usually means one of three things: a keypad that quits reading codes when the temperature drops, a video intercom mounted on a 1910s brick pillar that’s pulling the mortar apart, or an opener that trips its safety edge every time a car noses up a shared driveway. We fix all of them, and we fix them in Allentown every week. Hal Gatewood started this company in 2001 because he got tired of seeing gates nobody else would touch get ripped out and replaced with something that didn’t match the house. If your access control system is acting up on Cedar Crest Boulevard or down in the South Side, call (877) 610-2993 and you’ll get a live person. Not a robot, not a call center. Hal or someone from his crew who knows Allentown’s gates.
Why Gatewood Fence & Gate Is Allentown’s Preferred Gate Access Control Company
We work on gates in 18101, 18102, 18103, and 18104. That covers everything from the dense brick rows of Center City Allentown to the tree-lined blocks of the West End. The reason Allentown homeowners call us instead of a national outfit is simple: when you call, a live person answers, and when we show up, we know what we’re looking at. A gate mortared into a 1910s brick pillar with a rust-frozen hinge post is not a surprise to us. It’s Tuesday.
Our reputation around Allentown is built on showing up in the window we promise and standing behind the work with a 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. We don’t make you haggle for it. It’s on every invoice. We also don’t charge a trip fee inside Lehigh County, which matters when you live in the 18104 ZIP and you’re not sure if the problem is the keypad, the wire, or the operator. We’ll come look, tell you what’s wrong, and quote a price before any work starts. The quote is the price. That’s it.
Hal’s name is on the shop and on every job. That’s the oldest accountability there is.
Our Gate Access Control Services in Allentown
Keypad Entry
Keypad entry on an Allentown West End gate usually means mounting a new keypad to a wrought iron gate that’s been there since the Coolidge administration. We’ve done enough of these to know that the keypad itself is rarely the hard part. The hard part is making sure the gate doesn’t sag and drag the striker plate out of alignment within six months. In Allentown’s clay-heavy soil, posts heave every winter, and a keypad that worked in September can stop latching in February. We reset the post footing when we install the keypad, not after it fails. A typical keypad entry installation in Allentown runs $400-$750 depending on the operator and wiring run.
Remote Control
Remote control for a gate in Allentown’s South Side or along Hamilton Street means the opener has to read your transmitter reliably while the gate itself is set back from the street on a shared driveway. We program remotes for FAAC, BFT, and Linear operators on site, and we don’t tell you to call an app or a 1-800 number when the remote stops pairing. We also replace receiver boards and safety photocells the same visit whenever we can. Remote programming and a new transmitter typically costs $95-$185 in Allentown.
Phone Entry
Phone entry systems on Allentown row homes and duplexes often connect to an existing landline or a small cellular unit. We install and service phone entry so delivery drivers, visiting nurses, and family members can call the house from the gate and get buzzed in. In parts of 18102 and 18103, we see a lot of duplexes where two units share one front gate, and the phone entry has to ring the right unit every time. We set that up correctly the first time. Phone entry systems in Allentown run $500-$1,200 installed.
Card Reader
Card readers show up most often in Allentown on small commercial properties, parking courts, and the occasional multi-unit building where residents want a fob or card instead of a code. We install standalone card readers and integrate them with existing operators, including FAAC and BFT panels. For a homeowner near Muhlenberg College who wants a card reader on a gate with a keypad backup, we typically quote $350-$700 for the reader and programming, depending on the panel.
We also handle Gate Access Control installs and repairs on sliding gates where a swing gate won’t fit, which covers a lot of Allentown’s older neighborhoods where the frontage is narrow and the gate has to slide along the property line instead of swinging into the sidewalk.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Allentown
We’re certified to service nine major gate brands, and in Allentown we see a lot of FAAC and BFT operators on the older iron gates, plus Viking and Linear on mid-2000s installs. We stock common parts for these operators so we’re not waiting on a distributor when your access control goes down. If your gate uses a brand we service, we can usually have it running the same day we diagnose it. If it needs a part we don’t carry on the truck, we’ll tell you exactly when it’ll be here and what the install time looks like.
Common Gate Access Control Problems We See in Allentown Homes
- Sagging gate dragging the keypad strike plate out of alignment. This is the most common access control failure in Allentown’s West End. The gate sags because the hinge post moved in clay soil that freezes and thaws 30-plus times each winter. The keypad still works, but the latch won’t catch, so the homeowner thinks the keypad is dead. It’s not the keypad; it’s the post.
- Safety photocells misaligned by freeze-thaw cycles. Allentown’s winters shift gate posts just enough to knock photocells out of alignment. When that happens, the gate reverses or refuses to move. We align the photocells and check the post footing so it doesn’t happen again next winter.
- Video intercoms pulling away from 1910s brick pillars. Drilling into century-old brick is a risk. Too many installers drill big holes, crack the mortar, and leave the intercom wobbling while moisture seeps into the masonry. We mount intercoms on brick pillars with the right anchors and standoffs, and we check the mortar before we touch the drill.
- Remote won’t open the gate but the manual release works. On a South Side sliding gate, this usually points to a receiver board or a limit switch, not the remote. We see it on gates set in alleys where the gate rail sits tight to the property line. We diagnose the board first, and we don’t sell you a new remote you didn’t need.
Pricing for Gate Access Control in Allentown, PA
Gate access control pricing in Allentown runs from about $95 for a remote programming visit to $1,200 for a full phone entry install with a new keypad and wiring. Keypad entry retrofits on older gates typically land between $400 and $750, card readers between $350 and $700, and video intercoms between $600 and $1,400 depending on the pillar work. What moves the price in Allentown more than anything is the condition of the gate itself. If the pillar needs mortar work or the post needs resetting, that’s a combined-trade job, and we quote it before we start. We offer $40 off any repair over $200, a free second opinion on any written estimate, and a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll give you a number before any work starts.
We Also Serve Cities Near Allentown
If you live just outside the city in Whitehall, Catasauqua, Fullerton, or Emmaus, we make the same trip with the same live person answering the phone. Many of our Allentown customers send us to family members in those nearby towns. The gates are newer in a lot of those neighborhoods, but the access control problems are the same: keypads that quit, remotes that stop pairing, and photocells knocked out by winter.
Serving Allentown, PA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Allentown area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Gate Access Control in Allentown
Yes, and we do it regularly. The keypad mounts to the ironwork, but we check the hinge post and the masonry first, because if the post heaves in clay soil after we leave, the keypad will fail within months. We reset the post footing and repair the mortar before mounting the keypad, so the gate stays square and the striker plate catches. Call (877) 610-2993 for a free estimate on a brick-pillar keypad retrofit.
Yes. Entrapment protection is required for automated gates under UL 325 safety standards, and it’s non-negotiable, especially on shared driveways and residential gates near sidewalks. We install safety photocells as part of every access control retrofit and check that they’re aligned before we leave. If the photocells aren’t working, the gate is not safe to use automatically, period.
We stage the work so the gate is never locked shut and never left half-open between visits. On shared driveways in Allentown’s denser blocks, we do the pillar and wiring work in the morning, mount the new keypad and intercom in the afternoon, and run the operator test while you’re there to see it. If the gate has to be taken off its hinges, we do it on one visit and have it back on the same day.
That symptom usually points to the receiver board or a limit switch, not the remote itself. On sliding gates set tight to the property line in the South Side, we see limit switches knocked out of position when the gate gets bumped or when ice builds up on the rail. We test the receiver first, then check the limits. The fix is usually an afternoon, not a new gate. Call us for a diagnosis, and we’ll tell you what’s actually wrong before we quote anything.
You can, but it’s a poor fit for most West End gates. The maple and sycamore canopies along those blocks shade the panel more hours than most solar openers can tolerate, and winter days in the Lehigh Valley are short and cloudy. A hardwired low-voltage operator is more reliable on a shaded brick pillar gate. If solar is the only option because there’s no power run, we’ll tell you that too, and we’ll size the panel and battery honestly. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll come look at the site before you spend money.
When your access control stops working in Allentown, call (877) 610-2993. You’ll get a live person who knows gates in 18101, 18102, 18103, and 18104, and you’ll get a written quote before any work begins. If it’s not done right, we come back and make it right. That’s the 90-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s on every invoice. Hal’s name is on the shop, and the shop answers the phone.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Allentown since 2001.