The cost of automating a gate is decided by four things: whether the gate slides or swings, how heavy it is, how many leaves it has, and which accessories you add on top of the motor. Two houses on the same street can get very different quotes for those reasons alone. That is why we do not publish one price for gate automation: we quote after a survey visit (free in Coimbatore district), once we have seen the gate.
This post explains what each of those factors changes, so the quote you get makes sense when it arrives.
Sliding or swing
This is the first fork, and it decides which motor you need.
- Sliding gates run along a track and are moved by a motor fixed beside the gate. They suit driveways where there is no room for a gate to open inwards, and they handle heavy gates well. Our sliding motor is rated for gates up to 1500 kg.
- Swing gates open like a door, one or two leaves on hinges. Each leaf needs its own arm, so a double-leaf gate has two motors to buy and fit. Our swing motors are rated up to 250 kg per leaf, with soft start and soft stop so the leaves do not slam at the ends of travel.
A double-leaf swing gate needs a motor arm for each leaf, so the leaf count shows directly on the quote.
Gate weight and condition
Weight decides which motor class is safe for the gate. A motor sized too small for a heavy gate strains on every opening and wears out early, so this is the one place a quote should never be shaved.
The gate also has to move freely by hand before a motor goes on it. A sliding gate that drags on a bent track, or a swing gate sagging on worn hinges, needs that put right first. We check this on the site visit, because it is far cheaper to fix the gate than to keep replacing a motor fighting it.
What is always included
Some things are not options, and a quote that leaves them out is not comparing like with like:
- Safety IR beams. A transmit and receive pair stops the gate from closing if a person, a pet or a vehicle is in the way. On our installs they are mandatory and included.
- Battery backup. The gate runs on mains with a 24V battery as backup, so a power cut does not trap the car inside or leave the gate open.
- App control and notifications. Open and close from the Nexomatic app, with alerts such as "gate left open" and "gate auto-closed".
- Auto-close timer. The gate closes itself after 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes, and can close automatically at sunset.
The options that change the quote
This is where quotes differ the most, because every household wants a different set. These are the ways a Nexomatic gate can be opened and watched; the video door phone is an optional add-on:
| Accessory | What it does |
|---|---|
| Remote fob | Open from the car, like a conventional gate remote |
| Wall keypad | Open with a code, for family members without the app |
| FASTag entry | The gate reads your car's FASTag and opens for trusted vehicles, with every entry logged |
| Geofence open | The gate starts opening when your phone comes within 100 m (configurable) |
| Video door phone | Visitor presses the bell, you see live video on your phone, talk both ways and unlock with one tap; the last 7 days of visitor activity are recorded |
| Service window | The gate opens for trusted staff such as a cook or a maid during set hours only |
Two more features are worth asking about. An emergency override opens the gate automatically if a smoke sensor in the house goes off. And if you add outdoor perimeter security, a break in the beam across the compound wall can close the gate and switch the lights on.
One thing we deliberately do not offer for gates is voice control. A gate that opens on an overheard sentence is not a feature.
Why we quote after a site visit
Gate automation is not a box that ships in the post. The motor has to match the gate's type and weight, the track or hinges have to be sound, the safety beams have to be placed where a car or a child actually passes, and the controller needs power at the gate. None of that can be judged from a photo.
A quote that arrives without anyone seeing the gate either assumes the worst and is padded, or assumes the best and grows on installation day. The survey visit (free in Coimbatore district) gives you one number with the motor class, the accessories you chose and the work needed on the gate itself listed separately.
Working with existing gates
Most existing sliding and swing gates can be automated without replacing the gate, as long as they are within the weight limits and move freely by hand. Gate automation also sits in the same Nexomatic app as the rest of the house, so the gate, the water tank, the lights and the cameras are in one place rather than four apps. See the full specification on the smart gate automation page.
We are based in Saravanampatti on Sathy Road and install across Coimbatore and Tamil Nadu. If gate automation is part of a larger plan, the home automation in Coimbatore page covers what else we install locally.
FAQ
How much does gate automation cost? It depends on whether the gate slides or swings, its weight, the number of leaves and the accessories you choose. We quote after a survey visit (free in Coimbatore district), with each part listed so you can see what you are paying for.
Can my existing gate be automated? Usually, yes. Sliding gates up to 1500 kg and swing gates up to 250 kg per leaf, single or double leaf, can be automated without replacing the gate, provided the gate moves freely by hand.
What happens in a power cut? The gate runs on mains with a 24V battery as backup, so it keeps working through a cut.
Can the gate open by itself when I drive in? Yes, two ways: FASTag entry, where the gate reads the car's FASTag and opens for trusted vehicles, and geofence open, where it starts opening as your phone comes within 100 m.
Book a survey visit (free in Coimbatore district) or call +91 75500 58208, Monday to Saturday, 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM.