Connect any gate or barrier to parking and access control software
Barriers, sliding gates, pedestrian doors and elevators from any manufacturer. Three ways to connect — a relay, a gate controller, or the manufacturer's API — so you keep the hardware and change only the software.
Can I connect my existing gate to parking software?
Yes, whatever the brand. Any electric gate, barrier or pedestrian door that can be opened with a button, a remote or a phone call can also be opened by software, because software only has to give the gate the same opening signal those already give it. The gate's motor, safety sensors and closing logic stay as they are.
The question is never whether a gate can be connected, only which of three options it needs — and that is what decides the cost. A gate that already knows how to close itself safely needs only a relay. A gate that does not, or a site that needs to know exactly what the gate is doing, needs a full gate controller. A site already running a parking system with an open API needs no extra hardware at all.
Autlo is a software company and does not sell barriers, which is exactly why we have had to learn to work with everyone else's.
Three ways to connect a gate
Same result in every case — the gate opens from a number plate, the app or your own system. What changes is how much has to be installed at the gate, and therefore the price.
1. A relay
When: the gate already handles its own closing — it has induction loops, photo-sensors and a working control board, which most modern gates and barriers do.
What is installed: a small relay wired to the gate's opening input, the same terminal a push-button or radio receiver uses. It connects over a network cable, or over a SIM card where there is no cable.
Cost: the lowest of the three hardware options, and the one most sites end up on.
2. A full gate controller
When: an older gate has no loop logic of its own, or the site needs to know the gate's state — whether a car is on the loop, whether the arm is up, whether the photo-sensor is clear.
What is installed: a gate controller computer that reads the loops, the arm and the sensors and runs the opening and closing sequence itself.
Cost: higher than a relay, in exchange for full control — including refusing to open or start a session when no vehicle is actually there.
3. The manufacturer's API
When: the site already runs a parking or access system that exposes an API, typically on larger parking installations.
What is installed: nothing at the gate. Autlo opens it through a software call to the system that is already there.
Cost: no hardware, but it depends on the manufacturer's cooperation, so cost and timeline are agreed case by case. Where a vendor is closed, option one or two still works.
Any of them. Autlo connects to gates, barriers and doors regardless of manufacturer; what varies from site to site is which of the three options applies. These are the most widely installed brands, and Autlo works with all of them.
Gate and barrier automation
- FAAC and Magnetic Autocontrol
- CAME
- BFT
- Nice
- Hörmann
- SOMMER
- Beninca
- Ditec
- Fadini
- Motorline
- ELKA
- Roger Technology
- Key Automation
- King Gates
- Marantec
- Automatic Systems
Parking systems
- SKIDATA
- Designa
- Scheidt & Bachmann
- Amano
- HUB Parking
- Parklio
North America
- LiftMaster and Chamberlain
- HySecurity
- DoorKing
On parking systems the barrier and the payment side are separate questions. Autlo drives SKIDATA barriers, for example, but SKIDATA's payment machines are closed, so on those sites payment is normally replaced rather than integrated.
If your brand is not on the list, it still almost certainly connects. A photo of the motor label and the control board is usually enough for us to tell you which option applies.
What can be connected, and what it does once it is
The same connection serves a car barrier, a pedestrian door and a lift. Drivers and residents use one app for all of them, and the site administrator manages one list of people.
Open the gate by number plate
A camera reads the plate and Autlo opens the barrier automatically — no ticket, no fob, nothing to press. It works with the camera's own recognition or with Autlo's engine reading the video stream. See how ANPR works.
Open pedestrian doors from an app
Mandoors and side gates unlock from the driver's or resident's phone, with the same account that opens the car gate. Visitors get a pass for a set time instead of a key.
Call an elevator from the same app
Residents call the lift from the app that opens their gate, so access to the garage and the building runs on one set of permissions that can be changed or revoked from one place.
The six methods behind the three options
In practice the relay option comes in several forms, depending on the network at the gate. We have used all six of these on live sites and pick the simplest one that fits.
1. Phone call
Option: no new hardware. Feedback: no.
For sites that already open the gate by calling it from a mobile phone. Autlo's calling robot is added to the gate's list of allowed numbers, and the existing call-to-open system does the rest.
2. Call-in controller
Option: relay. Speed: about 3 seconds. Feedback: no.
The same principle as a phone call, with Autlo installing the controller. Suitable for any electric gate, barrier or pedestrian door. It relies on one mobile network, so if that network is down the gate will not open from the system.
3. GSM data controller
Option: relay. Speed: 1–2 seconds. Feedback: yes.
For larger garages, heavy use, and sites with no internet cable. A roaming SIM switches between mobile networks, so it works as long as one is present. It confirms the gate opened, retries on poor reception, and can warn or close the garage if power or network is lost.
4. KMTronic LAN controller
Option: relay. Speed: fast. Feedback: yes.
The same capability as the GSM controller, over a wired network cable. The usual choice for heavily used gates where a cable is available, and for underground garages where mobile reception is poor.
5. Fennix FMC controller
Option: full gate controller. Speed: fast. Feedback: yes, including gate state.
Reads the induction loop, the barrier arm position and the photo-sensor, and can run the gate's sequence itself. That allows decisions based on conditions — for example, refusing to start a session if no vehicle is standing on the loop.
6. System or server API
Option: API. Speed: instant. Feedback: depends on the vendor.
The gate opens through a software call to the parking or smart-lock system already installed. Needs the hardware provider's cooperation, so cost and timeline are agreed case by case.
How we choose the option for a site
Four questions decide it, and we ask them before anything is ordered:
- Does the gate close itself safely today? If it has working loops and a control board, a relay is enough. If not, it needs a full gate controller.
- Is there an internet cable at the gate? If yes, a LAN relay is usually the simplest and fastest. If not, a GSM controller with a roaming SIM.
- Do you need to know the gate actually opened, or that a car is really there? Basic relays send the signal and stop. GSM and LAN controllers confirm the opening; the full gate controller also reads the loop and the arm.
- Is a parking system with an API already installed? Then the API route may need no hardware at all.
If the site already has a working call-to-open system, the first answer may be that nothing needs to be installed.
What stays the same when you connect
Connecting a gate to Autlo adds a way to open it. It does not take any of the existing ones away.
Existing remotes keep working
The relay or controller sits alongside the gate's own receiver, so remotes already in use keep opening the gate. People can move to the app or to plate recognition at their own pace rather than on a cut-over date.
The gate keeps working without internet
With plate recognition on site, the gate opens for every plate on the list even when the internet connection is down. Only opening from the phone app needs a connection.
The gate's own safety logic is untouched
With a relay, the motor, the photo-sensors and the closing sequence belong to the gate and stay that way. Autlo sends the same opening signal a button would, and the gate decides how to close safely.
What you can do once the gate is connected
The connection is the first step. These are what the software adds on top, and each is a setting rather than a project.
Plate recognition
Add an ANPR camera and the gate opens by number plate, with the app as a backup. Existing cameras with their own recognition, such as Hikvision or Tattile, can be used. See the ANPR parking management system.
Visitor and contractor passes
Access for a set period instead of permanently, sent by SMS or email, or tied to a visitor's plate so they press nothing at all.
Instant removal
A person, their phone and their plates removed from access in one step. No remote to collect back, no receiver to reprogramme.
Space quotas per tenant
When a tenant's spaces are all in use, the gate stays closed, opens and notifies the administrator, or starts a paid session — your choice per site.
Full opening history
Every opening logged with the person, the tenant and the plate, so an incident can be traced to who was on site and when.
Paid parking and EV charging
The same connected gate can start a paid session, bill a monthly permit, or sit in front of chargers billed on the same account. See parking operator software.
Common questions
Yes, whatever the brand. There are three ways: a relay wired to the gate's opening input, for gates that already close themselves safely; a full gate controller that runs the gate's sequence and reads its sensors, for older gates or where the gate's state matters; or the manufacturer's API, where the installed system exposes one. The gate's motor and safety sensors stay as they are.
All of them, including FAAC and Magnetic Autocontrol, CAME, BFT, Nice, Hörmann, SOMMER, Beninca, Ditec, Fadini, Motorline, ELKA, Roger Technology, Key Automation, King Gates, Marantec and Automatic Systems; parking systems from SKIDATA, Designa, Scheidt & Bachmann, Amano, HUB Parking and Parklio; and LiftMaster, Chamberlain, HySecurity and DoorKing in North America. Brand affects which connection option applies, not whether the gate can be connected.
A relay only sends the gate its opening signal and leaves closing to the gate itself — the lowest-cost option and the most common. A full gate controller also reads the induction loop, the barrier arm and the photo-sensor and can run the whole sequence, which is needed for older gates without loop logic or where a session depends on a car really being there. An API connection needs no hardware but depends on the manufacturer exposing one.
It depends on which of the three options the gate needs. A relay is the lowest hardware cost; a full gate controller costs more because it does more; an API connection has no hardware cost but depends on the manufacturer's terms. We tell you which applies, and the price, from a photo of the gate's motor label and control board.
No. The barrier stays; a relay or controller is connected to it and an ANPR camera is added at the lane. Many sites also keep an existing camera if it already recognises plates.
Connect the gate to Autlo with any of the three options, and it can then be opened from the Autlo app by anyone the administrator has given access. Visitors can be sent a time-limited pass by SMS or email instead of being added permanently, and access can be removed instantly.
Use a GSM data controller. It runs on a roaming SIM that switches between mobile networks, opens in one to two seconds, confirms the gate opened, and works as long as at least one mobile network is present.
With plate recognition on site, yes: the gate opens for every plate on the list without an internet connection. Only opening from the phone app needs a connection. With a GSM controller, the gate opens as long as one mobile network is reachable.
Yes. The relay or controller is connected alongside the gate's own receiver rather than replacing it, so remotes already in use keep opening the gate.
With the GSM data controller, the KMTronic LAN controller and the full gate controller, yes. The phone-call and call-in methods send the opening signal but cannot confirm the result. The full gate controller also reports the loop, the barrier arm and the photo-sensor.
The barrier itself, yes — Autlo drives SKIDATA barriers by connecting to the gate rather than through SKIDATA's own controller. SKIDATA's payment machines are a different matter: their payment side is closed, so on those sites payment is normally replaced rather than integrated.
Yes. Mandoors and side gates use the same connection options as a car barrier, and elevators can be called from the same app, so a resident's garage, door and lift access sit on one account.
All Autlo servers are in the EU and GDPR compliant, with the main server in the Netherlands. The cloud can be set up in your own country or region, or run as a fully local installation. Images and recognition results are deleted automatically after four months.
FAAC, Magnetic Autocontrol, CAME, BFT, Nice, Hörmann, SOMMER, Beninca, Ditec, Fadini, Motorline, ELKA, Roger Technology, Key Automation, King Gates, Marantec, Automatic Systems, SKIDATA, Designa, Scheidt & Bachmann, Amano, HUB Parking, Parklio, LiftMaster, Chamberlain, HySecurity, DoorKing, Hikvision, Tattile, KMTronic and Fennix are trademarks of their respective owners. Autlo is an independent software vendor and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a certified partner of any hardware manufacturer. These names are listed only to describe equipment Autlo can connect to.
Send us a photo of your gate
The motor label, the control board, and whether there is a network cable nearby. That is usually enough for us to tell you which of the three options fits and what it costs.
Questions about connecting your gate?
Tell us what is installed, how many gates, and whether there is a cable or only mobile signal. We will tell you which option fits.