Automatic gate opening — how does it work?

What do the elements on the map mean?

Setup starts with the Gate and Home / base points. The route can contain orange GPS wake-up zones and green Opening zones. Arrival points may be labelled AR1, AR2… while departure can use its own DP zone or a delay-based variant. These circles have different jobs and are evaluated in sequence.

The important distinction is that a GPS wake-up prepares location, while an Opening zone marks the place where an opening command may be sent. Being somewhere near home is therefore not enough by itself.

What happens on arrival?

An assigned Bluetooth car can provide the context that a drive has started. The app can then use GPS wake-ups, direction of travel and the relevant Opening zone. If the property can be approached from several roads, multiple arrival zones can be configured for the different directions.

Place the Opening zone before the physical gate rather than directly on it. The phone needs time for a fresh location update and the gate motor needs time to move.

What happens when leaving the property?

Home / base supports practical departure variants. Bluetooth + departure zone starts the session when the car connects and opens at the green DP zone. Bluetooth + delay opens after the configured delay while the phone is inside Home, so a departure zone is not required. Home Wi‑Fi loss + departure zone can be used as an alternative to Bluetooth.

With Protection against opening while walking enabled, the app also looks for evidence of driving. Wi‑Fi loss or a wake event alone does not have to be enough.

Why does precise GPS not have to run all day?

With Energy-saving location monitoring, lightweight Bluetooth and/or Wi‑Fi triggers remain ready in the background. Precise location monitoring is activated when a relevant event starts a drive session. This limits the amount of time high-accuracy location needs to work.

If Android restricts background activity, open Phone readiness. It checks the permissions and system settings relevant to the current configuration.

What does the app do when the conditions are met?

Gate Auto Open triggers the saved opening method: GSM phone call, SUPLA direct link or another HTTP/HTTPS link. The app can know that the command was sent, but it does not have a physical gate-position sensor, so it cannot confirm that the gate leaf actually moved.

Key points

• Set Home / base where the car is normally parked and the Gate point at the controlled entrance.
• Put a GPS wake-up before the Opening zone; a wake-up should not open the gate by itself.
• Leave enough distance for both location refresh and gate motor movement.
• Choose one clear departure flow: Bluetooth + zone, Bluetooth + delay, or Wi‑Fi + zone.
• After setup, review Phone readiness and test several real drives.

Common questions