Fence gates should always complement the security and aesthetic the fence provides to your home or business. But different fenced in areas need different levels of access – and knowing just what kind of access your fence needs is an important decision to make before settling on a type of fence.
A Simple Gate (Standard Protection)
Most of the time, a simple and standard gate is all you need for your fence. These types of gates offer little in the way of protection but can be secured adequately with a padlock or another type of affordable lock. These gates generally don’t cost much and are usually all a fence owner needs if they don’t keep anything expensive in their home’s backyard or business’s service area.
They can be wood, vinyl, ornamental, or chain link. Standard gates come in all kinds of fence types.
An “Out-Only” Gate
Certain gates restrict inward access but allow outward departure; by design, they work to make it easy for family or employees to leave, but hard for unauthorized people to enter. These gates can be ideal for homes or businesses with alternative access to a fenced-in area elsewhere on the property. For example, “out-only” gates make it simple to access convenient exits on the property without giving criminals an additional point of entry to misuse.
Unlike simple gates, however, “out-only” fence gates require more robust hinge systems. So they usually only come in vinyl or ornamental styles.
Sliding Panel-Access Gates
Sliding panel-access gates are the most secure because they require the user to interact with a trackable system to gain access. Whether they be pin-coded, key card required, or directly monitored, panel-access gates supply the home or business with a record of who comes in and who comes out. These sorts of gates are usually paired with video cameras or patrol guards for added security, but not always. Homes and businesses with lots of important (and possibly expensive) things in their fenced-in area will usually have a sliding gate system of some sort.
They usually come in ornamental styles, but vinyl options are available and work just as well.
Don’t forget to settle on fence gates before you settle on a fence style. You wouldn’t want to invest in a fence that did not meet your security needs – thinking about what gate you need BEFORE you decide on the type of fence can prevent that.
