Sliding gate motor or swing gate opener
The gate you already have usually settles this. A sliding gate rolls on wheels along a ground track beside the fence, so its motor sits on a pad at one end and drives a rack fixed to the gate. A swing gate needs room to open in an arc, and is moved by an arm or a piston on each leaf.
CENTSYS's V-Series SMART swing motors, for example, are piston operators with a 400mm or 500mm stroke, sold as a single kit for one leaf or a double kit for two.
Weight first, then everything else
Every motor has a weight limit, and a solid steel gate can be far heavier than it looks. On the sliding side, Merlin's Slide 600 is listed for gates up to 600 kg and 8m, CENTSYS's D5-Evo for up to 500kg, and ATA's Neoslider for gates as heavy as 800kg.
Before any motor goes on, the gate itself has to run freely. Worn wheels, a bent track or a sagging hinge make a motor work harder and wear out sooner.
Keeping the gate working through a blackout
On 28 September 2016 almost all of South Australia lost power, and much of Adelaide waited until about 10 pm to get it back. For a gate, battery backup is the answer. CENTSYS says the D5-Evo runs on two 7Ah batteries that keep it going in a power cut, and its V-Series SMART swing motors carry a 7.2Ah battery. Both can also run off a solar supply.
Mains power to the gate is electrical work. In South Australia a registered electrical worker runs it, and must give you an electronic certificate of compliance within 30 days.
Fit the safety beams
A motorised gate is heavy and moves by itself. Merlin says its myQ app will only run a gate that has Safety IR Beams installed, and CENTSYS says the D5-Evo's alarm functions need gate safety beams. Keep children off a moving gate and keep remotes out of reach.
Gates around Adelaide
Hills properties
The CFS advises on emergency vehicle access for homes in the Bushfire Hazard Overlays. If your driveway has a gate, make sure it can be opened by hand when the power is off.
Rural driveways
Merlin's range includes rural (solar) gate openers for gates a long way from mains power.
The standard
AS/NZS 60335.2.103:2024 sets the safety rules for electric drives on household gates.
What we would do
Weigh up how many people will use the gate and how. A keypad for visitors, extra remotes for the family or phone control each change the kit, so list them before anyone quotes rather than adding them later.