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September 15, 2006
By Bobby Horecka
Field Editor
Most anyone who ever locked a gate has found themselves standing idly by at some point, waiting to let someone else in.
If not, you probably handed off your gate key or gave out the lock combination. Of course, such transactions always involve a certain amount of trust, and depending on the recipient, you may have defeated the whole purpose in having a lock in the first place.
But wouldn't it be nice if you could kick that gate open from anywhere in the world simply by making a phone call or clicking a computer mouse?
Now you can, says Dale Foster, who is seeking a patent on what he calls the Secure Guard Wireless Entry System.
Foster lives and works in Dallas, but he owns a 600-acre ranch near Dawson, almost an hour away from his home.
Much of the ranch is leased to neighboring cattlemen, but Foster says, he and his family enjoy the place as a home away from home on the weekends.
Like many gate owners, he faced the same dilemma on his place—tasks as simple as letting the bug man in to spray the house proved problematic. Plus, he says, there were many times he would visit the place to find some door left open or appliance left running, never quite knowing who the culprit may be.
So he began working with friends in the wireless technology industry to come up with a solution.
The Secure Guard device—roughly the size of a deck of cards—works in tandem with an already existing power gate to open and close the structure, as well as provide the user with software information about who is accessing his property and when.
The real beauty of the programming, Foster says, comes with the assignment and tracking of different user codes at the gate. That way, he can assign a unique number to the bug man, for instance, and know exactly when he enters and leaves the location without ever having to meet him or lose security to his home.
Other practical uses could include codes for lease holders, employees or family members, ensuring each had the access they needed and the owner has a record of their activity. And should any of them no longer need the access, a simple mouse click on the reporting software can render the old code useless.
The real test of the system, Foster said, came a couple of months ago with his brother-in-law. Unable to recall the gate code at the entrance keypad, he called Foster for help.
Unfortunately, Foster was away on business in New York City, a far sight farther away than his normal office hours in the Big D.
But with a simple phone call, Foster said, the gate swung open within seconds.
"It's simply another layer of security that's now available through technology," he said. And given the device can be fitted to operate most anything that opens or closes, the Secure Guard system could have a wide variety of uses—boat slips, storage buildings, beach homes—the list is almost endless, Foster says.
"It's simply a matter of finding a use that best fits your needs," Foster said.
For more information on the Secure Guard, contact Remote Entry Systems at 214-420-8228.
