Gate Remotes.....

Hi All,

My boyfriend has just returned from the AEA office in Duquesa where he was trying to buy a second fob as we are now both resident.  He e-mailed me at work and said that he had to by 2 new fobs as from next Wednesday the exit barrier to DV will be in operation and the codes for the 2 gates will be different so we will need a fob with 2 buttons.

This is the first I have heard of this, surely we should have been notified by e-mail/post of AEA's intention to do this.  My old fob will be useless and I have to shell out more € to get it replaced.

Can anyone shed any light on this decision as I think it is wrong that we all have to buy new fobs without any warning!

Daniela

I haven't heard anything about this and I'm also resident here at the moment.  Bit stupid of AEA  not to advise everyone, if this is the case.  Will email them.

Thanks Pitby, I'm stuck at work at the moment so can't really do anything.  Let me know what they say.

Yep, it's right!  Just spoke to Rachel at the gate and there is a notice on the window that, as from next Wednesday, you will need a remote with "two bottom"!!!  ??

She showed me the new remote, with two buttons - one for each barrier. 

Nice to be informed!!  So have to go to AEA to replace the old ones!

do we swap the old one for the new one or do we have to pay for the new one?

I haven't actually heard from Melisa at AEA yet, so will give her a call today.  I would presume that we'll have it replaced, but you will have to pay for an additional one.  But maybe that's wishful thinking!

I'll post here when I find out.  If I have time, i'll pop into AEA's office today.

Thanks Jan. I think it's very wrong if the whole estate has to buy new fobs to replace the old ones.  AEA should have another development that they could use the old fobs on.  But as you say it could be wishful thinking!

yes, just heard from Melissa that you have to pay - 42 euros - for a new remote with two 'zappers'!

Personally, I would have thought that, as this was a community issue, that the remotes (at least one per apartment, as was given to owners upon completion) would be free of charge, or at least discounted.  42 euros is expensive for a fob, I think!

Anyway, you will need to replace this from next week - Melissa told me to email Maria Jose in the port office mariajose@aea-administracion.com so she could have it ready for collection.

hey ho!!

 I assume the two button zappers are of the 'same style' as the ones we were originally given. If so I purchased two of these 2 button types about 2 years ago from Ferreteria Morales near the Sabinillas roundabout for about 30 ish euros each. The reason they had two buttons was ...... they were the only ones in stock!!!

Using the instructions inside the box you can program the receiver with a working remote.

The remotes look exactly like the ones we have now (well, the one I have - orange and grey), except with two buttons.  Jeff, could I then just go to the Ferreteria and buy one?  Is it difficult to programme them?

Check with the Ferreteria that he will take them back if they are not suitable - he is normally very good like that.

Basically you take a working one up to gate or barrier area to where the receiver box is and you press a small button on the back or inside the battery area on a zapper matched to a receiver. This puts the receiver into learning mode for about 10 seconds and you press the button on the new one and the receiver learns the new code.

I cannot remember if the learn button is on the back or inside - its inside on the zapper for my community in Manilva Village.

The ones I bought were the same orange and grey. If you have the original box it has the instruction in Spanish.

This message was last edited by manilvajl on 28/01/2010.

Perhaps  a silly question.....but I expect somebody else might be wondering too.

If we replace our 4 button fob to a 2 button fob and then get them re-programmed somehow... so one button is for the entrance and the other is for the exit barrier - how do we open our garage door?  

In that case, am I right in thinking that all fobs opens any garage door?   I've never tested it on any other door. 

Chas

I would guess that Rachel will be able to program a new one Jan as she programmed ours for us when it didn't work.  I think they just need the gate code and can program any fob.  It is rubbish that we have to buy a new one though! 

 There is no need to replace a 4 button with a 2 button zapper.

The zappers we have are NOT actually programmed (some zappers have a row of switches inside and are set to match a particular code), but are matched to the receivers at the gates.

Our zappers send out a rolling psuedo random code on each depression of a button. The code changes each time hence rolling but the codes are linked to each other hence the term 'psuedo'. Same as a car remote.

Nerdy stuff at is available at http://auto.howstuffworks.com/remote-entry2.htm read this for interest or when you cannot sleep.

The code sent to the receiver in the barrier unit or the garage door receiver when they are in learn mode is programmed into the receiver not the zapper. Therefore one zapper can be matched to a number of receivers.

The idea behind two buttons is one for the main gate coming in and the same button for YOUR garage, and the other button is for the exit barrier.

Of course one button can be matched to both entrance and exit barrier receivers but the problem is one press of the button and both operate at the same time which defeats the security.

Hope this helps.

Can anybody tell me the make of the barrier or remote I cannot remember the name and all my remotes are in Spain at the moment. I will check if they are available in the UK, thanks  

Re paying for the new zappers, we have to pay one way or another. If they give us one free then it would simply be a new cost out of the community budget.

Why does the exit gate need a zapper though, my office car park & lots of other sites I know need a zapper or a pin code to get in, but the exit barrier will rise if you drive slowly at it. Would not stop someone stealing a car, but if the thief managed to talk themselves into the site, then I am sure that they would talk themsleves out as well.

John

Good idea John,i know this sistem too and it works we car goes out slowly, could you e mail Aea pls.?

Luis.

Having gates that open automatically on exit was discussed at a DV board management meeting we had over a year ago.

It was agreed not to do this for two reasons......... security and cost.

If its difficult to get out then people may be encouraged not to come in. There would be the additional cost of cutting into the road and adding sensors cable and the logic into barrier electronics.

Only partly agree re the cost, where if all 700+ apartments needed new remotes you are talking of a cost in x/s of 29k euro's to replace them all (do accept that large % of site not yet sold). 

This raises another point, if the remotes can be supplied by a retailer cheaper then AEL. WHO is making the profit on the units being supplied by AEL, who must be buying the remotes in bulk. 

Either AEL are not negotiating hard enough on our behalf, or we are being ripped off. They are being paid a management fee to act in our best interests. I am not suggesting that we try to get rid of AEL, as I think they are probably a lot better than other managing agents on the CDS, but it does beg the question.

The site was always planned to have a gated entry/exit, so why was it not put in correctly in the 1st place!

Only partly agree re the cost, where if all 700+ apartments needed new remotes you are talking of a cost in x/s of 29k euro's to replace them all (do accept that large % of site not yet sold). 

This raises another point, if the remotes can be supplied by a retailer cheaper then AEL. WHO is making the profit on the units being supplied by AEL, who must be buying the remotes in bulk. 

Either AEL are not negotiating hard enough on our behalf, or we are being ripped off. They are being paid a management fee to act in our best interests. I am not suggesting that we try to get rid of AEL, as I think they are probably a lot better than other managing agents on the CDS, but it does beg the question.

The site was always planned to have a gated entry/exit, so why was it not put in correctly in the 1st place!

I have worked on the management team with AEA for over 2 years and have been impressed by their work. As a president of another community with experience of other administrators I am able to make comparisons.

As a result of the work done by AEA over the last year we have saved quite a bit of money which stopped an increase in fees from last April. I can assure you AEA worked very hard on negotiating the cleaning, gardening and lift maintenance contracts down below the previous years costs.

I don't think AEA are adding a margin if they are its very small. I paid close to 40 euros 2 years ago.

Similar rolling code gate remotes in the UK are £34 to £38 plus postage.

Somebody should ask in the Ferreteria in Sabinillas, I can't do this till mid- February.