Self Storage Gates: Moving Beyond Keypads and Kiosks

The Hardware Era and Why It No Longer Works

For years, storage facilities relied on keypads and callbox kiosks to control the gate. It felt standard, but the cracks are obvious now.

Shared codes create shared access. Static access codes get passed to movers, vendors, and friends. Once the code is out, you lose control. There is no clear way to know who used it, and it remains valid until someone remembers to reset it. That puts storage facility security at risk and undermines controlled access.

Hardware breaks and stalls operations. Sun, rain, dust, and everyday wear take a toll on kiosks and keypads. Buttons wear out. Displays fade. Wiring shorts. Entire units need to be replaced. Each repair call costs money and time. The gate sits idle, tenants cannot enter or exit, and frustration shows up in reviews.

The gate becomes a bottleneck. Drivers stop, roll down windows, punch codes, wait for a response, and only then move through. At busy times, you get lines at the entrance. Tenants do not remember the kiosk as customer service. They remember it as friction.

Managers lack real visibility. Many legacy systems capture some records but in a format that is hard to access or incomplete. When there is a dispute or a suspected incident, managers struggle to trace who entered and when. That gap slows decisions and weakens accountability for the security teams that protect the site.

If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. The storage industry is moving on for good reason.

Introducing Sentry Solo

Sentry Solo replaces legacy hardware at the gate with a software first model that is simple, reliable, and designed for unmanned gates. It pairs two pieces that work together every time.

SentrySign. A durable sign at the gate displays a property QR code and short link. The sign is the only physical element you need at the entrance for gate access control systems to work through software.

VirtualKeypad. When a tenant or approved visitor scans the code, a mobile keypad opens on the device. They enter their assigned code and the gate opens. Tenants have unique credentials. Visitors receive time bound or single use codes. No shared access codes that float around forever.

Behind the scenes, a cloud dashboard gives managers full control. You see entry activity in real time with a complete visitor log, and you can monitor entry and exit across gates from the same place you manage the rest of your storage business. Sentry Solo integrates with self storage management software so your team is not flipping between tools. It is a clean storage solution for gate control that fits how facilities actually work.

How Sentry Solo Works Day To Day

Enroll tenants. Each tenant is issued a unique credential through your management software connection or through the Sentry Solo dashboard.

Place SentrySign at the gate. Drivers see the QR code and short link the moment they arrive. No kiosk to touch and no keypad to share.

Tenant arrival. Tenant scans the code, the VirtualKeypad opens, they enter their credential, and the gate opens in a few seconds.

Vendor or guest access. Managers issue a one time or time bound code tied to a name and purpose. The system records the event in the visitor log when the guest enters.

Real time oversight. Managers view detailed logs for every gate transaction, filter by name or unit, and resolve questions fast. You always know who entered and when.

This model removes the heavy hardware that causes downtime while giving you controlled access, clear accountability, and a smoother tenant experience.

Benefits for tenants

• Frictionless entry. No callbox dialing and no shared keypad. Scan, enter, go. The entire process takes seconds and works the same way every visit.
• Fewer lockouts. Because the system is software driven, it does not depend on a fragile kiosk at the curb. Tenants are not left waiting when weather or wear would have taken a keypad offline.
• Individual credentials. Each tenant has a unique digital credential. If they move out, access ends instantly. The result is a stronger sense of secure storage units and true peace of mind.
• A modern experience. Simple and fast entry feels like good customer service. That experience matters when tenants decide whether to renew, refer, and leave positive reviews.

Benefits for managers and owners

• Lower total cost of ownership. No kiosk to install, no wiring across the drive, and no recurring repair cycle. The savings from reduced maintenance alone make a clear case.
• Real time visibility. The dashboard shows detailed logs for every entry with time, user, and location. You can monitor entry and exit across gates, answer questions from tenants in seconds, and support the work of your security teams with facts rather than guesses.
• Remote control. You can grant, revoke, or adjust access from anywhere. Create a temporary credential for a contractor and set it to expire automatically. If a policy changes, update settings once and it applies everywhere.
• Scales with your storage business. Add a second gate or another site by adding another SentrySign and registering the new entry point in the dashboard. No complex hardware projects. No downtime.
• Cleaner operations across your stack. Because Sentry Solo integrates with self storage software and storage management systems, your facility management is simpler. Your team sees the same truth in one place without manual exports or reconciliation.

Why Modern Facilities are Moving Away from Hardware

• Costs keep compounding. Legacy keypads look less expensive at purchase, but the real cost shows up later. Repairs, replacement parts, scheduled service, and permit work add up over time.
• Software improves every quarter. Cloud systems receive updates without swapping hardware. You get better performance and better security measures without a forklift upgrade.
• Growth should be simple. As you add storage space or open new locations, expansion through software is faster and less risky than running new hardware to every lane or door.
• Trust depends on reliability. The gate is the first touchpoint and the most frequent one. A fast, dependable gate experience quietly boosts retention and stabilizes revenue.

What to Track After You Switch

Give yourself clear proof points. Set a baseline from your current gate access control systems, then measure again after Sentry Solo is live.

Average time to open the gate from arrival

Gate related support tickets per month

Number of repair calls and spend on hardware service

Tenant satisfaction scores that mention the gate or entry

Occupancy and churn trends after the first renewal cycle

Number of access disputes and time to resolve them

Count of vendor and guest entries and how often they use expired or invalid codes

These metrics tell a complete story for leadership and confirm the value of the move in real numbers.

Implementation Playbook

Week one. Connect Sentry Solo to your management software, import active tenants, and set simple credential policies. For example, unique tenant codes and single use guest codes that expire automatically.

Week two. Mount SentrySign at each gate with clear placement before the reader arm or loop. Publish a short link next to the QR code for visitors who prefer typing a URL.

Week three. Train the front office on issuing vendor credentials and reading the visitor log. Share a two line script with staff that explains the new process to arriving tenants.

Go live. Email tenants with a concise announcement and a quick how it works section. In the first week, station a staff member near the gate during peak hours to greet arrivals and answer questions. Gather feedback to refine signage and wording.

This approach keeps the change simple for tenants and painless for the team.

Quick Comparison

Area	Legacy keypads and kiosks	Sentry Solo
Upfront setup	Wiring and curbside hardware	SentrySign and cloud setup
Ongoing maintenance	Frequent service and replacements	Minimal with software driven entry
Access model	Shared access codes and callbox dialing	Unique tenant credentials and time bound guest codes
Oversight	Limited records and delayed reporting	Real time detailed logs and a complete visitor log
Operations	On site resets and manual changes	Remote control from the dashboard
Growth	New hardware for every new lane or property	Add signs and register new gates in minutes
Tenant experience	Slow and inconsistent	Simple and fast every visit

The Bottom Line

Keypads and kiosks belong to the past. Sentry Solo gives storage facilities a cleaner, more reliable way to run the gate. It replaces fragile hardware with a software flow your tenants actually like, and it gives managers complete control with real time insight.

If you are ready to retire shared codes, reduce maintenance, and give tenants a modern experience at the gate, Sentry Solo is the next step for your storage facility and a practical way to strengthen secure gates storage facilities without adding complexity.

Ready to see it in action. Schedule a demo and we will walk through your exact gate configuration, how credentials map to your units, and how to monitor entry and exit with detailed logs inside your existing management software.