How to Choose a Gate Automation Installer

A quick search for “gate automation Nairobi” turns up a dozen companies, most of them making roughly the same promises. Instead of telling you we’re better than the others, here’s what we’d actually ask if we were in your position, hiring someone to automate our own gate.

Ask what brands they actually install, and whether they’re genuine

Plenty of installers will quote a well-known brand and then show up with something else — usually because the brand was never genuinely in stock at that price. Ask for the exact model number before work starts, and check it matches what arrives. A company that installs a narrow range of brands deliberately (rather than “whatever’s cheapest this week”) is usually a better sign than one claiming to work with everything.

Want to check whether a quote you’ve received names a genuine model? Call or WhatsApp us on +254 722 708034 and we’ll give you a straight read.

Get the quote itemised, not a single number

A proper quote breaks down the motor, battery backup, safety beams, surge protector, remotes, civil works, and labour separately. A single lump figure with no breakdown makes it hard to tell what you’re actually paying for, and makes it easier for extra costs to show up once the technician’s already at your gate.

Ask about battery backup specifically

This one catches people out more than it should. Battery backup should be standard on any gate automation system in Kenya, given how common power cuts are — but some lower quotes leave it out to hit a lower number, and you only find out when the power goes and your gate doesn’t move. Ask directly: is battery backup included, and what’s its realistic runtime?

Check how they handle safety devices

IR safety beams and a proper surge protector aren’t optional extras — they’re what stops a moving gate from closing on a child, a pet, or a car, and what protects your motor from frying during a power surge. If a quote doesn’t mention either, ask why.

Comparing a couple of quotes and not sure if they’re genuinely equivalent? Send them to us — email info@automaticgates.co.ke or WhatsApp +254 722 708034 — and we’ll tell you honestly where they differ.

Ask what happens if something goes wrong after installation

Find out the warranty length, and what it actually covers — workmanship, the motor itself, or both. Ask who you’d call if the gate stops working three months in, and how fast they typically respond. A company that answers this clearly and without hesitation has usually thought it through. One that gets vague probably hasn’t.

Look at how long they’ve been doing this specifically

Gate automation has a learning curve that’s easy to underestimate — motor sizing, safety sensor placement, cable routing, and dealing with Kenya’s power situation all take real field experience to get consistently right. A company that’s installed hundreds of gates across different property types has usually seen most of what can go wrong, and designed around it.

Don’t assume the cheapest quote is the better deal

An unusually low price is almost always cutting one of three things: battery backup, genuine components, or proper civil works around the motor mount. All three are exactly the parts that fail first — so the money “saved” upfront often shows up again later as a repair bill, with the added cost of a gate that’s been unreliable in the meantime.

What we’d suggest doing

Get two or three quotes. Ask each installer the same questions above and see which ones answer clearly versus which ones get evasive. The gap between a good installer and a bad one usually isn’t in the sales pitch — it’s in how directly they’ll answer a question they didn’t prepare for.

Get in touch or call +254 722 708034 for a free site assessment and an itemised quote — ask us any of the above directly, we’d rather you check than just take our word for it.