Some communities let a gate open automatically when a camera reads a registered plate. When yours doesn’t, it is almost always one of the reasons below. If the gate simply stays closed, use your key, a PIN, your pass, or the intercom to get in — the gate is designed to stay shut on anything it cannot confirm.
1. Your community may not use plate opening at that gate
Automatic plate opening is switched on per gate, and not every community or every lane uses it. If your gate has never opened on your plate, it may not be set up for it — use your usual key, PIN, or pass instead, and check with the office.
2. Your plate has to be registered to your unit
The gate can only recognize a plate that is on file for your unit, on an active resident account. Add or check your plate under “Add a vehicle / license plate to your unit”. A new car, a rental, or a temporary or dealer tag will not be recognized until it is added.
3. The plate has to match what's on file, exactly
The camera reads the plate number, so the number registered to your unit has to match exactly — a wrong or missing character means no match. If you recently got a new plate, update it in the app.
4. The camera has to be able to read it
A plate that is dirty, bent, snow- or mud-covered, behind a tinted cover, or at a sharp angle can be misread or missed entirely. So can glare, a dark night, or following the car ahead too closely. Pull up square to the camera, leave a gap, and give it a moment.
If it's a guest arriving by car
A guest’s plate only opens the gate if you added it to a pass that is active right now — within its dates and times, with entries still left. Delivery and service passes are usually good for a single entry. If two active passes happen to share the same plate number, the gate will not open because it cannot tell them apart, and a guard is alerted. For guest-pass problems at the gate, see “Why didn’t my guest’s pass work at the gate?”
Flagged plates
If a plate is on a community watch or denied list — or on the Do Not Allow list of the unit it is registered to — the gate will not open for it on purpose, and the guard is notified. If you think your plate was flagged by mistake, contact the office.
Still not opening?
Get in with your key, PIN, pass, or the intercom, then contact your property manager. Ask them to confirm your plate is on file correctly and that automatic opening is switched on at that gate.