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The gate, but smarter
Stichting Beheer Rijstrook Rietvaart VI — “the back alleys”
In one sentence. With a small fob in the car, a button at home or your phone, you open the gate — even when the internet and the mobile network are down — while the existing gate and remote controls stay exactly as they are.
Why
- Remote controls are expensive and wear out: € 35 to € 70 each, and after a few house moves it is impossible to keep track of who has one.
- Letting visitors in is a hassle: walking down, or lending out a remote.
- Market solutions rely on the mobile network or the internet — exactly what fails first in an outage.
What it will be
- A fob in the car: one button, a confirming light. Works over our own encrypted radio link in the alley.
- A gate button at home: a visitor rings, you press — the gate opens.
- Your phone: a button or “Hey Siri, open the gate”, and at the gate itself even without internet.
- Guest codes: temporary access for visitors, couriers or contractors, by e-mail, text or WhatsApp. Expires automatically.
What it delivers
- Independent: daily use works without internet and without the mobile network.
- Secure: cannot be eavesdropped or copied; each access can be revoked per person; a log that only the board consults after an incident.
- Nothing to break: the addition is an extra push button on the existing controller. If it fails, everything works as now — the remote control stays.
- Cheaper per person: a fob costs about € 30, less than a remote control.
- More than a gate: the same technology can carry a neighbourhood network that keeps passing messages between neighbours during a major outage — for example when the AED is needed. Because everyone uses the gate button daily, that network is actually on and works when it matters.
How we introduce it
In small, reversible steps: first measuring and a dry run on the table, then a trial with three households, and only then everyone. The regular maintenance company connects it once and tests it at every annual service.
What it costs
About € 1,900 one-off for the whole installation, fobs for ten cars and seven gate buttons, and no fixed monthly costs needed. Prices checked on 31 October 2026; the maintenance company's labour comes on top.
And beyond
The technology is open and reusable. If the other Rietvaart foundations join, a resilient network of back alleys emerges that can help each other in an emergency.