Cloud-hosted access control for self-storage

The problem: gate software on an office PC

In some gate setups, the link between the facility management software and the gate runs through a desktop computer. The vendors' own documentation shows how much depends on that one machine.

• Storable Easy's DigiGate integration uses a gate sync program on the computer, set to run a program called digisend.exe after each download. Storable's guide says DigiGate should stay open for communication to work properly. Storable: DigiGate integration guide
• Storable Easy's gate sync troubleshooting guide says the computer must stay turned on around the clock for the gate to sync correctly, with a Windows service checking for changes every five minutes. Storable: What to do if the gate sync is not working
• The DigiGate installation manual has the owner supply the office PC, which runs the DigiGate software and programs the gate's system controller over a serial cable. It advises turning off the PC's standby and hibernation. Once programmed, the controller can run the gate without the PC switched on, but the PC is still how changes are programmed into it. PTI Security Systems: DigiGate installation manual, archived (PDF)

That is a lot to hang on one desktop computer, and the ways it goes wrong are familiar:

• The PC or its disk fails, and the gate stops receiving changes until the machine is replaced and set up again.
• A Windows update restarts it overnight, at a time nobody chose.
• Someone switches it off, or closes the program, at the end of the day.
• Reaching it from home means a VPN or port forwarding, on an internet connection whose IP address can change.
• Fixing it means a trip to the site, often after hours.
• Backups and restores are nobody's job until the day they are needed.
• Its operating system reaches the end of its support life, and whatever runs on it has to be moved or upgraded.

Which gate setups still depend on a Windows PC, vendor by vendor: do you still need a gate server?

How it works

The office PC's job moves to the cloud. A small bridge stays at the site to talk to your controllers.

1. Step 1

   Your facility management software

   Where tenants, units and gate codes already live.

2. Step 2

   Our cloud service

   Receives changes from your FMS and holds each facility's access rules.

3. Step 3

   A small bridge at the site

   Keeps a connection to the cloud and passes changes to your controllers.

4. Step 4

   Your gate, keypads and locks

   Enforce the rules at the gate and at the unit door.

If a site loses its connection

Controllers keep enforcing the last rules they received. Site events recorded during an outage are sent up when the connection returns.

Hardware we work with

• Gate controllers

  Tenant access, schedules and zones, with remote open, lockout and suspend.

• Keypads and readers

  PIN, card or mobile credentials, with time profiles and holiday rules.

• Smart locks

  Unit-level control, with a record of every action.

• Door alarms and sensors

  Alarms, motion sensors and battery monitoring, with muted and maintenance modes.

Tell us which models you run and we will confirm what connecting them involves.

From your facility management software to the gate

A bridge carries tenants, units, access levels and lockouts from your FMS to your access control. We can bridge Storable Edge and Storable Easy to OpenTech Alliance's INSOMNIAC® CIA and to DigiGate. Tell us your setup. More about our FMS bridges.

• We can bridge Storable Edge to INSOMNIAC CIA. Tell us your setup.
• We can bridge Storable Edge to DigiGate. Tell us your setup.
• We can bridge Storable Easy to INSOMNIAC CIA. Tell us your setup.
• We can bridge Storable Easy to DigiGate. Tell us your setup.

Running different software? Tell us which FMS you run.

Which gate systems each Storable product lists as an integration, compared with the gate makers' own lists: our gate compatibility matrix.

Security

Served over TLS. Ask us for our current security posture.

Frequently asked questions