Free on-site gate assessment - hinges, posts, and your LiftMaster or Nice gate operator checked before anything is quoted
The assessment is free and the quote is the invoice.
Trusted Gate Access Control for Malibu Homeowners
Gate access control in Malibu costs $750 to $3,200 depending on whether you need a simple keypad retrofit or a full video intercom system with phone entry, and most jobs are completed in a single visit. That’s the number people ask for first, so we put it up front. Hal Gatewood has been installing and repairing gate access control since 2001, serving Malibu, Topanga, Calabasas, and the surrounding canyons. When your gate stops recognizing your keypad or the intercom goes dead, we answer the phone at (559) 314-7708 with a live person, any hour of the day or night.
We’re not a national outfit with a rotating cast of subcontractors. We’re a locally owned, owner-operated shop with a published address and a license number you can look up. Hal’s name is on the shop and on every invoice. If you drive down the coast and stop in, you’ll find the person who actually does the work. That matters when you’re trusting someone with the security of your property and your family.
What Our Gate Access Control Service Includes
Gate access control covers every way you or your visitors open the gate: keypad, remote, phone, card, video intercom, or app. Some homeowners need Malibu Gate Access Control for a simple keypad on a driveway gate. Others want full phone-entry intercom at the street with a camera so they can see who’s there before buzzing them in. Whatever you have, we diagnose it, repair it on site, and we don’t sell you parts you don’t need. Every job carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing.
Keypad Entry
A keypad lets family, staff, or delivery drivers punch in a code and open the gate. When a keypad stops working after rain or a battery replacement, the problem is usually corrosion in the wiring or a failing board, not the whole unit. We open it up, test it with a meter, and replace only what’s dead. If you’re adding a keypad to an existing gate, we’ll match the protocol to your operator so it works the first time.

Remote Control
Remotes are convenient until they stop working, and then you’re standing in the driveway waving a clicker at a gate that won’t move. We program new remotes, clone existing ones, and troubleshoot receivers on LiftMaster, Linear, and Ghost Controls openers. Often a remote that “died” just lost its memory or has a corroded battery contact. We tell you the truth, not a parts list.

Phone Entry
Phone entry systems let a visitor call from the gate, ring your cell phone, and have you press a button to open it. In Malibu, where many homes sit behind long driveways, phone entry means you don’t have to walk down to the gate every time a courier or landscaper shows up. We install and program phone entry on dual-gate and single-gate systems, and we program the call forwarding so it actually reaches your phone, not a dead landline.

Card Reader
Card readers give access to people who shouldn’t have a code, like contractors, cleaners, or staff who change more often than your family. You issue a card, they tap it, and the gate opens. When someone shouldn’t have access anymore, you disable their card instead of changing everyone’s code. We install proximity and keypad card readers and integrate them with your existing operator so the gate logics are clean and simple.

Video Intercom
A video intercom at the drive puts eyes on who’s at the gate before you open it. In a canyon or hillside neighborhood, the camera is what tells you whether that’s your neighbor or somebody who has no business being there. We install wired and wireless video intercoms, set up the monitor or phone app, and angle the camera so it catches a face and a plate, not a blank patch of shrub.

Smart Access
Smart access means opening or monitoring the gate from an app on your phone, setting schedules, or getting an alert when someone arrives. We set up app-based systems for BFT, Viking, and Linear openers, and we’ll show you how to use them without a 40-page manual. If you want someone else handling your gate from their phone, we’ll set up multiple users and show you how to remove them when they leave.

What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Brands We Service for Gate Access Control
We service BFT access control panels and card readers regularly. BFT gear is common on Malibu hillside gates, and we carry OEM parts so we’re not jerry-rigging repairs. Hal has worked on BFT hydraulic and electromechanical operators alongside their control boards for more than two decades. When a BFT keypad or phone module fails, we can usually repair it in the driveway rather than ordering a new board and leaving your gate locked open for a week.
Linear access systems are another one we see constantly out here. Linear’s receivers, keypads, and transmitters are rugged, but coastal air gets into the connections and corrodes them over time. We keep Linear parts on the truck and clean, seal, and re-terminate connections so the system doesn’t fail again after the first rain. We also work on Viking phone entry systems and Ghost Controls residential sets, programming remotes and integrating them with existing access points. Whether you have one of those brands or something else entirely, the diagnosis starts the same way: we figure out what’s actually broken and fix that, not the whole gate.
Signs You Need Gate Access Control Right Now
- Your keypad works for some codes but not others. That’s a failing circuit board or a short in the wiring, not a fluke. It usually gets worse, and you don’t want to be outside the gate at night punching a code that won’t take.
- The intercom rings but you can’t hear anyone. A dead microphone or speaker at the gate means you can’t screen visitors. In Malibu, where driveways back up to canyon roads, you’re opening the gate blind. We can often replace just the audio module instead of the whole panel.
- The gate opens on its own without a remote or code. Show me the gate closing on its own and I’ll show you where it’s failing. A drifting gate is a safety hazard and a security hole. Don’t wait until it hits a car or a kid. Call us, and we’ll trace it.
- Your remote works close up but not from the road. That’s usually an antenna issue or a receiver going weak. You shouldn’t have to pull up to the gate and hold the remote against the windshield to get in.
- After a power blip, nothing works at all. Malibu gets its share of brownouts up in the canyons. A power surge can fry a board or lock a system in fault. We reset, diagnose, and replace the damaged component, and we can add surge protection so it doesn’t happen again next month.
Our Gate Access Control Process - Step by Step
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Call us and talk to a person. You won’t get a voicemail box or an answering service three states away. Hal or someone from the crew answers the phone 24/7. Tell us what the gate is doing, and we’ll give you a straight answer on what it likely is and when we can be there.
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We come out and test everything. In the driveway, we check power to the access panel, continuity through the wiring, and signal from remotes and keypads. We don’t guess from a call center script. We put a meter on it and find the exact failure.
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You get one price before any work starts. After we diagnose, we tell you what it costs and what we’re replacing. Not a range, not an estimate that might change at the door. The price you agree to is the price you pay.
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We fix it on site. Most access control repairs, programming, and component swaps happen right there in your driveway. We weld, solder, and re-terminate on the truck when needed. No hauling your gate panel off to a shop and leaving you secured with a bungee cord for a week.
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We test it with you standing there. We’ll punch the code, open the gate from your phone, and call the intercom ourselves. You see it work before we leave. Then you get the 90-Day Done Right Promise written on the invoice. If it’s not done right, one call brings us back.
How Much Does Gate Access Control Cost in Malibu?
A basic keypad replacement or reprogramming in Malibu typically runs $180 to $400. Adding a new keypad and receiver to an existing gate runs $450 to $900. Phone entry starts around $700 and goes to $1,500 depending on whether it’s a simple cellular unit or a hardwired system with multiple stations. Video intercom with a monitor or app runs $1,200 to $2,800, and a full smart access setup with phone entry, video, and keypad for a hillside estate can hit $3,200 or more. These are straight Gate Access Control pricing numbers based on jobs we’ve done here.
What moves the price: the condition of your existing wiring, whether you need conduit run under a driveway, how far the gate is from power, and whether you’re adding a camera or just a keypad. Coastal corrosion is a real factor in Malibu, and we’ll tell you honestly if re-terminating connections will extend the life of what you have or if you’re better off replacing a component now. We never charge a trip fee inside the county, and every estimate includes the free second opinion if you want to compare against another shop’s written quote. We also take $40 off any repair over $200, and we offer a permanent 10% discount for seniors and veterans.
Gate Access Control Near Malibu - Our Service Area
We serve Malibu, Topanga, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, and the surrounding canyons from our local shop. If you’re in Oak Park, Lake Sherwood, or Agoura Hills, you’re still inside our regular route, and we can usually be there the same day you call for an access control failure. We also handle Gate Access Control in Westlake Village and Gate Access Control in Agoura Hills for homeowners who want a local shop they can hold accountable. A gate that won’t open isn’t something you schedule for next week, so we answer the phone around the clock and show up when you need us.
If your gate access control is acting up, start with our home page to see the full range of work we do, including gate repair, gate installation, gate motors and openers, and gate parts and welding. We’re happy to talk you through what’s happening before we ever set a foot on the property.
Serving Malibu, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Malibu area and also handle Agoura Hills Gate Access Control, so we know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
Frequently Asked Questions - Gate Access Control in Malibu
Gate access control is any system that controls who can open your gate: keypads, remotes, phone entry, card readers, video intercoms, and smart access apps. It keeps your driveway and property secure while letting authorized people in without walking down the drive to open the gate manually. We install, repair, and program these systems for Malibu homeowners and offer Gate Access Control - Westlake Village service so the gate opens for who you want and stays closed for everyone else.
Most keypad, remote, and receiver repairs are done in 1 to 2 hours on site. Phone entry and video intercom installations can take 3 to 5 hours depending on wiring and whether we’re trenching for conduit. We’ll tell you before we start how long the job will take, and we stay until it’s tested and working. Same-day service is available for emergencies, and we’re on call 24/7.
Expect $180 to $3,200 depending on the system: keypads start around $180, phone entry around $700, and full video intercom with smart access up to $3,200 or more for hillside properties. The price you’re quoted is the price you pay, and we agree on it before any work starts. Call (559) 314-7708 for an exact quote, and remember we offer a free second opinion on any written estimate from another shop.
Yes, we service LiftMaster, along with FAAC, BFT, Linear, Viking, Ghost Controls, DoorKing, Elite, and Mighty Mule access systems. We stock OEM parts for the most common brands on Malibu gates and program remotes, keypads, and receivers on site. If you have a brand not on that list, bring us the model number and we’ll tell you honestly whether we can get parts for it.
Yes, if your gate is stuck open or closed, or the access system has failed and you can’t get in or out, call us now. We answer the phone live around the clock and will get someone to your Malibu property as fast as the roads allow. Gate access failure is a security issue, and we treat it as an emergency even at 2 a.m.
Every gate access control job carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If something isn’t done right within those 90 days, we come back and make it right without the runaround. The promise is stamped on the invoice, not buried in fine print, and Hal’s name is on it.
Mostly, just be there when we arrive so we can test the system with you. If you have remotes, gather them so we can check them all in one go. If you have a code nobody remembers or a tenant who’s moved, have a list of who should have access written down. We’ll handle the rest, and we’ll walk you through how to use the system before we leave.
Schedule Your Gate Access Control Service in Malibu Today
If your keypad, intercom, or remote isn’t working the way it should, don’t wait until you’re locked out or the gate opens for someone it shouldn’t. Call Gatewood Fence & Gate at (559) 314-7708 and you’ll get a real person on the line, any hour, day or night. We’ll set a time, show up in the window we promise, and give you a straight price before any work begins. The name is on the shop, and the shop is down the road.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Malibu since 2001.





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