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HOA in Hernando | Our Client’s Story about Transitioning to Virtual Guarding

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Community Snapshot

Hernando, FL • 370 homes

For 23 years, this community in Hernando, Florida had an onsite gate attendant eight hours a day, seven days a week. When the guard passed away in January of 2018, the community had to reduce the attended days to Monday through Friday. During overnight hours and on weekends, guests used a call-box to dial a resident. The resident would hit the number nine on their phone to open the gate, or a four-digit code could be used to enter. The community was forced to use the call-box full time when the other gate attendants retired that year. With some minor thefts, suspicious vehicles, and trespassing, a group of concerned residents requested that the association explore additional security measures.

Solutions Explored

• Full-Time, Onsite Guard – This community considered replacing their retired attendants, a solution that they have used for over 20 years. Board members also wanted to install cameras.

• Add or Remove Gates – Board members considered adding metal gates in addition to their barrier arms, and they also discussed removing the gates entirely.

Envera Systems Virtual Guard Technology – Envera Systems offered automated gate guard technology to verify visitors entering the community, record the video and audio of every transaction, and notify the community when the gate is hit or breached.

Community Decision

The community had Envera Systems install these solutions for the community:

Virtual Gate Guard System

MyEnvera Resident Portal for Registering Guests
Automatic License Plate Recognition

Access Control System
LED Barrier Arms

The Envera Systems Virtual Gate Guard was selected to monitor guests entering the community. Live guards, located at the remote Central Station, speak with and verify guests arriving at the entrance 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is expected to deter trespassers, and only allow the entry of approved visitors. Residents living in the community have access to Envera’s website portal and app called MyEnvera. This allows residents to register their own guests, and look at their visitor history. They have the options of registering visitors as permanent or temporary, or they can deny entry as well. To expedite entry for permanent visitors, this community is using Envera’s Automatic License Plate Recognition. When a registered, permanent visitor arrives at the entrance, the system is expected to recognize the vehicle’s tag and automatically open the gate. With the video surveillance accompanying the Virtual Gate Guard, the community has the capability of accessing records should problems with a guest or otherwise occur. This includes an overall of vehicles entering the community as well as license plates. The Access Control system at the resident lane gives access only to residents for entry. Residents have a credential that cannot be shared and is recognized with an RFID transponder. This is also expected to deter trespassing and allow the association and managers to determine who is authorized.

The Results

Since installing Envera Systems’ solutions, this community’s experience has been mostly positive according to Dan C. the Board’s Vice President.

“We’ve gotten many compliments on the looks of the gate and the operation.” He also says that the Virtual Guards and technicians “are polite and great to work with.”

After one gate strike, the community was notified and able to download video of the incident. Dan says that having eight cameras is a great improvement for the community, and it is helpful that the board members can monitor and review footage. This association went from having gate attendants eight hours a day to Virtual Guards 24/7, 365 days a year. Even with the increase in monitored times, Dan says the community expects to save thousands a year. He added, “I can’t imagine the savings for communities with 24 hour guards or attendants! Envera had all of the components we needed at a competitive price. They had a good reputation and their references checked out.” To download and share this Customer Story, please click here to download the PDF.