Not great, app needs usability improvements and additions
We just recently had this product rolled out to our HOA. The app is just not great. Given their release notes show that their last major revision (4.0.0) was released nearly 2 years ago and list as just being bugs and fixes, I don’t have high hopes for real user-driven improvements.
Some suggestions:
1. Bluetooth proximity options - if my Tesla can open when I get near it without me needing to do anything, why can’t my gate?
2. Don’t like #1? How about Apple Shortcuts integration so I can setup a shortcut to open my gate with one button instead of 4 (i.e. open app, choose community, choose gate, press open gate).
2. Apple Watch integration - 1-click actions from my Apple Watch since I may not always have my phone with me.
3. Redesigned homepage with favorite actions. While I only have 1 gate to worry about, this would likely benefit those with many gates where they can easy setup those they access most from the Home Screen.
4. In-app onboarding - how do I even use your app as a new user? I’m guessing the users of this app (not the buyers, per se) may not always be the most tech savvy. Why not help them a little instead of lobbing this app over the fence and hoping for the best?
Those are just a couple. I could keep going. Doing a little user empathy work might uncover even more insights that could generate more opporunities, that ultimately could lead to more $$$ for your bottom line. Happy customers talk.
Some suggestions:
1. Bluetooth proximity options - if my Tesla can open when I get near it without me needing to do anything, why can’t my gate?
2. Don’t like #1? How about Apple Shortcuts integration so I can setup a shortcut to open my gate with one button instead of 4 (i.e. open app, choose community, choose gate, press open gate).
2. Apple Watch integration - 1-click actions from my Apple Watch since I may not always have my phone with me.
3. Redesigned homepage with favorite actions. While I only have 1 gate to worry about, this would likely benefit those with many gates where they can easy setup those they access most from the Home Screen.
4. In-app onboarding - how do I even use your app as a new user? I’m guessing the users of this app (not the buyers, per se) may not always be the most tech savvy. Why not help them a little instead of lobbing this app over the fence and hoping for the best?
Those are just a couple. I could keep going. Doing a little user empathy work might uncover even more insights that could generate more opporunities, that ultimately could lead to more $$$ for your bottom line. Happy customers talk.
Show less
Not very useful
I often ride a bike or am on foot and there is no way to open the exit gate from the app and the gates don’t open automatically for people on bikes or on foot so I am forced to exit through the entry gate and risk getting run over by people flying though the entrance too preoccupied to be on the lookout for people exiting the gate. Needs to be addressed it’s a serious safety concern.
Show less
Don’t install cellgate if cell coverage is poor. Look to another vendor
On the iphone, if you bring up the app when coversge is good, but then say the phone screen times out and turns off or you switch apps, the cellgate app reloads fromthe beginning instead of remembering where it was, consequently if this happens as you loose coverage, the app will not work. Bad programming.
Show less
Works OK for home use, but extremely slow
For our home use it works OK. It is painfully slow to use. Every time you open the app, it want’s to go to the main menu and it takes a few seconds, then you can click the button to go to the gate and again it takes several seconds to display the next menu where you can trigger the gate. This happens every time you open the app or even if you switch apps for a second you have to go through the whole painfully slow process. This is so annoying that we ended up getting another gate trigger to open the gate with a remote from our cars and use the gatecell device only for guests. I don’t know why the app has this behavior, perhaps it is authenticating with their cloud service every time you use the app and this is extremely slow. If for whatever reason the app switches from wifi to Celular then the app just sits there thinking for a long time, usually several minutes so the best is to kill it and open it again or like we did just buy a remote. Overall, the app works well for home use, it is just super slow.
Show less
Doesn’t work for me
Using iPhone with neighborhood gate. The app has great promise. It works when it works. I really want it to notify me all the time when someone is at the gate for me. However, when the app’s not open, I don’t get the notification.
Simple, right? Just leave it open. (I have a few medical apps that require the same. I wish there was a way to leave any app on in a background state. One of my apps issues critical alerts regardless of open/close state.)
Biggest issue. It seems to close itself. Times out? Message at top shows not connected. And I get a phone call. Why?
Simple, right? Just leave it open. (I have a few medical apps that require the same. I wish there was a way to leave any app on in a background state. One of my apps issues critical alerts regardless of open/close state.)
Biggest issue. It seems to close itself. Times out? Message at top shows not connected. And I get a phone call. Why?
Show less
Customer Service non existent
Any call to customer service for help with the faulty app and system and you are met with fervent defense of their lacklustre operations and little help.
Really, a big disappointment and will be removing this and system and replacing with something that actually works.
Really, a big disappointment and will be removing this and system and replacing with something that actually works.
Terrible App and Gate Access System
Our HOA implemented this “solution” and it is a mess. The app doesn’t activate when someone is at the gate - it goes to cell phone. Further, when the app doesn’t activate, the person at the front gate thinks the phone rings 9 times before the actual phone rings. It is a terrible solution and we frequently have lines of cars in the visitor lane at our front gate. If you are an HOA board member considering solutions, look for something else. I wish our HOA board did more analysis and testing before wasting money in this one.
Show less
Not compatible with iPhones
Apple constantly upgrades it’s software and this app can’t keep up with it. Other homeowners who have Androids don’t seem to have issues. Lately, the app hasn’t worked after my last upgrade to 16.1.1. I hate touching our nasty keypad at the gate entrance, but I have no choice since this app refuses to work.
Show less
Support Wi-Fi
My HOA is imminently going to turn the Cellgate service on shortly. I’m hearing that the app developers stated that your phone needs to be on cellular, and not Wi-Fi. Literally everyone I know uses Wi-Fi at home. If you can’t make this service work using Wi-Fi to the app, then there something wrong with your developers. Send them back to coding school asap.
Show less
Quite possibly the WORST app for opening gates
This is the WORST app ever created for such a simple task as opening the gates for my apartment complex.
It is slow, inefficient, and NOT user-friendly.
Honestly, whoever contributed to how this app works should be ashamed of themselves.
Disgusting app
It is slow, inefficient, and NOT user-friendly.
Honestly, whoever contributed to how this app works should be ashamed of themselves.
Disgusting app
