Comparison

CellGate Mobile Connect vs Luma Surveillance

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

CellGate Mobile Connect

Control property access remotely with an advanced system. Manage who enters and when, customize access codes, and receive real-time alerts with photos. Monitor gates 24/7 from any location via your mobile device.

Highlights
  • Remote gate control
  • Customizable access codes
  • Historical activity logs
  • Photo notifications
  • Real-time alerts (text, email, voice)
  • Works with manual/automatic gates
Features
Read full description

Notice: You NEED an account with CellGate before you can use this application. This Application is designed and intended for the sole use by CellGate Access Control and Monitoring Subscribers. The CellGate Access Control and Monitoring system lets you control who enters your property and when—from any location, at any time. By simply logging in to your online CellGate account, you can create and customize an unlimited number of access codes and maintain a detailed historical record of all gate activity, including photos. Our solar- and AC-powered system packages contain everything you need for remotely controlling automatic and manual gates, and the system's camera options help ensure you receive photos of all gate activity directly to your mobile phone. Built specifically for use with cellular networks and the internet, the CellGate system allows you to monitor and control access to your property 24 hours a day, directly from your mobile phone or any internet connection. No matter where in the world you happen to be, when a visitor arrives you will receive text, email or voice alerts to your cell phone. Then simply send an open command to any gate anywhere in the U.S. Working with manual or automatic gates and powered by solar or AC, the CellGate system can operate in a variety of environments such as Farms and Ranches, Oil and Gas Sites, Residences, Deer Leases and Self-Storage Facilities. Exotic/Wild Game Traps are also controlled and monitored by CellGate with the added option to disable motion triggered image messages after the trap has been closed.

About

Luma Surveillance

Monitor your security cameras remotely with live video streaming, easy playback, and recording capabilities. Manage multiple devices, customize views, and capture important moments from your tablet or mobile device.

Highlights
  • Live video viewing (single/split screen)
  • Search and playback recordings
  • Capture snapshots and record video
  • Unified app for NVRs and DVRs
  • Customize grid views
  • Remote PTZ camera control
  • Audio support (model dependent)
Features
Read full description

The Luma Surveillance app makes it easy to check on what matters – anytime, anywhere. Watch live video, easily search, play back, and save recordings, or take a snapshot all from your tablet or mobile device. • One unified app for all Luma products – including both NVRs and DVRs • Enjoy crystal-clear live viewing of a single or split screen (4, 9, or 16 channels simultaneously) in both portrait and landscape modes with convenient pinch to zoom • Switch between high or standard resolution depending on your remote connection • Customize your grid views for multi-device management – Drag and drop cameras where you’d like them, even across multiple DVRs/NVRs • Easily scan timeline and playback to find recordings and events • Instantly capture snapshots or record videos with a tap of your finger • Add snapshots and video to your photo library for safe keeping or to share with family, friends, or colleagues • Listen or speak to whoever is on the other end (Audio support varies by camera model) • Remotely control pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) cameras • Swipe to quickly and easily switch between cameras

Screenshots

CellGate Mobile Connect4 screens
Luma Surveillance2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: CellGate Mobile Connect at every 5 weeks against Luma Surveillance's every 11 months. Luma Surveillance's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 1.9 for CellGate Mobile Connect against 1.8 for Luma Surveillance. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 454 and 291 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 10% of CellGate Mobile Connect's written reviews are positive against 5% of Luma Surveillance's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CellGate Mobile Connect ships an update every 5 weeks, Luma Surveillance every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
CellGate Mobile Connect versus Luma Surveillance: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCellGate Mobile ConnectLuma Surveillance
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.9 (454 ratings) — better1.8 (291 ratings)
Positive reviews10.2% of reviews — better4.8% of reviews
Number of ratings454 — better291
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size131 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGouldin Technologies LLCWirepath Home Systems, LLC

Customer experience

CellGate Mobile Connect

All ratings447 ratings
Positive15.2%
Neutral9.4%
Negative75.4%
Written reviews186 reviews
Positive10.2%
Neutral12.9%
Negative76.9%

Luma Surveillance

All ratings262 ratings
Positive19.5%
Neutral3.4%
Negative77.1%
Written reviews104 reviews
Positive4.8%
Neutral3.8%
Negative91.3%

User reviews

CellGate Mobile Connect

From 454 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Works as advertised
  • 🚀 Great customer service
  • 💡 Remote gate control and monitoring

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unreliable app performance
  • 🔍 Lack of modern features (Siri, CarPlay)
  • 🤔 Confusing and clunky interface
  • 🚧 Issues with multi-gate/property management

Luma Surveillance

From 291 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📷 Good camera hardware quality
  • 💾 Ability to add additional storage
  • 🖥️ OvrC platform functionality
  • 📱 Works on iPhone with basic functionality
  • 🔌 Direct IP connection capability

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes frequently and requires constant restarts
  • ⏱️ Extremely slow loading times for cameras
  • 🔌 Poor connectivity and frequent disconnections
  • 📹 Remote playback feature rarely works
  • 🖥️ Outdated user interface design

Bugs and requests

CellGate Mobile Connect

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes and freezes frequently
  • Inconsistent gate opening/closing
  • Compatibility issues with iOS updates
  • Notifications and call functionality not reliable

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add Siri and Shortcuts support
  • Integrate with Apple CarPlay
  • Improve multi-gate/property management
  • Implement dark mode and accessibility options

Luma Surveillance

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • App freezes and requires restart to load cameras
  • Remote playback feature non-functional
  • Login issues and authentication failures
  • App crashes when viewing multiple DVRs simultaneously
  • Crashes when switching to 32 camera view
Show 12 more
  • WiFi connectivity fails despite strong internet
  • App only works with cellular data, not WiFi
  • Buffering and 'No Data' errors during playback
  • Recent update wiped out clipped files
  • Screen orientation flips unexpectedly during playback
  • App incompatible with latest iOS versions
  • Battery drains to zero during playback
  • Night camera feeds show nothing
  • App stuck in infinite loop
  • Playback stops when switching between cameras
  • Time zone playback limitations
  • Motion detection sends only email alerts with garbled images

Requested features

14 requests
  • Complete app redesign from scratch
  • Mac OS native support
  • Pinch-to-zoom functionality
  • VCR-like playback controls (skip forward/backward)
  • Motion-detected clip auto-population
Show 9 more
  • Video export to phone capability
  • Sound on video reviews
  • Push notifications for motion detection
  • Improved landscape/portrait orientation handling
  • Faster camera feed loading
  • Better grid view quality settings
  • Multi-DVR simultaneous viewing support
  • Simplified login process
  • Better technical support responsiveness

In-app purchases

None

CellGate Mobile Connect

No in-app purchases

None

Luma Surveillance

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CellGate Mobile Connect free?
CellGate Mobile Connect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Luma Surveillance free?
Luma Surveillance is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, CellGate Mobile Connect or Luma Surveillance?
CellGate Mobile Connect is rated higher. CellGate Mobile Connect averages 1.9 out of 5 from 454 ratings, while Luma Surveillance averages 1.8 from 291 ratings.
Do CellGate Mobile Connect or Luma Surveillance have ads?
Neither CellGate Mobile Connect nor Luma Surveillance shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CellGate Mobile Connect or Luma Surveillance?
CellGate Mobile Connect ships an update every 5 weeks, and Luma Surveillance every 11 months. Most recently, CellGate Mobile Connect was updated on November 6, 2026 and Luma Surveillance on November 1, 2026.

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