[N44125]

Are our gate cards ‘unique’ or are they ‘generic’? Meaning…is my card different than my neighbor’s. I didn’t think gate cards could track the name of the individual going through the gates.

[Catalina36]

Ok Great, the chip in the mirror seems to be a great idea. I want to know what kind of car you have?? The window motor should not need replacing so quickly as you stated "The car is not very old and I asked the technician how long do they generally last. His response surprised me. He said "Not very long in the Villages." The window motor should last a long time. It's not like you are opening your car window a hundred times a day. I hope your window motor was covered under warranty.

[Singerlady]

Save your money for the chip. The swipe card works through the window. Just hold it up on the window directly in front of the sensor. Presto! No up and down window. If you’re not directly aligned, just move the card around on the window a little. Been working like this for years.

[CaptainMorgan]

Tri-Line Services installed one in each of our cars. Love them! The mirror in our Econoline Van is higher off the ground than most cars and there are a few gates below 466A with readers that are located a little lower to the ground that are finicky. We live above 466 and they work every time. Just like swiping the real cards the are some readers that are not as sensitive.

[mrf6969]

Our gate card works on some gates through the glass but not others. It seems to depend on the signal strength of the pad itself, not to mention that all the signal pads are at different heights.

[Kelevision]

Originally Posted by Blueblaze

Sounds like a great idea. It seems a little creepy to have somebody copy your chip but I don't guess there's any personally identifiable info on it. Still, howcome neither of these guys has a local number?

Even though I have not lived there for 6 years, I still have my CA number and I don’t plan on ever changing it.

[rlcooper70]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you

[Kelevision]

Personally, i wonder why they even have the cards? All anyone has to do is press the red button. Or go through the visitor gate and wave to the guy ( if there is a guy there) it seems pointless to have a card at all. Maybe the gates should just raise as you drive in?

[BlackHarley]

Our gate gets demolished weekly. I'm getting used to sailing through without the hassle. Last time was a doozy, wasting the pedestal, rail and gate arm.

[crash]

Originally Posted by Jaydancer

Passing on some useful (I think) information for Villagers.

A month or so ago I had to take one my cars in to the dealer to have the driver side window motor replaced. The car is not very old and I asked the technician how long do they generally last. His response surprised me. He said "Not very long in the Villages." I was quite shocked at that, and he went on to say "You guys do so much opening and closing this window that we do a lot of these replacements, we have to keep extra stock in the parts dept."

Well, that set me thinking and some while later a neighbor told me about a small company here in The V that had been installing "Villages Gate Passes" in the mirror of your car. This chip, which is programmed to match your white gate card, allows you to pull up to the gate, stop for 2 seconds and the gate goes up. It's simply brilliant!

Since this appeared too good to be true I called the company, 'Tri Line Services', and spoke to a gentleman named Ed who explained how it works, I asked a great many questions resulting in the information that you keep your white card, and yes The Villages knows about his service.His company is Licensed to do business in Florida and is also insured and has been installing chips since he developed the gadget 2 years ago. He said they have a 100% money back warranty for the product performance.

That seemed on the 'up and up' to me and so I made an appointment to have the gadget installed in one of my cars. A gentleman came, he was on time and courteous.He handed me the company business card and said he was here to install my gate pass. He installed the chip and had me go test it at the closest gate, it worked perfectly. It was just so slick to be able to drive up close to the reader and have the gate open like magic!

Of course when I came back I asked if he had time to do our other car, and do they work on golf carts? The answer to both Q's was "Yes, certainly Ma'am, I would be happy to." Now I have 3 vehicles equipped with 'magic chips' - that's what I call them - and am absolutely ecstatic, never wind down the window in the rain or let the a/c out in the heat, and my new window motor should last a lot longer. That's what you call a win win.

If you are interested call ED at Tri Line Services and he will tell you all about it.
ED 217-433-1394

Enjoy!

Should last forever if you never open it.

[tvbound]

Originally Posted by Kelevision

Personally, i wonder why they even have the cards? All anyone has to do is press the red button. Or go through the visitor gate and wave to the guy ( if there is a guy there) it seems pointless to have a card at all. Maybe the gates should just raise as you drive in?

Having lived in actual gated communities with a bar code permanently on the rear, driver's side window (plus a 24 hour guard for visitors, who wrote down names from driver's license), that was our thought during our first rental. When we finally get there for good, we'll definitely be looking to have something like the OP (and others) have described installed, as needing to lower the window in a thunderstorm is no fun and kind of ridiculous.

[DannoMac]

Originally Posted by billethkid

Hopefully we will hear from others who have these devices.

I had a chip installed by Ed from Tri Line over a year ago. Great investment. Keep my old card in the door side pocket for the rare instance when the gate doesn’t respond (usually because I didn’t have the side view mirror close enough to the reader). You won’t be disappointed.
Someone also asked why he doesn’t have a local number. Ed, like most of us, moved here from another state and carried his number with him. He is local and lives in village of Largo.

[NotGolfer]

We generally can go through the gates by flashing the card through our window without opening it. We have a phone holder on the dash where we keep the card. Rarely do we have to open our window to flash it anymore. Save your money!!

[Captainpd]

Doug. 3523919494. Prompt and 1 year warranty $20

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by N44125

Are our gate cards ‘unique’ or are they ‘generic’? Meaning…is my card different than my neighbor’s. I didn’t think gate cards could track the name of the individual going through the gates.

I am not sure they track who is going through the gates, but the cards are unique. If you lose a card, The Villages will look up the card number of the lost card and will deactivate it before selling you a replacement. And, each house is limited to 4 assigned cards.