[twoplanekid]

Well, I finally received a reply to my last email to staff about gate cards.

Hi Brittany,

I read the following email which states "Residents will see minimal changes since they will continue to use the same gate cards, so long as they are valid in the system. Cards that were issued or obtained through other sources will cease to function after the migration is completed."

My specific question to you is this. If my card is valid in the system and after having cloned my card to a coin type mirror located card that currently opens and closes the gates, will this cloned card still open and close the gates when the new gate systems are completed? If you don't know the answer, then who does?

And the answer is

Good morning,

Yes, Bruce provided an overview of the gate maintenance and upcoming software upgrade.

The District does not support or guarantee that any card/device will operate the gate other than the card(s) issued to residents at closing, or that they acquire from the District. As the gate software is upgraded, only cards that are valid in the system will function properly.

[Altavia]

Guess we'll know when the change happens.

I "think" the card readers now being installed in a new village under construction looked different? No idea if the difference is functional or cosmetic.

Don't know if feasible but one nice solution could be if the new scanners have enough range to reach through everyone's vehicle windows.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by twoplanekid

Well, I finally received a reply to my last email to staff about gate cards.

...

The District does not support or guarantee that any card/device will operate the gate other than the card(s) issued to residents at closing, or that they acquire from the District. As the gate software is upgraded, only cards that are valid in the system will function properly.

Still not a usable answer.

It appears that it is possible to configure a system such that only cards issued by the Villages will work. The question remains: will the system be configured in that way?

Hopefully, we will soon know when the software has been updated and a gate reconfigured to use it. Then someone can test whether or not the cloned cards will work.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Altavia

Guess we'll know when the change happens.

I "think" the card readers now being installed in a new village under construction looked different? No idea if the difference is functional or cosmetic.

Don't know if feasible but one nice solution could be if the new scanners have enough range to reach through everyone's vehicle windows.

I could be wrong, but I don't think the range can be increased without changing the cards, not the scanning machine.

[Mustang428j]

Originally Posted by twoplanekid

Well, I finally received a reply to my last email to staff about gate cards.

Hi Brittany,

I read the following email which states "Residents will see minimal changes since they will continue to use the same gate cards, so long as they are valid in the system. Cards that were issued or obtained through other sources will cease to function after the migration is completed."

My specific question to you is this. If my card is valid in the system and after having cloned my card to a coin type mirror located card that currently opens and closes the gates, will this cloned card still open and close the gates when the new gate systems are completed? If you don't know the answer, then who does?

And the answer is

Good morning,

Yes, Bruce provided an overview of the gate maintenance and upcoming software upgrade.

The District does not support or guarantee that any card/device will operate the gate other than the card(s) issued to residents at closing, or that they acquire from the District. As the gate software is upgraded, only cards that are valid in the system will function properly.

The Cloned card will still work as long as the Card it was made from is still valid in the System, so as long as whatever you have was made from your valid gate card then the cloned card or Mirror chip will work also.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Altavia

Guess we'll know when the change happens.

I "think" the card readers now being installed in a new village under construction looked different? No idea if the difference is functional or cosmetic.

Don't know if feasible but one nice solution could be if the new scanners have enough range to reach through everyone's vehicle windows.

That is my concern. I rest my card on my closed window ledge. I won't fall in, I've made sure of that. I never open my window to get through the gates.

[fdpaq0580]

Sounds like we will not know anything definite until the upgrade is complete and someone actually tries it out. My guess is that some of us will never notice a difference, while others have problems or complaints. Business as usual.
Meanwhile, many of the gates we are worried about opening are broken and are not being repaired in a timely manner, leading not just to inconvenience, but to potentially danger to life and limb.
Me thinks the "gate people" may have their priorities out of order.
Oh, well, I only live here. I am not in charge.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by fdpaq0580

Sounds like we will not know anything definite until the upgrade is complete and someone actually tries it out. My guess is that some of us will never notice a difference, while others have problems or complaints. Business as usual.
Meanwhile, many of the gates we are worried about opening are broken and are not being repaired in a timely manner, leading not just to inconvenience, but to potentially danger to life and limb.
Me thinks the "gate people" may have their priorities out of order.
Oh, well, I only live here. I am not in charge.

All gates will either automatically open upon EXIT, or have already been removed (during storm risks). You don't need a gate card OR a red button to push, to get OUT of any Villages neighborhood.

To get IN most of them, you only need to push a red button. There are only a couple of exclusive neighborhoods that have their own exclusive gates with exclusive access, and no red button, and no one else's gate card will work to open them. That's Hickory Hammock and one off Buena Vista, past El Camino Real on the way up to Lopez CC. There might be a third somewhere. It doesn't matter though, they are a few dozen total properties out of over 60,000 properties that are accessed by simply pushing a red button.

Unfortunately, there are people who choose not to pay attention to stop signs, look for gates at gate areas, notice that day-glo reflective tape, paint, and plastic things that you can't miss unless you're too busy yapping on your cell phone to notice.

They break the gates. They shouldn't be allowed to drive at all, but idiots will idiot. They'll run you over after they break the gate down. They don't care, because they're not looking for you.

[Mustang428j]

Originally Posted by EdFNJ

Until EVERY PERSON'S CARD in The Villages is replaced, I highly doubt cloned cards will stop working because if they are CLONED they will be identical to the original old cards which will continue to work. Can't see how they can be separated. If you read the specs on the cards they use the only codes on the cards which are the assigned numbers and the reader system just reads that. There is no "hidden" non-copyable sub-code they can read that isn't part of the "clone" process, and until they change every card from every person and THEN turn on a new system they should likely continue to work. If someone hands out generic nonexistent codes to people which will work THAT they can track if they really want to look at the thousands of photos (assuming the cameras actually still work) to find the car connected to the faked code.

You Are Completely Correct. Nothing is Changing on the Hardware side of the system. Until that happens Cloned Gate cards and Mirror chips will still work.

[ldj1938]

I gave up the gates a long time ago. I just go through the attendant, say Hi!, and continue on my way. This isn't a military base so what's the point?

Originally Posted by twoplanekid

I asked this question of staff->

I heard a rumor from Bruce that the gate card system in the Villages is going to change. Be forewarned that I have been giving out and using the devices that are placed in car mirrors to activate the gates for over a year.

So, please tell me the reason for the change and why my cards will no longer work. Is there a way that these cards can still work?

I believe that the using the old cards and having to wave them out an open car window is archaic in this electronic age. So, if changes are made when will we receive a device that will automatically raise gates without human interaction?

A very large number of Villagers may be upset when they find out these (auto open) cards no longer work and then need to go back to the old, old way.
I am sorry that this change was not highlighted in a newsletter to let people know that this change was going to take place.

I hope you have some good news for me about this issue as it looks very bad at this point in time.​

and ->
One additional questions about data if collected. What data is collected , who has access to the data and data collected is used for what purpose.
I thought long ago that I was told no data was collected nor retained by the gate card system and not talking about the security cameras at the gates.

Thanks again,


they responded by saying ->


Thank you for reaching out regarding the gate access control system upgrade. This project was approved in September, with support from the Amenity Authority Committee, Project Wide Advisory Committee and the Village Center and Sumter Landing CDDs.

The District has been seeking a new software vendor for a number of years to replace the existing system. As growth continued year after year in concert with the volume of card reads at the gates, the incoming data began to overburden and, at times, exceed the capacity of the existing software database. As a result, there are instances of unauthorized cards successfully opening gates; when the new system is in place, only properly credentialed cards will open the gates.

The District identified Software House C-Cure as a viable alternative to replace the existing software. This software provides a robust and expandable access control system. The capacity of the database is capable of storing one (1) million gate cards and it is administered through one centralized database. An additional benefit to Software House C-Cure is that the software is compatible with nearly all existing peripheral equipment at the gate locations – motors, readers, arms, loops, network electronics etc. In addition, all gate cards issued by the District will continue to work. By implementing this solution, only the controller itself would be replaced.

The access control system at the gates continues to serve a vital role in the community with regard to traffic management, calming and monitoring. The benefits of proper management of the access control system will further enhance the overall management of gate card data, prevent card duplication and provide more robust reporting capabilities. This is a significant benefit to residents, Staff and local law enforcement agencies. Gate card transactions are utilized to understand the volume on certain roadways, identification of individuals in the event property is damaged, and law enforcement routinely asks for reporting at specific locations.

There are certain areas in the community, such as the RV lots, that have limited access and require specific credentials assigned to the gate card. Regardless of the type of access, the District does not condone the unauthorized duplication of cards. When cards are assigned, they are tied to a specific residence or contractor based on the credentials. As with any access control system, it is not expected that these would be duplicated since it would also unnecessarily burden the volume of cards in the system.

The AAC and PWAC both expressed interest in exploring options to improve the method in which the gates are activated, including the type of devices and/or methods for opening a gate arm. The first step in the project is to upgrade the back-end software. Once that is accomplished, Staff will be communicating the Committees/Boards on other opportunities to enhance the functionality of the gates.

I then replied ->

I totally disagree with this assessment and wish that a public discussion had taken place. I understand that access control systems at the gates serve to slow traffic and let golf carts cross. However many of your other comments I would question.

The few that need restricted access to RV lots could have been given special cards. What other areas and how many other Villagers are affected compared to the total Village population?

You never answered my question as to how much detailed data the system is keeping on people accessing public roads. We are not a gate restricted community.

If the volume of individual cards that a new system can handle is 1 million, then what’s the big deal about duplicates? Plus, the cards are cloned to one that is already in the system. I don’t under this concern about duplicates. What are the specific benefits to the public in this new change other than making many thousands of duplicate cards not function?
CLONED CARDS WILL NOT WORK???

I again ask what data is collected and who has access to this data. Is this data used by public or private firms? Can I access the data? A private or public firm is the only one assigning gate cards at this time? Please note that I am not discussing the gate cameras. I believe cameras which are now located at the gates help identify individuals for law enforcement and not gate cards as you suggest.

What is the total cost of the new system for both hardware and software going to be for residents? This change to the gate management system should have been presented and discussed at a large public meeting with details in the paper and on the district website beforehand.

I am on the NSCUDD board and have always advocated for preannounced large public discussions of changes we make that affect the public. NSCUDD has held many advertised large public meetings to discuss changes and I am proud we have done so because that is the way it should be done.

a link to details on the contracts found on districtgov.org

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