To add access control to a gate, door, or remote reader without trenching, replace the cable between the reader and the controller with an encrypted 900 MHz sub-GHz wireless link. It carries the exact Wiegand or OSDP signal your controller already expects, so the reader and panel talk to each other with no wire — and no trench — between them.
Why trenching is the part you're actually paying for
The reader and the controller are cheap. The cable run between them is not. Trenching across a driveway, boring under a road, or pulling cable through a finished wall is where the cost, the permits, and the schedule live. Wireless Wiegand removes the run: the reader side and the panel side each get a small 900 MHz unit, and the signal crosses the gap over the air.
How it works
Two units — one at the reader, one at the controller. The reader-side unit takes the reader's output (Wiegand, OSDP, RS-485, or a dry contact) and sends it over an encrypted 900 MHz link to the controller-side unit, which reproduces the same signal into the panel. To the controller, nothing changed — it sees the reader exactly as if a wire connected them. Units ship pre-paired, so there's no configuration step in the field to bring the link up.
How far does it reach?
Range depends on antennas and line of sight:
- Miles typical with standard antennas
- Tens of miles line-of-sight with directional / Yagi antennas
- Deployed links exceeding 60 miles line-of-sight with dish antennas
- Extendable further by daisy-chaining units
Range is always a function of line of sight and obstructions. There is no "unlimited" figure — walls, terrain, and foliage reduce it.
Is it secure?
The link is encrypted with AES-128 and is designed to resist interception and replay of the credential data crossing it. The signal that used to travel on exposed copper is encrypted over the air instead.
What signals does it carry?
- Wiegand, 4–80 bit
- OSDP, including transparent Secure Channel passthrough — the controller's OSDP session runs end to end and is not terminated and re-encoded
- RS-485
- Relay / REX / dry contact
Because OSDP Secure Channel passes through transparently, the panel and reader keep their own encrypted session over the wireless link.
Does it work outdoors?
The units are rated IP20 — they are not weatherproof on their own. For any outdoor or wet location (gate post, exterior wall, rooftop), mount the unit in a suitable outdoor enclosure. Indoors, no enclosure is needed.
How does this compare to cellular, Sure-Fi, or Cypress?
Cellular gate access (SIM-based). Sends the credential or controls the gate over a carrier network. Works where you have coverage, but carries a recurring monthly SIM/data fee per site and depends on the carrier staying up. A sub-GHz link is a one-time purchase with no recurring fees and no carrier dependency — the two units talk directly to each other.
Sure-Fi. Also a wireless option, but it terminates the Wiegand signal and re-encodes it; it does not pass RS-485 or OSDP Secure Channel through transparently. If you need the panel's OSDP session intact end to end, that's the difference.
Cypress (2.4 GHz). Operates at 2.4 GHz, which penetrates walls, terrain, and foliage less effectively than 900 MHz sub-GHz over distance. For long outdoor runs with obstructions, the lower frequency generally holds the link better.
When sub-GHz wireless fits best: you're replacing a physical cable run between a reader and a controller, you want no recurring fees, and you need the original Wiegand/OSDP/RS-485 signal delivered to the panel unchanged.
What do you need to install it?
- One unit at the reader, one at the controller
- Power at each end — the field-test setup runs from a USB power bank, so you can prove the link before mounting anything
- An outdoor enclosure at any exterior location (IP20 units)
- Nothing else — units arrive pre-paired, with no configuration step in the field
Related
For gate-specific installs, see Gate Access Control Without Trenching.
