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AfterDoorKing Access Control Installation: The Tarzana Owner’s Guide
If you have a DoorKing access control system that’s quit reading cards, stopped triggering the gate, or fried itself after a weather event, we install and replace DoorKing-compatible access control equipment in Tarzana for between $450 and $1,400, depending on the model and what failed. We stock the common DoorKing 1800 and 1812 series boards and keypads on the truck, so in most cases we can have you running the same day we show up. The way most Tarzana owners discover the part has failed is quiet: the gate stops opening for one of the remotes, then the keypad gets flaky, then one morning nothing works at all. By the time you’re reading this, you’ve probably already tried new batteries and a hard reset. That’s not wasted time. It tells us something.
Which DoorKing Models This Applies To
DoorKing’s access control gear falls into two main families. The 1800 series (1802, 1810, 1812, 1814, 1815) covers the digital keypads and telephone entry systems you see on single gates and small communities of two to six homes. The 1830 series (1833, 1834, 1835, 1837, 1838) handles multi-tenant call boxes and larger dial-to-open systems. The 1812 and 1814 are the workhorses we see most in Tarzana, often paired with a 1601 or 1603 barrier arm or a 9000 series slide gate operator. There’s a compatibility gotcha worth mentioning: the 1812 and 1814 have different wiring terminals for the relay trigger, and plenty of DIY swaps end up with the gate triggering constantly or not at all because the common and normally-open legs got flopped. The correct part is usually the 1812-080 control board or the 1814-235 ATA module, depending on which generation you have.
Most DoorKing boards are marked on the back with the series and a production date. If you can read the label before you call, that saves a trip. If you can’t, we’ll pull the housing and match it in the driveway.
As for OEM versus aftermarket: for DoorKing access control boards, we recommend OEM or a reputable equivalent like the HAE 1812-compatible boards. The aftermarket keypad membranes we’ve seen off online marketplaces sometimes don’t seat fully in the sun-bleached faceplates Tarzana heat produces, which leaves you with an intermittent “2” key. That’s the kind of thing that drives an owner crazy because it only fails when it’s over 90 degrees. We’ll tell you up front which part you’re getting and why.
Key takeaways:
- 1800 series = keypads and phone entry for smaller systems; 1830 series = multi-tenant.
- Check the label on the board or housing before you call, if you can get to it safely.
- We stock 1812 and 1814 series boards on the truck for same-day swaps in Tarzana.
- We’re an independent service provider, not affiliated with DoorKing - but we’ve been servicing their gear since the early 2000s.
Signs Your DoorKing Access Control Installation Is Failing
- The gate opens for some remotes but not others. That usually points to the access control board’s relay starting to hang, or a memory chip that won’t hold programming. We’ve seen Tarzana systems where the winter rain got into the housing seam and the first thing to go was one of the relay contacts.
- The keypad beeps but the gate doesn’t move. You’re hearing the tone, so the keypad has power, but the trigger voltage isn’t reaching the operator board. The failure is usually the control cable or the relay output on the access control board itself.
- You have to enter the code twice, or press the buttons hard. The membrane keypads DoorKing uses wear out in the Tarzana UV. After eight to ten years in direct San Fernando Valley sun, the contacts lose spring. Sometimes a new membrane fixes it. Sometimes the whole keypad has to go.
- The gate opens on its own, or stays open for no reason. Full sun heating the housing can warp the board enough to bridge a solder joint. We’ve pulled boards in Tarzana that only misbehaved between 2 and 5 p.m. That’s not the operator. That’s the access control board losing its mind in the heat.
- Nothing responds, no beep, no click. No power, blown fuse, or a board that got hit by a surge. The power supply on older DoorKing access control cabinets is a common failure point, and swapping the transformer without checking the board means you’ll be back out there in two weeks doing it again.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
In Tarzana, a full DoorKing access control installation or board replacement runs between $450 and $1,400 installed. Here’s the breakdown:
- Keypad membrane replacement: $150-$250 installed, includes matching the overlay to your existing faceplate.
- Single-board replacement (1812/1814 series): $400-$700 installed, programmed and tested. This is the most common job.
- Full keypad unit replacement (faceplate, board, membrane): $550-$900 installed, depending on whether you have the surface-mount or flush-mount housing.
- Phone entry system replacement (1830 series): $800-$1,400 installed, includes programming directory codes for Tarzana two-to-six-home setups.
What’s included: the part, the labor, programming your codes into the new board, testing every entry point, and a written 90-Day Done Right Promise that covers the whole job. What drives the range is whether the wiring in the housing is still intact or whether we’re also repairing sun-baked or chewed conductors. We quote the price before we start, and that’s the price you pay. Not a penny more.
We also carry control boards and parts for LiftMaster, Mighty Mule, and Ghost Controls, in case we open the cabinet and find the issue isn’t DoorKing at all.
DIY or Call Us?
Here’s the honest split. What you can safely check: the breaker, the fuse in the disconnect box, whether the keypad has power, and whether any wires are visibly burned or pulled loose at the terminals. Kill power at the breaker before you touch anything inside the housing. What you should not do: attempt to swap a DoorKing access control board yourself if you’re not fluent in low-voltage wiring and relay logic. The board ties into your gate operator, your safety edges, and often a dial-to-open phone line. Wire the relay wrong and your gate can hold open, which defeats the whole point, or hold closed, which is a fire access issue. Low voltage isn’t the danger here. A gate that does the opposite of what it should is the danger. If you’re not sure which wire is the common on your operator board, call a pro. Call us at (818) 514-7606 and we’ll walk through it on the phone before we ever charge you a dollar.
And if you’d rather a professional just handle it, Hal Gatewood has been fixing gates in Tarzana since 2001, and most of his customers live within a few miles of Ventura Boulevard. He’ll be the one who shows up. You’ll get a call when he’s on the way. None of that four-hour window stuff.
FAQs
In the Tarzana climate, a properly installed DoorKing access control board typically lasts 10 to 15 years, with keypad membranes wearing out every 5 to 8 years due to UV exposure. If the housing is mounted on a west-facing wall or in direct afternoon sun, expect the shorter end of that range. Call (818) 514-7606 and we’ll match the replacement to your exact model.
Sometimes a board can be repaired, especially when the failure is a single burned relay or a corroded terminal strip, but most often a replacement board or keypad is the more honest fix in Tarzana. If we can repair it, we’ll tell you that first, because we’d rather fix a gate than sell a part. Call (818) 514-7606 for a free assessment.
A straightforward board replacement on a DoorKing 1812 or 1814 typically takes about an hour to an hour and a half, from the time we open the housing to the time we test the last entry code. A full keypad or phone entry replacement runs two to three hours. We’ll give you a window that means something when you call (818) 514-7606.
Yes, we keep the common DoorKing 1812 and 1814 series boards, keypad membranes, and a couple of 1830 phone entry modules on the truck, because Tarzana gates don’t fail on a schedule. If your part is in the truck, we can usually complete the repair the same visit. Call (818) 514-7606 and we’ll check what’s on hand before we head out.
Need a DoorKing Access Control Replacement in Tarzana?
If your access control is failing, call Gatewood Fence & Gate at (818) 514-7606. We’ll tell you what the repair likely costs, whether we carry the part, and when we can be there. The estimate is free. The price we quote is the price you’ll pay. And the 90-Day Done Right Promise is in writing, because Hal’s name is on the shop, and the shop is down the road - that’s the oldest accountability there is.
Written by Hal Gatewood, Owner, Gatewood Fence & Gate at Gatewood Fence & Gate, serving Tarzana and nearby areas.