Anyone searching for “Black Friday Alexa” wants an Echo on sale. If the plan is to say “Alexa, open the gate”, one thing is worth knowing before the cart: the speaker is only the microphone. The automation is driven by a device that can talk to your gate and a bridge to the internet. In the 1Control ecosystem that is SOLO + LINK for gate and garage and DORY + LINK for the front door.
This page explains how to read the Alexa deals without buying the wrong Echo (almost any will do), what you really need, the checks to make before Black Friday and the alternatives with Google Home, Siri, CarPlay and Android Auto. When a 1Control offer is live, price and end date appear on this page and in the Black Friday gate opener guide, read from the shop. Delivery is available only to the countries listed at checkout; the UK is not currently served.
Alexa on sale: what really matters for the gate and the door
To open an access by voice, the Echo generation does not matter: the 1Control skill works with any Alexa device, including the Alexa app on your phone. The difference is on the other side: a gate opener that copies your remote and a hub connected to the router. Without those two, the most discounted Echo of Black Friday is still a speaker.
Two frequent mistakes on discount days. The first is buying an “Alexa-compatible” smart plug or Wi-Fi relay to open the gate: the assistant sees it as a light bulb (“turn on”, not “open”), it has to be wired into the control unit and it cannot tell who gives the command. The second is assuming that SOLO AUTO, the in-car version, answers Alexa: SOLO AUTO works with CarPlay and Android Auto and cannot be paired with LINK, so no voice at home. The list of gates, garages and doors that work with Alexa is in the guide Alexa-compatible garage door, gate and front door.
What you need: SOLO + LINK for gate and garage, DORY + LINK for the door
SOLO sits near the automation, copies the signal of the remote you use today and opens via Bluetooth from the smartphone. It runs on batteries, with no cables and no Wi-Fi at the gate; the original remotes keep working. LINK is the bridge: connected to the router over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi or Ethernet, kept indoors, it must stay within Bluetooth range of SOLO, about 10 to 25 metres in open air. When Alexa receives the command, it travels over the internet to LINK and from there to SOLO.
For the front door the pair is DORY + LINK: DORY replaces the Euro cylinder and opens from the smartphone; with LINK come remote opening, Alexa and Google Home. Compatibility is checked on the remote for gate and garage, and with the door test for DORY. The full setup is in voice assistants for gates: Alexa and Google.
Open even when you are away: SOLO + LINK
SOLO copies your compatible remote and opens from your phone; LINK connects it to the internet over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi or Ethernet, so you can open from anywhere. Check your remote model first. One-off purchase, no subscription.
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Black Friday at 1Control: deals until 27/11. See the deals →
Before buying on Black Friday: 5 checks
- Is the remote on the list? Brand and model in the SOLO checker: if the model is missing, the route is SOLO + KIT, wired to the control unit.
- Where does LINK go? Within Bluetooth range of SOLO: walls, metal and reinforced concrete shorten the distance. If the gate is far from the house, measure first.
- Which network? LINK needs 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable to the router. 5 GHz-only networks will not do.
- Who can give the command? An assistant obeys anyone speaking in the room. On Alexa you can require a voice code; in the 1Control app the administrator decides who opens, with shares by dates and hours and the opening log.
- Do you really need voice? If you only open in front of the gate, SOLO alone is enough and faster. Voice makes sense when you open from inside the house or for someone else.
Without Alexa: Google Home, Siri, CarPlay and Android Auto
Google Home follows the same logic as Alexa: the gate must first work in the 1Control app with SOLO and LINK, then you add the 1Control service in the Google Home app. Siri opens with a Shortcut: without LINK only within Bluetooth range, near SOLO; with LINK from anywhere. CarPlay and Android Auto show the access on the car screen: with standard SOLO you need LINK, with SOLO AUTO you do not, because phone and device travel together.
If Black Friday gets you into the voice-controlled home, start from what you open every day. A gate that opens from the kitchen while the courier waits is worth more than one more speaker.
Alexa in English: skill and devices
The 1Control skill for Alexa is published in English (UK), as well as German, French, Italian and Spanish: “Alexa, open the gate” and “Alexa, open the garage” work with an Echo set to English and with the Alexa app. Before enabling it, the gate must respond in the 1Control app: nearby with the Bluetooth button, from afar with the slider through LINK. Only then do you link the account in the skill and give the access a short name, “Gate” or “Garage”. Purchase is possible only in the countries listed at checkout.
The 1Control offer during Black Friday
During the promotion, the price and end date of SOLO + LINK and of the other products on sale are read from the 1Control shop and shown in the strip on this page and in the box of the Black Friday gate opener guide: no code is needed. Outside the period, this page remains a buying guide and prices are the list prices on the product pages.
The order is always the same: first the remote check, then the cart. The 30-day return remains valid on sale. For the other offers, from the door to the padlock, there is the Black Friday smart home guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does a discounted Echo open the gate on its own?
No. The Echo is the microphone: to open the gate you need SOLO, which copies the remote, and LINK, which carries the command from the internet to SOLO. For the front door you need DORY and LINK.
Which Echo should I buy for the gate?
Any of them: the 1Control skill works with all Alexa devices and with the Alexa app on your phone. Choose the speaker for the room and the sound, not for the gate.
Does SOLO AUTO work with Alexa?
No. SOLO AUTO is the in-car version, with CarPlay and Android Auto, and cannot be paired with LINK. For voice at home you need standard SOLO and LINK.
Can I open the front door with Alexa too?
Yes, with DORY and LINK. DORY replaces the Euro cylinder; with LINK it opens remotely and with Alexa and Google Home. Run the door compatibility test first.
Do I need Wi-Fi near the gate?
No. SOLO works over Bluetooth; LINK stays indoors, connected to the router, and must be within Bluetooth range of SOLO. No network is needed at the gate.
Do I need a discount code?
No. During the sale, prices are already applied in the shop and on the product pages; the newsletter welcome code cannot be combined with sale prices.
The bottom line
Black Friday is a good time to give the gate a voice, if you buy the right pair: SOLO + LINK for gate and garage, DORY + LINK for the door. The Echo, whichever it is, comes afterwards. Check the remote, measure the distance between LINK and SOLO and decide who will be allowed to give the command.
The step-by-step setup is in voice assistants for gates; the current offers in the Black Friday gate opener guide.