Retrofitting means the existing barrier system stays in place and only the control is replaced or extended. Mechanics, drive and foundation remain; the installation gets a controller, new access credentials and central management.
The difference lies in the civil engineering. A full replacement opens the roadway, sets new foundations and restores the surface. Retrofitting drops that part entirely: by the budget estimate below, 10,000 to 20,000 euros for a bollard installation and 5,000 to 10,000 euros for a barrier installation, civil engineering and removal taken together.
Any electronically controllable installation qualifies: barriers, retractable bollards, gates and turnstiles, regardless of manufacturer. The controller is connected via potential-free inputs and outputs or Modbus TCP and talks to the ControlHub over LAN or LTE.
In Bruchsal the bollards stayed; control column and control system were replaced. In Baden-Baden new bollard systems were placed on the existing concrete foundations, which minimized road closures and civil engineering.
For a single barrier, bollard or gate: DIN rail mounting in the existing control cabinet, 9 to 28 V power supply directly from the installation, connection via the included IO module or Modbus TCP, built-in multi-network SIM. Installation and commissioning take 20 minutes: BaseLink 2.0.
The retrofit kit for groups of installations fits almost any control cabinet or column at 13 × 18 × 11 cm, controls up to four installations per instance and two instances per device, and is ready for operation in under a day: SmartKit 3.0.
Where phone call, radio transmitter or key used to be the operation, the control column houses license plate camera, RFID reader, intercom and the controller in one enclosure; LED strips show the state like a traffic light: MONOLITH.
Retrofitting pays off as long as the installation itself is sound. Three conditions have to come together.
If one of the three conditions does not hold, replacement is the more honest route. Baden-Baden was a case in between: the bollard systems were replaced, but on the existing concrete foundations.
The figures below are budget values, not quotations. All amounts net, excluding sensors for new capabilities and excluding running costs. We will give you binding prices for BaseLink and SmartKit on request.
| Cost item | Replace bollard installation | Replace barrier installation |
|---|---|---|
| Blocking elements | 2 retractable and 2 fixed bollards: €12,000 to €20,000 | 2 barriers including booms: €6,000 to €12,000 |
| Control column or cabinet including control | €3,000 to €6,000 | €2,000 to €5,000 |
| Removal and disposal of the existing installation | €2,000 to €4,000 | €1,000 to €2,000 |
| Civil engineering, foundations, cable routes, surface restoration | €8,000 to €16,000 | €4,000 to €8,000 |
| Electrical installation, safety sensors, mounting, commissioning | €4,000 to €7,000 | €3,000 to €5,000 |
| One-off total | €29,000 to €53,000 | €16,000 to €32,000 |
| Mid-range figure for a sample calculation | €41,000 | €24,000 |
The comparison covers the one-off investment. It assumes that mechanics and foundations are still usable.
| Item | Replace | Retrofit with SmartKit |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | 2 fixed and 2 retractable bollards | existing bollard installation |
| Mechanics | fully new | existing stays |
| Foundations and civil engineering | fully new, including removal and surfaces | existing stays |
| Control column or cabinet | full replacement | kept or adapted |
| New control | new installation control | 1 × SmartKit |
| Smart functions | not included; SmartKit and sensors are added | included |
| Duration | 4 to 6 months | 2 to 4 weeks, fitted in under a day |
| One-off investment | €29,000 to €53,000 | under €5,000 plus sensors |
| Item | Replace | Retrofit with BaseLink |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | 2 barriers | existing barrier installation |
| Mechanics | fully new | existing stays |
| Foundations and civil engineering | fully new, including removal and surfaces | existing stays |
| Control column or cabinet | full replacement | kept or adapted |
| New control | new installation control | 2 × BaseLink |
| Smart functions | not included; BaseLink and sensors are added | included |
| Duration | 8 to 16 weeks | available immediately, 20 minutes per installation |
| One-off investment | €16,000 to €32,000 | under €3,000 plus sensors |
The gap is wider than the amounts suggest. A replacement delivers a new installation with a new installation control, but without the functions that most installations are replaced for in the first place: license plate recognition, permissions by time and group, opening remotely without a site visit, fault reports and reporting.
Anyone who wants them needs a controller and the matching sensors after a replacement too. The amounts in the right-hand column are then added on top instead of replacing the left-hand one. A retrofit brings the same functions from the start, managed in the ControlHub and operated in the ControlApp.
The figure under €3,000 covers both BaseLink together. Additional sensors, license plate camera, RFID reader, intercom, are added in both retrofit variants and depend on which capabilities the installation is to gain.
For context: a single automatic bollard is offered on the market for around €6,000 net, and for two barriers with license plate recognition and a payment station one supplier quotes from €15,000 net plus mounting and structural preparation. The breakdown above is our own budget estimate, not an adopted quotation.
The second difference is time. When retrofitting, the roadway stays closed because nobody has to open it.
| Route | Barrier installation | Bollard installation |
|---|---|---|
| Retrofit | BaseLink: available immediately, installed and commissioned in 20 minutes | SmartKit: 2 to 4 weeks including planning, fitted in under a day |
| Replace | 8 to 16 weeks | 4 to 6 months |
The retrofit figures come from the data sheets of the two controllers; the duration of a replacement is a value from experience in projects.
A SmartKit project is completed in 2 to 4 weeks including planning. If the installation grows, the BaseLink is fully credited within 24 months when switching to a SmartKit.
Tell us the installation type and control. In 30 minutes we show whether a BaseLink is enough or a SmartKit makes sense, and what the installation looks like in the ControlHub afterwards.
Or describe your access point to us by e-mail to info@barriersystems.de.
