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Ghost Controls Access Control Installation: The West Hollywood Owner’s Guide
Ghost Controls access control installation in West Hollywood typically runs between $385 and $740 installed, depending on which module you need and whether we’re adding a keypad, intercom, or integrating with an existing gate opener. We keep Ghost Controls-compatible control boards, keypads, and receiver kits on our trucks, so most West Hollywood jobs are completed same-day in a single visit. Most owners discover the failure the hard way: the remote works fine, but the keypad goes dead, or the gate stops responding to the app, or the open command works but the auto-close feature has given up entirely.
If your Ghost Controls gate opener is acting up but the motor itself still runs, the problem is almost always in the access control side: the control board, the keypad, the receiver, or the wiring between them. We’ve been fixing these systems across West Hollywood for over four decades, and the diagnosis is usually faster than most homeowners expect. Victor Salinas has worked on enough Ghost Controls setups in the flats and up in the hills to know exactly what fails and why.
Key Takeaways
- Installed Ghost Controls access control work in West Hollywood: $385-$740 typical range
- We stock Ghost Controls-compatible control boards, keypads, and receivers on the truck
- Most access control issues are diagnosed and fixed in one visit
- We are an independent service provider, not affiliated with Ghost Controls
- Every job carries our written 90-Day Done Right Promise
Call (442) 255-3886 and a live person answers, 24 hours a day. We’ll give you a straight answer before we ever schedule a truck.
Which Ghost Controls Models This Applies To
Ghost Controls has been making residential gate openers long enough that there are now several distinct generations of hardware in service around West Hollywood. The access control components we install fall into three broad categories: the AXS series (the newer app-capable stuff), the TSS and R series (the mid-generation workhorses), and the older DTP and DS series units that are still running on plenty of wrought iron gates along North Doheny and San Vicente.
The compatibility gotcha with Ghost Controls is this: keypads and receivers from the AXS generation do not talk to the older DTP and DS series boards, even though the mounting brackets look identical. We’ve seen plenty of West Hollywood homeowners buy a new Ghost Controls keypad online, bolt it to their 15-year-old opener, and then call us when nothing pairs. If you find yourself with a part that will not sync, do not force it. Let us match the right module to your board’s generation the first time.
How to identify what you have: look on the side of the opener arm or the control box for a white or silver label with the model prefix. DTP- and DS-series units will say so clearly. TSS units say “TSS” and R-series say “R” followed by a number. If the label is faded or painted over, send us a photo and we’ll identify it from the board layout. All of this determines whether you need an OEM Ghost Controls part or whether a quality aftermarket equivalent will do. For keypads and receivers in our experience the OEM part is almost always the better call on Ghost Controls, because the aftermarket units tend to ghost the signal over time in direct sun, which West Hollywood gates get plenty of.
We’re equipped to install Ghost Controls access control systems across every series and generation. That’s been our advantage serving West Hollywood since 1984: trained on Ghost Controls and eight other major brands, so the first fix is the right fix.
Signs Your Ghost Controls Access Control Installation Is Failing
- The keypad lights up but the gate won’t budge. This is usually the keypad-to-board wiring or a dead receiver channel. On older Ghost Controls units, the keypad wire connections at the board corrode faster than anything else, especially in the marine air that drifts up from Santa Monica into West Hollywood. A new keypad or a wiring repair fixes it.
- The remote works from ten feet but not from the car at the street. The receiver antenna has failed or shifted. Ghost Controls receivers are sensitive to physical impact, and we see this constantly on gates that get bumped by delivery trucks in the tighter drives off Santa Monica Boulevard.
- The auto-close feature worked for years and then stopped. The control board’s safety loop input has likely failed. This is a board-level problem, not a setting, and on the older DTP boards it’s one of the most common failures we see in West Hollywood after eight to ten years of service.
- Multiple remotes stopped working at once. That’s almost never the remotes. It’s the receiver on the board. Ghost Controls built the receiver into the main control board on the TSS and R series, so a dead receiver usually means a board swap, not a simple remote reprogram.
- The gate opens but won’t stop, or stops halfway and reverses. The limit-switch logic on the board is failing. That’s an access control issue because the board interprets the limit signal. Caught early, a board replacement keeps the opener motor itself from being damaged.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
In West Hollywood, installed Ghost Controls access control replacement work breaks down like this:
| Service | Typical Installed Price |
|---|---|
| Single keypad replacement (OEM Ghost Controls) | $185-$290 |
| Receiver module replacement | $160-$240 |
| Control board replacement (TSS or R series) | $310-$480 |
| Full access control upgrade (board, keypad, receiver) | $520-$740 |
| Diagnostic visit (applied toward repair) | $89 |
The range comes down to two things: which generation of Ghost Controls hardware you have, and whether the technician can clean up the existing wiring or needs to pull new low-voltage lines. West Hollywood hillside properties with gated entries at the bottom of a long driveway often need longer wire runs, which pushes labor up somewhat. Parts are priced at fair retail and we show you the number before ordering anything. Labor is quoted before work starts and the price on the quote is the price on the invoice. No surprises on the bill.
Every Ghost Controls access control installation we complete carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise. If something is not right, we come back and make it right, no paperwork, no arguing, no exceptions.
DIY or Call Us?
Working on Ghost Controls access control systems involves low-voltage DC wiring, circuit boards, and equipment that receives power from your home’s AC supply. The motors and gate tracks carry real stored energy. If you are not certain, do not open the control box. None of these repairs require special training to understand, but all of them punish guesswork.
What an owner can safely check: confirm power at the outlet the opener runs from, make sure the breaker has not tripped, and look at the keypad to see if the backlight still comes on. From there, the right move is a phone call. The most common DIY mistake we clean up in West Hollywood is a homeowner swapping a keypad for a new one without matching the series generation, then paying us the same service fee they were trying to avoid after the thing will not sync.
If it is a simple diagnosis, you will know within minutes. Call (442) 255-3886 and tell us what the gate is doing or not doing. We will tell you if it sounds like a keypad, a board, or a wiring issue before anyone rolls a truck.
FAQs
Plan on 8 to 12 years for the original control board and keypad. Coastal air, direct sun on the keypad, and the heat that reflects off concrete driveways in West Hollywood at midday all shorten that toward the low end. We’ve replaced DTP-series boards at the 15-year mark and seen TSS boards die at seven. It depends on exposure and how often the gate cycles. Call (442) 255-3886 and we’ll help you figure out which generation you have and what to expect from it.
Sometimes yes, but not on the circuit boards. Ghost Controls boards are sealed units and are not serviceable in the field. Keypads can occasionally be repaired when it is just a cracked housing or corroded terminal, but if the circuit inside is done, replacement is the only honest path. We’ll tell you which one it is and never push a replacement when a repair is possible.
Most single-component replacements take 45 to 90 minutes on site. A full board-plus-keypad-plus-receiver upgrade usually runs two to three hours, including reprogramming all existing remotes. For West Hollywood homeowners who are on site, we walk through the system before we leave so you are not reading a manual in the dark. Call (442) 255-3886 for a same-day or next-day slot.
We carry the most common Ghost Controls keypads, receivers, and TSS-series boards on the truck. Older DTP and DS series boards are occasionally special-ordered, but we can usually have them within one business day and install the following. All pricing is confirmed with you before any order goes in.
Call Ironworks Gate Co. for Ghost Controls Access Control Installation in West Hollywood
If the gate is giving you trouble, let’s take a look at it. No guessing, no upselling, just a straight answer. We have been serving West Hollywood since 1984, and Ghost Controls is one of the nine gate-automation brands our technicians are trained and equipped to service, alongside LiftMaster, Mighty Mule, DoorKing, and the rest. We are an independent service provider and not affiliated with Ghost Controls, but we know their hardware as well as anyone in town.
Call (442) 255-3886 for a free estimate over the phone. A live person answers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not a voicemail, not an answering service. Senior and veteran homeowners save 5% on every job, every time. Done right, and backed in writing.
Written by Victor Salinas, Owner & Gate Repair Specialist, Ironworks Gate Co., serving West Hollywood and nearby areas.





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