Our new house has good solid gateposts with electrical points fitted ready for gate.
How does this industry work in France? Are there two or three manufacturers that everyone buys from? Lots of small manufacturers? Would most people by from a local tradesman?
I am thinking it could be similar marke structure to double glazing in the UK?
Any pointers about what to look out for/ who to avoid / any recommendations?
Thank you
Graeme
I purchased the gates and electric gate mechanism myself from lapeyre and installed myself - not a difficult job imo. For the mechanism I went to lapeyre as have found their quality level to be good. And specifically for anything with moving parts, I have found that you tend to get what you pay for. I could have gone cheaper, but wanted to feel comfortable with reliability and a ‘real store’ to go to if any issues, as the gate operation is quite key 
Opposite place has had problems twice now, at least, and I don’t think this new set of electric gates have been in place even 3 years yet
Get them from somewhere that does after sales service!
The two makes most used in France are FAAC & CAME, both have proved to come with good telephone assistance/support. Another player is SOMFY. We have installed over a score of sets both battant & coulissant and both types were found to be very easy to fit.
In my village you’re nobody until you have electric gates. loads of people have them, and it doesn’t seem to matter if there’s no fence/wall/stockade with which they can join up. They are clearly a marker of very superior people.
(I haven’t got any by the way).
I’d much rather have no gates but since fitting them, I’ve had nobody making one of those nice little visits to try and break in 
before that I had at least three break in attempts and theft of various ‘stuff’ outside - so far, a very worthwhile investment 
I do wish all this security stuff wasn’t necessary.
I don’t mind being superior if it deters the uninvited
There’s nothing wrong with it, or electric gates per se, they often do look a bit odd here though.
Does anyone know why French houses often have gates/gate posts without there being any fence or wall joint up to them?
There’s a village near us where I’m reminded of that Tuscan town where everyone built bigger and better towers than their neighbours to show their wealth, but the local here do it with gates.
I think the idea is that serious criminals don’t walk anywhere, so need to be able to drive right up to the house to break in. If they can’t do that they’ll go elsewhere!
The sad fact is that the more people hide behind gates the more crime there is as you loose the natural surveillance of being open to passers by (and nosy neighbours).
San Gimignano. I bought my coffee machine there in 1993 and it’s still producing ottimo caffè. It towers above the competition, you might say…
We bought and installed a Lapeyre wooden gate with a Sommfy opening mechanism several years ago. It’s not too difficult to do. It all worked well but the gate started to rot away. So we replaced it with a metal gate from Leroy Merlin and retained the Sommfy mechanism which we had to move down and re-program. All went well and it has been working really well ever since. You can order spare parts and download user guides from the Sommfy web site.
Bought mine in Bricodepot 2018 to fit onto my metal gates. Avidsen, a marque of Smarthome France. 168€, last one, sold cheap because it seems they were only changing the packaging . Works perfectly, the only problem for me was that the gates had to open into upward sloping ground.
We’ve attained the level-crossing manually operated drop-down wooden bar status 
For one month I am enjoying an electric gate, which keep me dry, when it rains and keeps nosy neighbors from peaking onto my property.
But the path was done, with plenty of estimates and research for reputable companies. My gates are made from aluminum and carry a 25 year warranty. Metal gates have the advantage, that they do not change over time and get so heavy or rod and work on the posts, they are attached to.
I recommend a local company, that does after-sales services, in case you run into problems.
One point I must highlight is that I did consciously elect to install metal gates with bars i.e open view, to maintain visibility, which I think also deters the ‘unwanted’ from attempting to break in. I firmly believe that, if you make it less attractive for someone to attempt to break in to your place, they will move on to ‘more attractive’ pastures elsewhere.
With big dogs running around, you do not have that problem!
I would say that’s even more reason to have open gates actually, so folks can easily see the dogs, which for sure would be a deterrant.
Who did you buy your gates from @Annie2 ? We have a drive that slopes down to the gate, so I dont think I can do this myself.
Thanks