DH Pace Review: Access Control, Pricing, Pros & Cons

 

Disclaimer: ButterflyMX provides these blog posts to help our customers and potential customers make the right business decisions. Our blog posts are based on the information available to us at the time of writing.

 

This DH Pace review looks at the company from a property and facility buyer’s point of view. DH Pace installs, services, and monitors electronic security systems while also handling doors, gates, and loading dock equipment.

The main buying question is simple: What are you actually purchasing? DH Pace is an integrator, not one packaged access-control product. The hardware, software, mobile experience, specifications, and support plan depend on the third-party components chosen for your project.

This guide explains how DH Pace works, what it offers, how its quote-based pricing affects buyers, what customers report, and how it compares with ButterflyMX and other access control alternatives.

This guide will answer:

• What is DH Pace?
• How do DH Pace security and access systems work?
• How much does DH Pace cost?
• Who is DH Pace best suited for?
• DH Pace review: pros and cons
• What do DH Pace customers say?
• DH Pace alternatives
• DH Pace vs. ButterflyMX
• Frequently asked questions
• Final verdict on DH Pace

 

Watch how ButterflyMX works:

 

 

What is DH Pace?

DH Pace is a national installer of doors, loading docks, gates, and electronic security systems headquartered in Olathe, Kansas. The family-owned company was founded in 1926; its electronic security business was added in 2003.

Its electronic security and gate portfolio includes access control, telephone and video intercom entry, gates, parking systems, surveillance, intrusion detection, mass notification, and emergency telephones. These are project categories, not models in one standard DH Pace product line.

 

Is DH Pace an installer or a manufacturer?

DH Pace is primarily an installer and multi-vendor integrator. It designs a system for the property, selects compatible third-party components, installs them, and may provide monitoring or ongoing service.

In plain language, this means buyers are not choosing one fixed DH Pace hardware-and-software ecosystem. DH Pace promotes open-architecture access equipment designed for broad compatibility, but the final app, integrations, capacity, and management tools depend on the products in the proposal.

That matters when comparing quotes. Two DH Pace projects can use different readers, intercoms, controllers, software, or gate equipment based on the site and its needs.

 

How large is DH Pace?

DH Pace has a sizable national operation. The company reported more than $940 million in company-wide 2022 revenue and ranked No. 41 on Ingram’s 2023 list of top private companies.

A 2023 company announcement cited roughly 3,000 employees and more than 50 offices across at least 22 states. A 2026 Glassdoor company profile lists 59 offices and an employee range of 1,001 to 5,000, reflecting growth rather than one fixed current count.

 

How do DH Pace security and access systems work?

DH Pace scopes, configures, and professionally installs each system as a project. Buyers discuss the property, entry points, security goals, existing infrastructure, and service needs before DH Pace selects compatible components.

Projects can cover new construction or retrofits. Depending on the scope, installation may include credentials, readers, controllers, intercom stations, gates, barriers, cameras, intrusion sensors, or emergency communication equipment.

 

Access control and credentials

DH Pace offers several credential types through its selected access systems. Open architecture means the equipment is intended to work with a range of access-control platforms instead of locking a project into one proprietary system.

For applicable smart or multi-technology readers, DH Pace lists 2K, 4K, and 8K bytes of credential storage and transfer rates up to 848 kbps. Buyers should not assume those figures describe every reader or controller DH Pace may install.

ButterflyMX takes a platform-centered approach to credentials. It supports mobile access and wallet-based credentials as part of a broader property access system. When comparing the two, look beyond credential types and consider how staff issue, revoke, and manage access each day.

 

Video intercom, gates, and surveillance

DH Pace can integrate telephone or video intercom entry with gate, access-control, and surveillance systems. Its public portfolio does not identify the intercom manufacturers, resident app, connectivity requirements, or detailed capacity for a specific project.

Its gate offering is broad. DH Pace describes barrier arms, sliding and swing gates, vertical-lift and vertical-pivot gates, and parking revenue equipment. That may suit properties that need substantial physical gate infrastructure alongside entry software.

ButterflyMX follows a different model: its video intercoms, vehicle access control, access control, and security cameras are part of a property access and security platform. For a DH Pace proposal, ask how the selected intercom, gate, and video products connect and which company supports each component.

 

How much does DH Pace cost?

DH Pace does not publish prices for access control, intercoms, gates, installation, monitoring, or other electronic security services. Its electronic security pages describe a project-based offering, so buyers need a custom consultation and quote.

The final price depends on the selected equipment and the work needed at the property. Because DH Pace installs third-party systems, a useful proposal should clearly separate equipment, software, labor, and service responsibilities instead of showing only one project total.

 

What should a DH Pace quote itemize?

Ask DH Pace to itemize the following elements when they apply to your project:

• Manufacturer, model number, and quantity for each reader, controller, intercom, camera, gate component, and credential.
• Installation labor, wiring, site preparation, permits, configuration, and training.
• Software licenses, subscriptions, monitoring, or other recurring services.
• Warranty coverage and responsibility for hardware, software, and network support.
• Preventive maintenance, emergency service, response commitments, and after-hours fees.
• Compatibility with existing credentials, doors, controllers, gates, cameras, and management systems.
• Data ownership, account administration, and the process for changing vendors later.

Not every project will include every category. The goal is to make one-time and recurring obligations clear before comparing DH Pace with another integrator or platform.

 

Who is DH Pace best suited for?

DH Pace is best suited to organizations that want one professional provider to coordinate multiple physical systems, especially when a project includes doors, docks, gates, access control, or surveillance.

The company serves healthcare, education, industrial, data-center, retail, government, commercial, and residential markets. Its broad scope may reduce the number of contractors involved in a complex facility or multi-site project.

DH Pace may belong on your shortlist if:

• Your project combines electronic security with commercial doors, loading docks, parking equipment, or substantial gate work.
• You want professional design, installation, service, and emergency-response options.
• You need to retain parts of an existing system and value open-architecture equipment.
• Your organization prefers a consultation-led project over self-service product selection.

 

Is DH Pace a good fit for multifamily properties?

DH Pace can serve multifamily properties, but buyers should assess the proposed configuration instead of assuming a standard apartment access experience. Single- and multifamily residential is one of several markets it serves, and its public pages offer little apartment-specific detail about resident, visitor, package, or delivery workflows.

For a gated apartment community, DH Pace may fit a project that needs physical gates, barrier arms, door work, cameras, and access control under one integrator. Property teams should still ask how residents use mobile credentials, how visitors call residents, how temporary access works, and how staff manage permissions.

ButterflyMX is built around managed-property access workflows. Its platform supports video intercoms, mobile and visitor access, vehicle access control, package rooms, elevator controls, security cameras, and smart lock integrations. Multifamily buyers can compare that platform approach with the third-party products in a DH Pace proposal.

 

DH Pace review: pros and cons

DH Pace’s main advantage is broad professional integration across doors, docks, gates, and security. Its main tradeoff is that pricing, specifications, software, and support depend on a custom proposal and the third-party products selected.

 

DH Pace pros

• Broad infrastructure scope: DH Pace can coordinate doors, loading docks, gates, access control, surveillance, and related systems, which may simplify a complex facility project.
• Long operating history and national scale: Its 1926 founding, large office network, and substantial company-wide revenue may matter to buyers planning long-term or multi-site work.
• Open-architecture access options: Multiple credential types and compatibility-focused readers can help buyers preserve or phase existing access infrastructure.
• Extensive gate and parking capabilities: The portfolio includes several physical gate formats, barriers, parking controls, and revenue systems.
• Professional service network: DH Pace installs systems and promotes 24/7 emergency service, rather than leaving deployment and repairs entirely to the property team.

 

DH Pace cons

• No public pricing: Buyers cannot establish a hardware, labor, or recurring-cost baseline before entering the consultation process.
• No single DH Pace software ecosystem: The app, management experience, integrations, and roadmap depend on the third-party platform selected.
• Sparse product-level detail: Public pages do not identify brands or detailed specifications for many intercom, gate, and security configurations.
• Potential local service variation: With many offices and local operating teams, the experience may depend on the branch handling the project.
• Limited multifamily-specific documentation: Apartment operators need to examine resident, visitor, delivery, and staff workflows in the proposed system.

 

What do DH Pace customers say?

Public customer feedback is mixed and comes from a limited sample. In November 2026, the DH Pace corporate BBB profile shows an A+ rating and accreditation dating to 1993, along with 20 complaints over three years, three complaints in the previous 12 months, and nine customer reviews.

Some customer reports praise responsive scheduling and professional staff. Others raise concerns about perceived overpricing, recommendations for costlier repair or replacement work, and inconsistent follow-through. Those comments are useful questions for a sales conversation, but nine reviews are too small a sample to describe every branch or project.

Glassdoor and Indeed often appear in searches for DH Pace, but they mainly reflect employee sentiment. For example, the 3.4 out of 5 Glassdoor score and 59% recommendation rate describe DH Pace as an employer, not customer satisfaction with its security systems.

 

Why local branch reviews matter

DH Pace operates through many local offices, and some markets involve separately branded Overhead Door Company dealer relationships. Buyers should evaluate the branch, project manager, installers, and support team that would serve their property.

Ask for references from projects with a similar property type and scope. Before signing, define escalation contacts, service coverage, response commitments, and responsibility for third-party software.

 

DH Pace alternatives

The best DH Pace alternative depends on whether you need a broad physical-infrastructure integrator, a dedicated multifamily gate platform, or a video intercom and property access system.

• Gatewise: Gatewise is positioned around multifamily gate and perimeter access, making it relevant for buyers focused on a dedicated gate-access experience rather than door and dock work.
• Swiftlane: Swiftlane focuses on video intercom applications for apartments, HOAs, and commercial properties. Consider it when intercom and app workflows are the main buying criteria.
• LiftMaster myQ Community: This is a named hardware-and-software option for gated-community vehicle and visitor access.
• CellGate Watchman: This is another gated-community option centered on gate access and live video calls. An industry comparison discusses both LiftMaster and CellGate.
• ButterflyMX: ButterflyMX is a property access and security platform for multifamily, commercial, gated-community, student-housing, and other managed properties. It is most relevant when a buyer wants video intercom, mobile, visitor, vehicle, and related access workflows in one platform.

These options do not all replace DH Pace’s full service portfolio. A property that needs loading dock equipment or major commercial door work may still need a broad integrator even if it selects a dedicated access platform.

 

DH Pace vs. ButterflyMX

DH Pace and ButterflyMX use different operating models. DH Pace coordinates third-party systems and broad physical infrastructure by project, while ButterflyMX provides a defined property access and security platform.

Neither model is the universal choice. The decision comes down to whether your project centers on doors, docks, complex physical gates, and multi-vendor security integration or on consistent access workflows for residents, visitors, vehicles, and property staff.

Before choosing, compare the DH Pace bill of materials and software demonstration with the ButterflyMX workflows your property would use. Focus on administration, visitor entry, credential management, vehicle access, service ownership, and recurring obligations instead of comparing category names alone.

 

Frequently asked questions

 

Is DH Pace a legitimate company?

Yes. DH Pace was founded in 1926, has been BBB-accredited since 1993, holds an A+ BBB rating, and operates a large national office network. Those facts show longevity and scale, but they do not guarantee the outcome of a specific project.

 

What does DH Pace sell?

DH Pace sells and services doors and loading dock equipment while integrating access control, telephone and video intercoms, gates, parking systems, surveillance, intrusion detection, mass notification, and emergency telephones.

 

How much does DH Pace cost?

DH Pace does not publish prices for electronic security and gate services. Hardware, software, installation, monitoring, maintenance, and other costs require a project-specific consultation and quote.

 

Does DH Pace have a mobile app?

DH Pace mentions Bluetooth credentials and remote capabilities but does not publish a named DH Pace resident app. The mobile and management experience depends on the third-party system selected for the project.

 

Does DH Pace offer video intercom systems?

Yes. DH Pace lists telephone and video intercom entry among its electronic security categories, but it does not publicly identify the brands, app details, or product-level specifications it installs.

 

Does DH Pace serve multifamily properties?

Yes. DH Pace lists single- and multifamily residential among its served markets, although its public materials provide little apartment-specific detail about resident, visitor, delivery, and property-management workflows.

 

What access credentials does DH Pace support?

DH Pace describes proximity cards, smart cards, NFC, Bluetooth mobile credentials, biometric readers, and PIN or keypad entry. Availability and management features depend on the selected access-control system.

 

Is DH Pace part of Overhead Door Corporation?

DH Pace is a private, family-owned company. Some of its expansion and local operations involve relationships with separately branded Overhead Door Company dealers, which can make the local branding appear connected.

 

What are the best alternatives to DH Pace?

The best alternative depends on the project. Gatewise is relevant for multifamily gate access, Swiftlane for video intercom evaluation, LiftMaster myQ Community and CellGate for gated-community entry, and ButterflyMX for a broader property access and security platform.

 

Final verdict on DH Pace

DH Pace may be a strong fit for organizations that want one experienced provider to coordinate doors, docks, gates, access control, surveillance, and related physical security work. Its scale, service network, open-architecture options, and broad gate capabilities stand out.

The key tradeoff is that DH Pace is an integrator, not a standardized product platform. Pricing is quote-based, public product detail is limited, and the final software and user experience depend on the third-party systems selected for the project.

Before signing, compare itemized proposals, request a software demonstration, assess the local branch, and walk through resident, visitor, vehicle, staff, and support workflows. This DH Pace review should help buyers decide whether they need broad facility integration or a defined property access ecosystem.

Explore ButterflyMX to see whether a unified property access and security platform fits your property.

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