Driveway alarms - Anybody every found a good one?

I'm looking to get one of these, but after getting two different ones that don't work, trying to find out if someone has found something better.

Ideally, I'd like it (the receiver) to be able to have different chimes for different sensors (at least two, though up to four would be nice).

We have a long driveway (maybe about 200'), and I'd like to put one sensor by the road (so about 300' away from the receiver) and one by the end of the driveway (about 100' away from the sensor). The receiver would be inside the house though, so would have to go through walls, etc.

Where I have the sensors going, I do have plugs, so they don't have to be battery powered. Likewise for the receiver.

So, do any of you also have a long driveway, and have found a sensor that works well? Thanks.

Have you considered claymores and trip wires or pressure plates?

trip wire tied to a rhino?
try some electric eye setup hooked up to a fog horn?

Ooooohhh. These guys have an explosion proof model

www.protechusa.com...

For over 30 years Protech has provided military, government, and commercial users the highest standard in intrusion sensors.

In 1980, a technological breakthrough in microwave signal processing, termed Stereo Doppler, was developed. This technology was the basis for Protech’s high security motion sensor design. Protech now utilizes this proprietary dual-channel microwave design in all of its motion detector intrusion sensor products. Stereo Doppler technology is the key to Protech's commercial motion sensors unique false alarm immunity.

I'm just looking for a chime when a friend or customer first turns into the driveway, so we can go ahead and wrap up what we are doing, and go unlock the shop, etc.

Not looking to blow anyone up....

Rottweilers.....well trained Rottweilers

reply to post by Gazrok


An alert dog, Gazrok ! Sorry, being British, and behind the times, I've not come across said
" Driveway alarm "

However, U.K. Statistics ( ! ! ! ) show that households with dogs rarely get burgled. Maybe the same with you ?

The dog need not be fierce, just alert to prowlers, and bark accordingly...

( Wait for torrent of dog owners now, who have been burgled ! )

Oh ! ...Maybe you already have a dog ?

reply to post by Gazrok


I bought a set of these. I've only had it up for for about 6 months now, but it's performing well at about 1/4 mile. It broadcasts on common (MURS) frequencies, so I can hear it on my portable radios as well.

Link: Amazon

reply to post by AnonymousCitizen


That's more like it...a bit pricy, but worth it if it works. This is EXACTLY my situation:

Here's a device that does what it says. I've been able to hear the alerting transmitter as far away as six miles.
This unit operates on MURS channels which are in the VHF spectrum between
151.82 mhz and 154.6 mhz, respectfully.
This means that this unit is also fully compatible with the Dakota MURS intercom system.
I have both and have units in my Shop, Barn and House.
I am able to hear an alert on all three and intercom as well.

From one of the reviews.

Oh, and I do have dogs, but they bark and play with each other, so kind of hard to know if someone is actually there. I just finished the dog fence, so I can have them outside during the day (when the main gate is open for the business), without worrying about them running out and then into the street. They have about a lot-sized area to run and play now (and we can have them outside when company is over).

Originally posted by AnonymousCitizen
reply to post by Gazrok

 

I bought a set of these. I've only had it up for for about 6 months now, but it's performing well at about 1/4 mile. It broadcasts on common (MURS) frequencies, so I can hear it on my portable radios as well.

Link: Amazon

edit on 5/1/13 by AnonymousCitizen because: (no reason given)

I too have one of these. Working well at 200'

reply to post by Gazrok


i have about a 300 foot driveway that starts at a small bridge and i use either blank 12 gauge shells or flares set up to fishing lines with different colored flares being closer to the home(red at the middle of the driveway,green closer in to the house and just blanks near the bridge

www.youtube.com... this is almost the same set up i have,the reason i have the difrent color flares is me and my neighbors all look out for each other so they know if they see the green one go off to come over and check on me

www.homesecuritystore.com... this might be more to your liking

www.mightymule.com... mighty mule

cartell.com... hope this helps

reply to post by RalagaNarHallas


I think the neighbors would be a bit upset at the shotgun shells, hehe...and it would scare off the customers.

The ones I tried before were IR ones, and I can say those just don't work for my situation. The one mentioned above (the Dakota), is radio, and I think that is the key to making this whole thing work. The reviews on Amazon were awesome, so this is likely going to be the route we take. A bit more expensive than I planned, but range is my primary factor, and this has it.

Thank you so much all for the info and links.

reply to post by Gazrok


yeah i had not seen that you run a business there so that probably would not go over to well!,have you thought about putting some kind of intercom in the gate so if people want on they gotta be buzzed in kinda like those big apartments in cities have

is this mostly to let you know customers are coming or for just being alerted if you have uninvited guests ?

reply to post by RalagaNarHallas


We have a doorbell at the shop door, and this is relayed to different extenders, so we can hear that someone is at the shop, wherever we are at in the house. But, if out at the stables, we won't hear it (there's a sign on the door to check the stables if no answer).

With a driveway alarm and a house receiver, and portable radio receiver (that we could take to the stables), we could hear a customer (or guest) coming up the drive, and meet them at the shop door by the time they finish the driveway.

Our main gate is open during business hours. To have a keypad, it'd have to be automated, and making our gate auto would be very expensive (it's a 16' rolling gate).

I ordered this one a few weeks ago & we love it. It's like the one in the earlier post, but it says it can pick up the signal from up to two miles away.

We placed the detector about 400' from the house & it works perfectly every time, other than occasionally alarming over a bird landing nearby. Nobody has made it up the driveway without my knowledge since we got it & I don't have to run to look every time I hear a car anymore.

It was kinda pricey, but worth every penny to me.

www.homesecuritystore.com...

You can also get the hand held radio to go with it so you aren't tied to the base receiver.

reply to post by took red pill


Pretty much the same Dakota model. I won't need a two mile range, though it's nice to know that we could be anywhere on the property and be alerted. Obviously, this has SHTF uses as well, but I try to find a real world, current solution for such expenditures too, mostly to keep the wife happy.

Well, I always figure that they exaggerate a little & like you said, it is a good SHTF item, especially with the extra detector that I ordered. I also like the fact that you can talk to the base unit with a hand held radio.

And this one costs less than the one from Amazon.

Several friends have bought el cheapo units & none of them have been satisfied with them.

I have one.It's a dog.He is Havanese and barks as loud as a car alarm as soon as someone pulls into my driveway.But they are a little expensive at $1200 a pop.Gives me plenty of time to spray the air freshner around.

Like most people I tried all the cheapos and they were all waste of money. The distance was just to far. Finally just went with a automatic gate opener with keypad and speaker that is solar powered. I added an extra array to combine what came with it. People you know punch the pad and come on in. People you don't know beg through the speaker which you can mute. You can give a universal number to Fedx-Brown-PO dude and other vendors that can leave stuff no one else can get to. You can add cameras as well.

If I had bought that first instead of wasting money on your typical cheap Chinese junk I would have saved money. It's basically an Agricultural product and a long term solution that might not fit for you at least run it up the ole pole. I also gave a different code the the patrol Sargent and any of his officers can come in anytime- they never needed it which is great.

reply to post by spooky24


My problem with that solution (solar auto gate) is two-fold. The gate is too big, so would be expensive to replace with a power option, and I don't want a closed gate to be forbidding to customers. I want to make them feel invited in. During business hours, the main gate is open for customers (if I didn't mention it, we have a saddle shop in addition to boarding horses). I made a fenced in dog area so I could let the dogs out during the day, and still have the main gate open.

to another:

Several friends have bought el cheapo units & none of them have been satisfied with them.

Yeah, I had bought a couple of versions that were cheaper, as much as $90, and they simply failed to work, so had to return them. I don't mind spending a little money on something that actually works, and the Dakota system is just within the budget for this, at least for one sensor, but at least you can always add more. One sensor is a need, additional ones are just "wants"....