"Driveway sensors"

[Ruark]

In another thread here, somebody mentioned "driveway sensors" that trigger some kind of alarm if somebody pulls into your driveway. Are these prone to false alarms? Say, if a stray dog walks across it, something of that nature.

 

[g.willikers]

They must be adjustable for sensitivity.
Our neighbor has one that operates a very bright light.
Unfortunately, if it is adjustable, they have never figured out how.
Passing cars set it off, let alone people just walking by, on the sidewalk.
Very glad it's not connected to a siren.
Or a paintball gun.

 

[Pahoo]

They do work well !!!

They must be adjustable for sensitivity.

Bingo and placement is important as well. Not sure which ones you are looking at but there are even some that are wireless. You can also take a basic motion sensor controller such as one on security light and wire it to perform this function. Service is not exclusive to driveways as you can mount them all around the outside of your home. There are also models that have battery back-up. ......

Be Safe !!!

 

[southjk]

We used one for years and I'm thinking of putting it back out on our new house. It would give a false alarm every now and then but I could have mounted it higher to avoid the stray animal that walked by.

 

[Retread7]

Vehicle only driveway sensors

I have a 1/2 mile long driveway in the boonies, this alarm solved the problem of false positives:
http://www.dakotaalert.com/catb2b1/product_info.php?cPath=51&products_id=133

 

[FireForged]

you can always set the beam higher than most dogs,cats raccoons. My beam goes from my window eave to the back of my mailbox so at the driveways its about 4feet and at my walkway its 5feet. It get everyone who pulls or walking into the drive from the street and anyone who walks at least halfway down my walkway. Critter under 3.9ft get a pass. There is an audible 30 second ticker sound to let them know they were detected as well as the front and rear porch lights come on for 1hr.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Harbor Freight Tools sells a wireless driveway alert system for $17.99. I have one that I haven't yet installed, and I don't recall any mention of a sensitivity adjustment. It isn't a "beam" -- it's an area coverage, just like the interior motion sensors in my home alarm system. For the interior sensors, when my significant other brought a dog into the household we had to have all the interior sensors replaced with less sensitive models that wouldn't be set off by a dog, but will still detect a human.

The HF "system" doesn't operate a light or interface with an alarm system, it just activates it's own, dedicated beeper.

http://www.harborfreight.com/driveway-alert-system-wireless-69590.html

For the price, I guess you just have to accept the occasional false alert if you have animals scurrying around your estate.

 

[Dwight55]

The white one from Harbor Freight is junk, . . . plain and simple, . . . don't waste your cash.

The one I have that works is a Chamberlain from Northern Tool Co. It was around $65 when I bought it a couple years ago.

Upside, . . . reliable, . . . period. Coon, cat, dog, etc won't set it off, . . . but a small human (maybe a large dog) or a white tail deer will make it go.

It also has a relay built in that can be wired to something else if you wish, an alarm, a light, a dialer, . . .

Downside, . . . uses AA batteries, . . . 4 each time, . . . lasts between 70 and 90 days. If a spider or other bug crosses the sensor at the sensing unit, . . . it will go off.

I re-wired mine using a length of PVC tubing, . . . 2 caps, . . . and 4 D cell batteries, . . .

It's good for up to a couple hundred yards (buddy has one on his 1/2 mile drive way), . . . the fan is about 60 degrees in all directions, . . . and will detect out to about 30 yards or so.

I like mine, . . . would recommend it to anyone needing one. It's the green one in their catalog.

May God bless,
Dwight

 

[Daggitt]

Have friends who love their's . It does go off when the deer happen through the beam once in a great while.

 

[kutz]

Elk are very tall, anlers taller than BGs, don't for work me with 2 to 300 of em in my yard.

 

[AK103K]

We have one of the Chamberlain alarms and they do work well. We have a couple of receivers, and each has its own alert. Front and rear of the house are discreetly covered.

I change the batteries twice a year, sometimes three, if its a real cold winter.

Even with the alarms, the dogs always seem to know someone is here before they go off. They dont need batteries.

 

[Garycw]

I've went through a few cheap sensors. Don't waste your money. The optex sensors work great, last for many years( oldest set I have is 10 yo. Works fine) 2000' line of site range. Wide and narrow FOV and will accept 8 sensors on 4 zones. Rec/trans set is around $60 -75 with addl sensors around $35 ea.

 

[BuckRub]

I think I'd rather have a dog. Our driveway is about 1/8 mile, we live in the country and have a gate but its always locked. So with a locked gate they aren't coming in unless they cut the lock.

 

[BobCat45]

Retread7 hit the nail on the head. The magnetic sensor is immune to critters walking by but will detect a car or truck driving by, even going slowly.

We have the earlier version of the one he linked to and it has worked well for a number of years. You can get them for less than the price on the manufacturer's web page if you look around on the web.

Also - they claim the cable is "direct bury" but the insulation is not armor. You will thank yourself later if you put the wire in plastic conduit when you bury it. If the wire gets compromised you can indeed get false alarms when a cow (anything heavy) walks on it when the ground is wet.

 

[csmsss]

I have no objection to these devices; but remember that there's no guarantee that any hostile party/home invader is going to just pull up into your driveway.

 

[markj]

My dogs bark, and they do not run on batteries

 

[fileophile]

Dogs get used to chime

My dogs got lazy and waited until they heard the driveway alarm before barking, so I had to turn the chime off and they soon reverted to their old ways

 

[BuckRub]

Like I said earlier, we live in the country in a real small town (population 2000). We live almost at the end on a dead end on a gravel road. My driveway is about 1/8 mile long and I have a game fence and gate is always locked. I have a 110 # German shepherd that always is in front and back yard. So your chime wouldn't work for me. If I heard it chime that means someone's done cut my lock and probably killed my dog and they better get ready when they make it toy house. I think my down is better and my locked gate.

 

[AK103K]

I have no objection to these devices; but remember that there's no guarantee that any hostile party/home invader is going to just pull up into your driveway.

The motion detector type cover more than just the driveway. Ours covers the drive, and the front of the house, including a good part of the yard, to the door. The other sensor covers a good part of the back, including the porch and doors. You really cant get near the house without setting one or the other off.

We also picked up a camera set last winter at Walmart for around $250. It has 4 cameras, and all four sides of the outside of the house are covered, and with some overlap, and the cameras work in the dark as well. Now I dont even have to get up and go look.

Getting the cameras set up and hidden took a little ingenuity, but that was actually a pretty fun challenge.

My dogs got lazy and waited until they heard the driveway alarm before barking, so I had to turn the chime off and they soon reverted to their old ways

Ours didnt get lazy, and they still go off at any noise they dont like, they just go even crazier when the alarm sounds. I think the alarm made them insecure and was vying for their job, and they aint letting that happen if they can help it.

 

[Garycw]

Retread7 hit the nail on the head. The magnetic sensor is immune to critters walking by but will detect a car or truck driving by, even going slowly.

We have the earlier version of the one he linked to and it has worked well for a number of years. You can get them for less than the price on the manufacturer's web page if you look around on the web.

Also - they claim the cable is "direct bury" but the insulation is not armor. You will thank yourself later if you put the wire in plastic conduit when you bury it. If the wire gets compromised you can indeed get false alarms when a cow (anything heavy) walks on it when the ground is wet.

All well and good if they use the driveway only and are in a metal vehicle on driveway only. And not walking in. I would rather have an occasional false alarm from a dog or deer than hoping they came up driveway in a car as they're supposed too.