Driveway Alarm

[Eddie Simmons]

Looking for a good alarm for my driveway. Last night someone back up to my shop and then left. I saw the tire pattern in the driveway this morning as I was walking he dogs. May have be a trial run, my shop is about 100 ft from the house and is along the drive coming up to the house.
Looking to spend under 300.00 dollars.:mad:
Thanks in advance.
Eddie

[Matt Meiser]

I looked into this a while back because my shop is behind the house and I can't see the driveway to know if someone pulls in. I never went through with it but the best option seemed to be the ones that used a proximity sensor (detecting a metal object like a vehicle) rather than the infrared type that would detect things like dogs, deer, etc. Next best would be the type that use a beam of infrared light sent by a sender and picked up by a receiver, kind of like the sensors on newer garage doors. Long term though I think alignment would be a problem with those unless very well installed on metal posts below the frost line. Wood posts would warp and frost heave would move anything.

I was looking at a proximity one that could be buried under my drive and wired into our alarm panel. The zone would have been programmed to chime but not alarm.

My experience with inexpensive infrared motion lights outside would keep me from buying the motion-detector type. My infrared lights come on anytime there are high, cold winds and the ground is warm (like last night) or high warm winds when the ground is cold.

[Eddie Simmons]

Thanks , lookong into direct burial all driveway and infrared behind the house, My motions lights always go on and off with wind.

[Harry Hagan]

I have a couple of the 2008 models. 212585

[Matt Meiser]

I think this is the one I was looking at:

http://www.smarthome.com/7170A/Vehicle-Sensor-Console-and-Probe-with-100-Foot-Cable/p.aspx

[Dan Hintz]

In the meantime, I would consider a 2x4 with nails sticking through it by several inches. Bury the 2x4 just below ground level, and leave two sections without nails wide enough to put your two tire tracks through (but off to one side). You drive through safely by veering to one side, the average thief will drive straight through and puncture all four tires.

[Myk Rian]

Get a pneumatic driveway bell like the ones gas stations used.
http://www.miltonsbells.com/

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

I have a couple of the 2008 models. 212585

The warranty ran out on my '96 models :(

We did get some 09's (different make&model) last year but it's not the same....

[Harry Hagan]

In the meantime, I would consider a 2x4 with nails sticking through it by several inches. Bury the 2x4 just below ground level, and leave two sections without nails wide enough to put your two tire tracks through (but off to one side). You drive through safely by veering to one side, the average thief will drive straight through and puncture all four tires. And be sure you’ve got an exceptionally GOOD lawyer on retainer.

[Dan Hintz]

And be sure you’ve got an exceptionally GOOD lawyer on retainer.
Why? It's on private property, and it's not designed to take someone's life like, say, a shotgun. Cover it with leaves and it would be impossible to prove you put it there intentionally, "it must have fallen off of the truck when I was moving old construction material." Can't say the same about a shotgun.

[David G Baker]

I use the Reporter with two driveway sensors. The deer set it off so it can be annoying at times. The ones that detect cars will work except if the thief doesn't drive over it but walks in and carries out the items they steal.

[Myk Rian]

In the meantime, I would consider a 2x4 with nails sticking through it by several inches. Bury the 2x4 just below ground level, and leave two sections without nails wide enough to put your two tire tracks through (but off to one side). You drive through safely by veering to one side, the average thief will drive straight through and puncture all four tires.
That'll work until you step on it, or drive over it. Or someone else does.
Not a good idea.

[Lex Boegen]

Another option would be a security video camera with motion-detection software. Not only could you get an alert when the motion is detected, but you could also get a photo of whatever triggered the alarm. A friend of mine recently set up a whole-house video system (eight cameras and a DVR), and it's configured to send photos to his cell phone when a motion-detection alarm is triggered. He has coverage on the front of his house, back of his house, and driveway. The system was purchased as a package from one of the wholesale warehouse clubs (Costco, I think, but they all have similar systems for sale.)

[Scott T Smith]

I use the Reporter with two driveway sensors. The deer set it off so it can be annoying at times. The ones that detect cars will work except if the thief doesn't drive over it but walks in and carries out the items they steal.

I use this as well, except with 4 sensors.

[curtis rosche]

all the lights in my shop are on switches and motion detector so you cant forget to shut them off. put a motion detector in the shop, attach it to like lights in the shop, and then also to a light in the house, like one of those lights that lets you know the phone is ringing in a loud enviornment? and have a switch on it that you just turn off during the day

[Susan Kahler]

We used a beam model at our house in Arkansas and it worked very well. No alignment or other problems, and it was very affordable. We also had night/day cameras with alarm recording, but never could get the software completely figured out. You could set alarm zones and have the alarm feature go off when something moved within those zones (you could set size approximations in the software so a squirrel, rabbit or dog wouldn't set it off).

I hope your things stay safe!

[Dan Hintz]

We used a beam model at our house in Arkansas and it worked very well. No alignment or other problems, and it was very affordable. We also had night/day cameras with alarm recording, but never could get the software completely figured out. You could set alarm zones and have the alarm feature go off when something moved within those zones (you could set size approximations in the software so a squirrel, rabbit or dog wouldn't set it off).

I hope your things stay safe!
I use the same thing to watch over the driveway area... too many instances of vandalism by the local kids, so I put up a few cameras. It only records on the DVR when something bigger than a luna moth trips it, then it records for a minute after the motion stops.