Now that the warm weather is here, lock downs are drawing to a close and people are able to visit friends, family and stores, will you know when someone arrives? Driveway alarms provide notification when a visitor or customer enters your driveway, drive-thru or property.
Depending on the system, you choose whether you want a chime to sound, light to flash, portable pager to trigger or even have an email or text alert sent for remote notification.
Applications include homes, large properties, gas stations, service centers, drive thru services, farms, loading docks and the like.
Check out our guide to choosing the best driveway alarm for help selecting the system that's right for your application.
Wired or Wireless Driveway Alert
Wireless driveway alarms are the easiest to install since there aren't any long wires to run or trenches to dig. Of course the trade off is that the sensor is typically battery powered so will need occasional maintenance. Also wireless range or interference or blockages will play a factor in this selection. With a wireless system you have some ability to alter where you place the sensor, transmitter and receiver to provide the best coverage. Plus with systems like the Dakota Alert 4000 wireless driveway alarms, you can add multiple receiver chimes where you need them.
Wired alarms on the other hand are a great choice if you are able to dig a trench or run the wire from the sensor back to the receiver. With a wired system there aren't any batteries to maintain and you don't need to worry about wireless distance or range.
Driveway Alarm Sensors
The most popular sensor styles for driveway alarms are:
- Motion Sensor - this will detect any movement of people or vehicles. Also animals
- Magnetic Vehicle Probe - this detects moving metal so will typically only pick up on cars and trucks and ignore people or animals
- Rubber Hose - a rubber hose is run where you wish to detect vehicles. When the car or truck drives over the hose, pressure changes, triggering the alert.
- Photo Beam - a beam sender and receiver are placed opposite each other across a driveway or entrance and when something breaks the beam it sets of the system. This will pick up anything that can break the beam.
In addition to sounding an audible alert or visual cue, many of our systems can connect to an external bell, siren, lights or an alarm system. Other options include text or email messaging.
Absolute Automation has been selling and designing driveway alarms in Canada since 1992. Feel free to reach out to us for assistance.