Driveway alarms and drive thru alert systems help secure your home, cottage, farm or business by alerting staff or the property owner when a person or vehicle has entered the property.  A driveway alarm provides an early alert to avoid getting caught off guard by a stranger, customer or visitor suddenly appearing at the door or on on your property. 

Instead when a vehicle or person is detected, the system can provide an alert in the home, shop, in the store or on a portable device.  Some of the more advanced detection systems can even provide a text or email notification on a smart phone when a person or vehicle has been detected. 

The best driveway alarm takes in to account the user’s needs, property being protected, type of traffic expected and ensures and most appropriate detection method.

What's the best driveway alarm?

  1. Passive Infrared (PIR) Motion Sensor – these sensors detect movement and will detect vehicles, people and animals. These are best when any type of motion should be investigated.
  2. Driveway Probe Vehicle Sensor – these sensors detect the changing magnetic field caused by moving metal, typically cars, trucks, motorcycles, and bicycles.  They will ignore animals and people.  These are the best to detect vehicles and ignore people and animals.
  3. Break Beam – also known as a photo beam, these sensors send an invisible beam of light across a pre-defined area.  When someone or something breaks the beam, the sensor is triggered. These will pick up people, vehicles and animals.  A photo beam sensor is best when there is a very specific entry point to protect.
  4. Rubber Hose – Just like the old gas station hoses, these detect the change in air pressure caused by a larger vehicle driving over the hose.  Only vehicles will be detected by this system.

Choosing the most appropriate detection system for each application is a matter of understanding the alarm’s purpose, placement, and type of activity to be detected.   These are some of our favorite driveway alarms for various applications.

  1. Dakota Alert 4000 Motion Sensor Alarm  The Dakota Alert 4000 motion sensor alarm will detect people or vehicles and send a wireless signal to the receiver up to 4000 feet away.  This system is easy to install and it’s affordably priced.  Add additional portable or plug-in receivers to expand the system.
  2. Dakota Alert 4500 Driveway Probe Vehicle Alarm
    The Dakota Alert vehicle probe detection alert uses  a magnetic detection probe ignores people and animals and only senses vehicles driving past the probe.  The probe is buried along side or under the driveway and wires to a transmitter box that can be mounted on a pole or tree.  The transmitter sends a signal up to 2500 feet to the wireless receiver or portable receiver.
  3. Mier Vehicle Probe Driveway Alarm
    Mier is well known for the quality and performance of their Vehicle Probe Drive Thru Alert.   The probe wire can be up to 1000 feet from the control box.   Simple and very reliable.
  4. Dakota Alert 4000 Break Beam Driveway Alarm
    The Dakota 4000 break beam alarm lends itself to much larger detection areas along driveways, near gates, or along fence lines.  Anything breaking the beam will send an alert to the receiver(s) up to 4000 feet away.  Portable and plug-in receivers are available.
  5. STI Voice Alert Motion Sensor System 
    The STI-V34100 system uses a magnetic detection sensor to detect vehicles.  The detector can be mounted on a pole in the ground alongside the driveway, or on a pole or wall.  The detector sends a wireless signal back to the receiver, which will announce the event using a choice of tones or voice alerts.

We’ve chosen these systems because they’ve proven themselves over many years.  They provide reliable security at an affordable price, and most of these systems can be expanded to include more than one sensor and multiple receivers for larger properties or where multiple users need to be notified.  In addition to local on-premise alerts, some of these systems can be expanded to include notifications by email or text alert.

It’s also possible to have some of these systems connected to the on premise security system.  Additionally external lights, strobes or sirens can be added to provide an additional notification when presence is detected.