Thursday, October 23, 2014

Seven Things to Consider When Selecting A Driveway Alarm System

Are you having trouble making a decision about which of the many +wireless driveway alarms is the right system for your needs? Check out these seven things to consider when choosing a driveway alarm system.

Transmission Distance

Today’s driveway alarm systems have an incredible range of effective distance – anywhere from 600 feet to more than two miles. Obviously, the further your transmitter can reach, the more expensive it will be. Measure the distance between the place where you want to locate the transmitter and the place where you’ll put the receiver, inside your home or business property.

Landscape

Trees, hills and buildings can interfere with the signal from the transmitter to the receiver, requiring a more powerful driveway alarm system. If you’re trying to protect a heavily wooded area or one with a lot of buildings, for example, you’ll need to choose driveway sensors with a longer range than if your property is essentially flat and clear.

Sensor Sensitivity

The different types of driveway alarm systems have different levels of sensitivity to movement in their area. Some, such as magnetic driveway sensors, will only detect metal objects, while others can detect animals as small as dogs and cats. Depending on the sophistication of the system, you may even be able to set unique alarm sounds for different types of incursions so that you can tell if the transmitter has sensed a vehicle approaching your house or a deer getting into your garden.

Number of Entry Points

Do you only have one driveway or do you want to cover multiple entry points on your property? Many driveway alarms can be expanded with multiple transmitters, and some can even be set to sound different tones depending on the transmitter sending the signal. If it’s important to you to know which entry point is being accessed, look for a system that’s sophisticated enough to handle this.

Mobility

In addition to wireless alarm transmitters, you can also buy wireless alarm receivers that you can carry with you. A wireless driveway alarm with a portable, handheld receiver will allow you to move around your property and still be alerted when you have a visitor – or an intruder.

Durability

You’ll be putting the transmitter outdoors, so you really do want a durable, waterproof transmitter with high ratings for sturdiness. In addition, look for a wireless driveway alarm that has a long battery life. The last thing you want is to be surprised by an intruder because the batteries in your alarm needs changing.

Installation

Are you looking for a driveway alarm system that you can install yourself or are you willing to pay for professional installation? There are plenty of wireless driveway alarms that are DIY-friendly, but if you want one of the higher-end systems with all the bells and whistles, you may need to call in an electrician or specialty installer.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Budget-Sensitive Wireless Driveway Alarms for Home Use

So you’re sold on the idea of installing a wireless driveway alarm system for home protection, but you don’t have the budget of a business owner. You don’t have to resort to DIY wireless driveway alarms of the pioneer type. There are many driveway alerts from major manufacturers that will do a great job of protecting your home without emptying your wallet, as well as some tips that can help you reduce the cost of alarming your driveway.

Professional Quality – Economical Price: Dakota Wireless Driveway Alarms

Dakota is one of the big names in the home alarm market. The company’s Alert 3000 alarm provides many features you’d expect to find in a high-end driveway alert, but will run you less than $200 at companies like +Wireless Driveway Alarms. The Alert 3000 uses a pressure hose driveway alert, making it ideal if your intent is to be warned when a car comes up your driveway. The transmitters can send a signal up to 600 feet, and the receiver can be programmed to emit a different tone for up to four separate transmitters, allowing you to monitor four different zones. The system comes with the receiver and one hose/transmitter. You can add additional transmitters and sensors for about $100 each, making it one of the most economical and versatile systems for home monitoring.

Lowest Price – Great Convenience: Driveway Patrol Driveway Alert

If your finances are super-tight, Driveway Patrol offers one of the lowest priced driveway alarm systems on the market. The two piece system includes a wireless transmitter and receiver, and has a range of about 150 feet (line of sight). It uses passive infrared technology to detect motion, which makes it useful if you want to detect all movement, including people on foot and larger animals, within its range of detection. The Driveway Patrol is suitable for outdoor use within 75-125 feet with one exterior wall between receiver and transmitter. At less than $40, it’s the least expensive way to protect your property and be alerted if someone approaches your house.

Versatility Plus – Optex Wireless 2000 Driveway Alarm

At about $150, the Optex Wireless 2000 driveway alarm is the ideal choice if you’re looking for ways to automate your home. Its multiple benefits include the choice of a fan or narrow-beam detection setting, two-way RF transmission to send a signal to other devices on activation, and up to 2000 feet of transmission range. In addition, the Optex Wireless 2000 can handle alerts for up to twelve wireless transmitters, giving you an amazing amount of flexibility for a very low price.

Don’t go unprotected because your budget is small. There are many low-priced wireless driveway alarms that will fit your budget and security needs to a tee.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

The Best Reasons for Installing Wireless Driveway Alarms

Wireless driveway alarms offer all sorts of benefits for both home and business premises. Whether you’re interested in increasing your home’s security or improving customer service at your business, the answer could be as simple as installing a wireless driveway alert to let you know that someone has entered the perimeter. These are just a few of the ways that driveway sensors can benefit your home or business.

Monitor Out-of-Sight Entry Points

A driveway sensor at the end of your drive can send you an early alert when someone turns onto your property. This can be especially useful if you the entry points to your property are limited and out of clear view of the house. A driveway alarm system lets you know that someone is heading your way – or creeping around your property.

Let Employees Know Customers Are Waiting

Just as a door chime lets employees know when someone enters your store, a wireless driveway alarm can alert your indoor staff that someone is waiting for service at the drive up window or on the lot. By installing a driveway alert in the path to the drive-through or service lane, you can free up your employees from having to monitor the window constantly while still making sure that your customers receive prompt service.

Count Vehicles

Attach a driveway sensor to a counter and you have an easy way to keep track of how many vehicles enter and leave your establishment. This can be enormously helpful if you’re tracking user stats for a park or entertainment venue, and a way for municipalities and town governments to track traffic patterns at specific intersections.

Turn on the Lights and Close the Gate

Or any one of many different actions that can be programmed through a home automation system. Wireless driveway alarms can provide a trigger for other actions on an automated system. Some uses might include turning on the outdoor lights for safety when a car enters the driveway or closing the driveway gate after the car passes a certain point. With a good home automation program, the possibilities are endless.

+Wireless driveway alarms can be used in many creative ways to make your home safer and more comfortable and your business more profitable. Check with a dealer or supplier of driveway alarm systems to learn about more ways to use driveway alerts in your home or business. 

Friday, August 29, 2014

Benefits of Pressure Hose Wireless Driveway Alarms

If you’re looking for reliability and affordability, a pressure hose +wireless driveway alarm may be the best product for your needs. Pressure hose wireless driveway alarms are most commonly used in commercial applications where it’s important for employees to be notified when a vehicle enters the property or approaches the window – for example, at drive-thru service windows. While they’re generally more expensive than infrared wireless driveway sensors, they offer other benefits that make them worth the added cost, especially in a commercial setting.

Sensitivity

Unlike infrared wireless driveway alarms, rubber hose pressure driveway sensors will ONLY be triggered when a vehicle drives over them. While this may not be optimal if your primary reason for installing a driveway alarm system is security, it makes a lot of sense if your main purpose is, for instance, alerting employees to a customer at the drive-through window. The motion sensor won’t send out false alarms if a person walks by or be triggered by passing vehicles that haven’t moved into the drive-thru lane.

Positioning

Likewise, you can determine the precise area you want to cover with the driveway alarm. The range is very precise – you will only be alerted if a vehicle actually drives over the pressure hose. That allows you to use the hose as a traffic control system of sorts, especially if you combine it with other automated systems. You might use a pressure hose driveway sensor at the end of the drive thru lane, for example, to light a sign telling the next person in line to drive around to the next window.

Accessories

You can combine +wireless driveway alarms with #driveway alarm accessories to provide even more features. Hooked up to a mechanical counter, your driveway alarm system becomes a customer tracking system that allows you to keep count of the number of customers served on each shift. The driveway alert can send a signal that lifts an exit gate when a vehicle approaches the exit or lowers it after the vehicle leaves.

Scalability

When you choose a wireless driveway alarm, you have much easier scalability than with a wired system. If you add a second drive thru lane, for example, you don’t need a contractor to dig up the ground and install wires. You can simply install the new system and use the software to make it work with your existing system.
Wireless driveway alarms provide an added layer of security, but they also have many other uses. If one of those uses is improved customer service, a rubber hose driveway alert may be your best option.

Friday, August 22, 2014

The Benefits of Infrared Wireless Driveway Alarms

If you’ve decided to add wireless driveway alarms to your home security system, your next decision will be which type of driveway alarm system to install. Infrared driveway alerts are about the most popular choice for homeowners who are most interested in protecting their families from intrusion. The reasons for this are many. Here are a few of the most important benefits of infrared driveway alarms.

Affordability

Infrared systems are much more affordable than any other type of system. If you don’t have an expense account or the deep pockets of a corporation behind your budget, you’ll appreciate the affordability of #wireless driveway sensors.

Flexibility

Infrared driveway alarms work with your existing system or can stand on their own. All you need is a receiver and monitor, which can be set up on your home computer system, and the number of driveway sensors you want to install. You can cover just the entrance to your driveway or set up sensors to monitor your entire property.

Scalability

You’re not stuck with the system you originally install. Infrared driveway alarm systems are the most easily expandable of all types of driveway alarms. All you need to do is place a new driveway sensor and add it to your array in the software.

Coverage

Unlike magnetic sensors and pressure hose sensors, infrared motion sensors will trigger an alarm if there is any movement within range of the unit. That’s important if burglars or vandals on foot are among your security concerns. The others only trigger an alert if a vehicle trips the sensor.

Ease of Use

Infrared driveway alarm systems are the best choice for the homeowner who wants DIY installation. While it’s always best to consult an expert in home security to make sure that your placement provides the best security coverage, infrared wireless alarms are relatively easy to install without expert help or special tools.
Wireless driveway alarms help keep your family safe from intruders and provide an early warning system whenever someone approaches your property via the driveway. Whether you choose perimeter coverage or full coverage, you can feel more secure knowing that you’ll have ample time to prepare for unexpected company when you have a driveway alarm installed.

Want more tips on choosing the right components for your home security system? Join the +Home Security Systems user group on Google+ for expert tips and suggestions.

Friday, August 8, 2014

The Different Types of Wireless Driveway Alarms

Considering adding #wireless driveway alarms to your home or commercial security system? It helps to understand the different styles of driveway alerts when you’re deciding which are appropriate for your needs. In addition, it helps to know the different types of accessories that you can add to wireless driveway alarms.

Types of Driveway Alarm Systems

Basically, the different types of driveway alarm systems offered by a security company like +WirelessDrivewayAlarmsBiz are classed depending on the type of sensors they use. There are three types of driveway sensors commonly used:

Infrared Alarms

Infrared alarms detect the natural radiation that all objects emit at all times. Any moving object within the range of the sensor will trigger an alarm to be sent to the receiver, which will in turn alert you to the incursion on your private property. Infrared driveway alarms are very affordable and easy to install. They’re ideal for situations where other types of alarms fail, but they do have one major drawback for most people: their sensitivity means that they are very likely to be triggered by large animals wandering into the sensor field. Even so, they’re the preferred type of wireless driveway alarm for most private property and homes. If you wire the system into a security camera system, you can mitigate the effects of annoyance alarms by checking the cameras to see what has triggered the alarm.

Pressure Hose Alarms

Pressure hose alarms are similar to the old-fashioned sensors that used to be used in gas stations to alert mechanics that someone had driven in for service. They’re activated when a vehicle drives over the hose and alerts the alarm system, which then alerts you. They’re appropriate if you only want to be alerted when a vehicle is approaching, and even then, only in climates where they won’t be affected by buildups of ice or snow.

Magnetic Detection Alarms

The third type of driveway sensor is the magnetic probe. It consists of magnetic probes that can be hidden or buried within the area you want protected. They reliably detect moving metal objects, including cars and trucks. They’re virtually foolproof and are not affected by the weather. On the other hand, they will not detect the movements of people and animals, which could be a good thing if you’re concerned about false alarms.

Each of these types of driveway alarm systems can be outfitted with a variety of accessories to make them even more useful. The most popular of these accessories include pagers that alert you when something triggers the wireless driveway alarms you’ve installed, and counters that keep track of the number of vehicles registered by your driveway sensors. Other driveway alarm accessories include chimes, sirens and strobe lights to alert you and to scare off potential trespassers.

Friday, August 1, 2014

Security Essentials: Wireless Driveway Alarms and Outdoor Lighting Work Together

#Wireless driveway alarms are a home security essential if you live in a remote rural area or have a long driveway. The right driveway alert can give you advance notice when someone is approaching your house and alert you to intruders on your property. This can be vital if, for example, the end of your driveway is a long distance from your front door, or if your driveway offers access to your grounds at large. When you combine a wireless driveway alert with other security equipment, though, you can leverage the power of a driveway sensor and create a home defense system that will keep you and your family safe.

Driveway Sensors as Signals

The biggest benefit of wireless driveway alarms is that they send a signal that someone has encroached upon your property. You can act on that signal on your own, by driving down to see who it is, for example, but when you hook a driveway alert signal into another system, you get a whole different layer of protection. Consider that the wireless signal sent by the driveway sensors can be used as a trigger to make other things happen and you begin to understand the power that a wireless driveway alarm puts at your disposal.

Turn on the Lights

Protection comes in more than one way. You want to keep your family safe from intruders, of course, but it’s also important to make sure that they can safely make their way around the property. Why not wire your driveway alert to turn on lights leading up to the house. Not only will it mean safer driving or walking for your family and guests, it will also make unwanted guests think twice about continuing their trespassing.

Start Recording

In the same way, a signal from your wireless driveway sensor can switch on your security cameras and allow you to see who is approaching your house, or even start recording so that you’ll have a record of anything that happens if the trespassers are up to criminal mischief.

Make Your Home Welcoming

Using a driveway alert as a trigger for other things opens up all sorts of home automation possibilities. Imagine how nice it would be to arrive home at the end of a long day and find your front door lit, your kitchen stove preheating and your favorite music playing on the stereo. Those are just a few of the possibilities when you start playing with wireless driveway alarms as a trigger for an#automated home. Want to learn more? Check out some of the possibilities from home security and automation specialists posting to Google+.