# Driveway alarms?



## barnyardfun (Mar 26, 2005)

Little background..........We own 40 acres with 6 poultry houses. The way the houses are positioned they use a separate driveway then the one to the house. We live on a county road and get quite a bit of traffic so I can't watch every vehicle that drives by....even though I try.

Recently a neighbor of ours (who owns chicken houses) had his houses robbed of copper wire WHILE HE WAS HOME! Now he has older houses that wouldn't immediately call him if the wiring was tampered with so unfortunately he found out too late to stop them. 

We have been told it takes 3 minutes to strip one of our houses of wire. Since it all comes into a control room they back a pickup up to the room, cut the wires, hook them to the truck and drive off pulling out several hundred feet of wire at one time!!!!:grump: 

Now our houses are newer and the systems that they are equipped with will call us immediately if something like that happened. But by the time it calls and we load up to go down there it would be too late......unless they decide to strip all the houses. But they damage would certainly already be done, several thousand dollars worth of damage. 

I am thinking the only way I can get a better idea of someone being down there is to put in a driveway alarm. Our house is 1/4 mile from the chicken house driveway. May not be so much fun getting up in the middle of the night just to find out it is a feed truck but I think I would rather take my chances of a little loss of sleep versus a stripped chicken houses ( then it would be a major loss of sleep! )

So all of that said to ask..........

What would you recommend as far as a driveway alarm? Any experience with these?

Angie, if this isn't appropriate for here feel free to move it. I just figured since it had to do with our survival and trying to protect our property.


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## jamala (May 4, 2007)

I understand completely, we have 6 poultry houses about 1/4 mile from our home. We ordered a wireless driveway alarm. Works GREAT!!! It beeps in our house when a vechicle passes the drive. Drives our service person crazy, because they can't "sneek" over to our farm. One even went through my garden to try to avoid the sensor but it still beeped. Ours is a reporter wireless alarm system. And when a feed truck goes over it beeps 2 times becaues they are so big, so that helps with the middle of the night stuff.


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## barnyardfun (Mar 26, 2005)

Luckily we like our field man and he seems to like us. Never tries to sneak in to check something, though he has been here and gone unnoticed a time or two. And he has no problem leaving a note about something he doesn't like  . DH calls them his love notes! hehe

Anyway back to the topic......I like the idea of the feed truck making it beep twice. That seems like it would sure be nice. Do you have any more info about your alarm? Where did you get it? What is the range? Any problems with it, anything you would change?

Thank you!


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## jamala (May 4, 2007)

The unit on the drive is battery operated and it goes through batteries a good bit. Also spiders like to build webs in front of the sensor. We fixed that by spraying spider spray around the unit. When the batteries get low the indoor unit will beep (like a smoke dectector) until you change the batteries. I don't remember where we got it, ordered it online a few years ago. It was around 100.00 we also put one on our house drive and you can set it up to beep a different way for each sensor. It beeps 3 times for the house drive and 1 time for the poultry houses. It will beep 2 times for the feed trucks because they are so large. We love it, and we have caught a known criminal at our farm because of it, hubby chased him down and he claims he was lost (yeah right, he lives a mile away). I do have to remember to unplug it when we sell because it will keep me up all night while hubby is over there selling birds. Another thing is we have a clear view from our house to the sensor, I don't know if that makes a difference or not but I am sure you can find that info. out from the manufactor.


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## barnyardfun (Mar 26, 2005)

We also have a clear(ish) view to our drive. I don't think there will be any interference really. I guess I just need to get to looking on the internet. Yuck.....I hate doing searches!

Hey, your DH let's YOU sleep when you are selling!?!?! Mine using the excuse of he really needs my help. Most of the time I just hold a flashlight will I am trying to not fall asleep! hehe


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## jamala (May 4, 2007)

http://www.drivewayalarmproducts.com/site/1313933/product/70-610 found it for you. 

Our 15 year old son likes to help so I get out of that, after all I need to stay home the 4 year old  At least that is what I tell him.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

Dakota Alert MURS system has worked well for us. You hve a base unit at the house, then you can put 1-4 sensors out where you want them. You set the sensor with a set of switches on it to let you know which one of them is going off.....it sounds in voice "Alert Zone 1 ( or 2,3,4 )".

The field sensors are two type....one with a magnetic probe you bury next to or under the driveway, that the metal of a vehicle will set off.....and the other is a motion sensor type, placed where ever you figure motion will happen and trip it. You can mix any combination of the 4, or use only one...your choice.

Base unit has a wall wart to plug to house power, field sensors use 6 AA batteries....I get 6months to a year out of them...depends on the number of times they transmit. 

Range is rated at 3,000'. Longest one I have is about 900' from the house, and behind a hill with trees....works fine.

You can also buy a walkie talkie to go with the system....you can talk to the base unit, or be paged by it...and it also picks up the sensors when they sound off.

Good, RELIABLE system....I tried several others, none held up....this one did.

Two sources:

(I bought mine here originally ) http://www.alarms247.com/mursalert.aspx

(And added some more sensors from here because he was cheaper )

http://store.prepared.pro/dakotamurswirelessalert.aspx


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

For the tragically cheap like me, these work great:

http://www.harborfreight.com/wireless-driveway-alert-system-93068.html

They last a few years then you get another. I ordered a new one for my mom yesterday, hers made it 3 years. Supposedly there are 4 jumper wires you can change to make 4 channels, if you had 4 alarms and wanted different frequencies. We have two, one on the driveway and one portable, it might be guarding the orchard or the henhouse or anywhere else needed. They will pick up birds in the driveway or grass blowing in front of them. They would also make a great thing to hang in an outbuilding, when someone opens the door they are beeped in the house. Or inside a vehicle at a motel, etc.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Mom has the one Ed posted the link to. Works great for her.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Too bad those Harbor Freight ones are white - I wonder if the housing could be painted. Nothing in our field, driveway, woods or road is white and those would really stand out.


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

How about a little birdhouse around it? Nobody notices birdhouses, especially if they look like an awkward child made it.


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

I have a motion sensor driveway alarm that goes off every time the wind blows, leaves fall, animals walk by.

If I had my druthers, I'd have an air hose alarm, like the old fashioned gas stations had. http://www.drivewayalarmproducts.com/site/1313933/product/60-508AS


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

The trouble with the air hose alarm is that it can be seen and then defeated with a couple of feet of channel iron, among other methods. The magnetic alarms and motion alarms are harder to defeat.


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## Gottabenutz (May 11, 2010)

I have a Harbor Freight one. I put mine in one of those wishing well yard decorations. Noone would see it til it was too late. Only thing I dont like is that the current one is loud; and the beep can be heard. So if its someone on foot, they can hide/run quickly. And it is very sensitive; a bird flying by it will set it off. So if you get this one; be ready for false alarms. I'll be looking into some of those other ones.


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## Jakk (Aug 14, 2008)

jamala said:


> http://www.drivewayalarmproducts.com/site/1313933/product/70-610 found it for you.
> 
> Our 15 year old son likes to help so I get out of that, after all I need to stay home the 4 year old  At least that is what I tell him.


This place carries the same one for a lot less. I have been trying to find something like this for my house. We are in the process of moving to our new place which is on 4 acres, but backs up to 100's of acres. On the opposite side of those 100's of acres is a main road. 

http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-1345-cwa2000-chamberlain-wireless-motion-alert.aspx


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## Roadking (Oct 8, 2009)

In addition to the driveway alarm, you might consider a motion sesnor flood light setup as well; I've seen them as stand alone (solar, will look for link). Would be a great deterent for night time visitors.
Just a thought.
Matt

Link
"Motion-activated, Quartz Security Light is solar-powered, so you can install it anywhere $34.99"
http://www.harborfreight.com/solar-powered-security-light-93661.html


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

We have one (forget the name.) It does help let us know where people come in.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Friend has one and it went off all night long...every time a deer walked by. He finally disconnected it.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

That's why the magnetic probe sensors for vehicles are handy. Also, placement is key. If you have a place deer/dogs/etc pass thru regularly, not the place for a motion sensor.


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## barnyardfun (Mar 26, 2005)

Ed Norman said:


> The trouble with the air hose alarm is that it can be seen and then defeated with a couple of feet of channel iron, among other methods. The magnetic alarms and motion alarms are harder to defeat.


The other problem I would have with the air hose is the amount/weight of traffic. When the chickens are bigger we recieve feed every 2-3 days. 3 trucks each time. That is a whole lot of wheels rolling over it!

I am worried about the deer setting off the alarm. Will have to look more into that. I have a game camera......maybe I need to set it up there for a couple days to see if anything frequently travels there.

Thanks for all the ideas! Keep 'em coming!


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

barnyardfun said:


> Now our houses are newer and the systems that they are equipped with will call us immediately if something like that happened.


What happens if the first thing they do is cut the phone line from the auto dialer ?


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## barnyardfun (Mar 26, 2005)

TnAndy said:


> What happens if the first thing they do is cut the phone line from the auto dialer ?


I guess I would just be out of luck then. Sounds like they would get what they wanted unless I had a driveway alarm and checked it out.


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## jamala (May 4, 2007)

The one we have is dark green and mounted on a fence post so it is not very noticable. It doesn't make a sound at the sensor but a small red light does light up when you pass it, not bright enough to notice unless you are looking at the sensor.


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## fordy (Sep 13, 2003)

Mom_of_Four said:


> Too bad those Harbor Freight ones are white - I wonder if the housing could be painted. Nothing in our field, driveway, woods or road is white and those would really stand out.



...................These units at HF are supposed too work from 400 feet distant . We use the HF ones at work and they work better than the $100 units we use too have ! , fordy


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

jamala said:


> I understand completely, we have 6 poultry houses about 1/4 mile from our home. We ordered a wireless driveway alarm. Works GREAT!!! It beeps in our house when a vechicle passes the drive. Drives our service person crazy, because they can't "sneek" over to our farm. One even went through my garden to try to avoid the sensor but it still beeped. Ours is a reporter wireless alarm system. And when a feed truck goes over it beeps 2 times becaues they are so big, so that helps with the middle of the night stuff.


Curious... why would a service person need to sneak onto the place? Owe money? Dating a daughter?

My house is in a draw, so wireless wouldn't work good for me... 'sides, I'd need the detection device at least 2/10ths of a mile away...~1000'.

Do have a 'warning system' of sorts... traffic on my private road has to go by my cousin's goats and guard dogs... her anatolians bark at everything... and mine usually bark in return... doesn't matter if it's day or night.


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## jamala (May 4, 2007)

Texican-- some of our service techs like to "play" with our computers. And many of them don't have a clue what they are doing. We just like to be present when they are at the farm. We had one visit one afternoon and he "played" with the computer and we started getting alarm calls and could not figure out what was wrong then we discovered he had changed the settings without telling us. Also if they find something wrong we like to be there to know exactly what they expect and how to fix the problem. Ours like to write you up for little things just to keep the higher ups off them. For example, a former tech told us that his boss would tell him that he had not wrote anyone up in x amount of time and that he needed to write a few up that day. With the company we are with if you get 5 write ups they can pull your contracts and you lose everything. We are blessed, DH stays on top of things so that we do well, but neighbors have been written up for things as small as not cutting the grass short enough.


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