Wireless Driveway Alarm System

Guide to Wireless Driveway Alarm System Costs. Detailed guide also covers Driveway Alarm Basics, Benefits and Uses for Wireless Driveway Alarms. 

Driveway alarms alert you to the presence of a potential intruder long before he or she is at your door or window. Both wired and wireless alarms offer other conveniences too, making them a very useful driveway security product for your home and property.

In this Driveway Guide article about wireless driveway alarms, we  introduce you to these handy, reliable home security devices and help you understand how a wireless driveway alarm can be of service to you.

Driveway Alarm Basics

The key to a driveway alarm is a motion-detecting sensor installed at the foot of the driveway. When any large object passes the motion sensor, an alert is sent to the receiver inside your home, sometimes called a chime box. The alert from a driveway alarm sounds like a door bell, using a tone loud enough to be heard without being unpleasant. Many offer adjustable tone volume to meet your specific requirements. Most use infrared sensors that are very reliable. They won’t trigger an alert if the dog walks by, but much like a driveway safety net that will keep your children in, they will let you know if a vehicle, a bicyclist or a pedestrian begins to come up your driveway toward your home. You can buy systems with multiple channels for monitoring several approaches to your home. These multichannel driveway alarm systems have other uses that are discussed below.

Driveway alarms may be wired or wireless. Wired alarms may be slightly more reliable, but they cost more for the equipment and are expensive to install since a trench needs to be provided for running the wire to your home. In new construction, when yards and walkways have not been installed, a wireless system might make sense. They might also be best for homes with extremely long driveways, especially when the property is heavily wooded, making a wireless signal difficult to transmit. In existing homes, wireless driveway alarms offer many advantages. They install very quickly and affordably and can be used for an type of driveway you may have. They can’t be disrupted by a wire being accidentally or intentionally cut.

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Driveway Alarm System Costs

If you choose a wireless driveway alarm with one sensor, your costs can be less than $100 if you install the system yourself. Additional sensors for a multichannel unit cost $55-$80 depending on the range they are required to send the signal. For a wired driveway alarm, expect to pay $250-$500 for most systems, more than that for long driveways or multichannel alarms. Most home security contractors offer driveway alarms, and if you have one installed as part of a total home security package, discounted pricing may be available.

Benefits of a Driveway Alarm

A wired or wireless driveway alarm system will alert when someone is approaching your home. If the person is a potential intruder, you have time to go to the front door or window to attempt to identify them. If you don’t know who they are, or it is someone who should not be approaching your home, you have time to make sure the door is secured and take other precautions you deem necessary. Even if the person approaching means no harm, the driveway alert system gives you the opportunity to see them before they see you, and you can decide whether or not to open the door.

If you are expecting company but are busy with preparations, a driveway alarm system alerts you to their arrival earlier than a doorbell would so that you can be ready to greet your guests rather than leave them waiting at the door.

Driveway alerts can be used in conjunction with other types of driveway safety products such as reflectors, driveway markers, mirrors and posts.

Other Uses for Wireless Driveway Alarms

The technology is ideal for use on driveways, but it can be put to use in many different ways. Homeowners use these alarm systems to monitor the entry to their outdoor pools, for example. Driveway alarms are used around fire pits, dog kennels, decks, patios, basement entrances, outbuildings and garages. In rural settings, some use them to monitor deer getting into the garden. Wherever motion-detecting technology coupled with a reliable alarm system would be useful for you, a wireless alarm system is a very good choice.

If you plan to use the system in this way, it is best to choose a driveway alarm with multiple channels. Most allow you to place at least 3 sensors on your property, and they might have a different tone for each sensor, so you know instantly where the motion is occurring.

Wired and Wireless driveway alarms are very affordably and offer you a range of uses covering home security, convenience and the safety of your family.