Wireless Driveway Alarm?

[herbu]

Anybody have one of these? Our dog is getting older and spending more time sleeping inside, so the old reliable dog alarm isn't working as well. We live back in the woods w/ one lane gravel road that dead ends in our garage. Cannot see closest neighbor through the woods. So we like a little warning when somebody drives up, before a knock on the door startles us.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HFZUKGM/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1P0TM042BG1IJ&coliid=I1RPRP7L4T52AC

I saw this one on Amazon and it looks good. 4 zones. I can hook up 4 sensors progressing up the drive, and give each a different audible alarm. (The alarm also has a volume control.) The base unit LEDs indicate which zone has been tripped. So I think this is how it will work...

When somebody drives up the driveway, we'll see the base unit light up 1/2/3/4 sequentially, along with hearing the zone 1/2/3/4 alarms sound sequentially. When a deer passes, we'll see and hear individual or non-sequential alarms.

Anybody have experience w/ this kind of system?

 

[highfigh]

If they have a liberal return policy, I would try it, but I wouldn't expect it to be able to work well, considering the fact that your house is in a heavily wooded area- trees absorb a lot of energy from RF sources, so the range will be reduced.

I bought one for a customer and it has one sensor & a receiver but it's made to receive the signal from more than 500'- my dealer cost was almost $300 for this unit, which is sold only to contractors.

Give it a shot- it's not a matter of an extensive installation, so it's not a big deal if it doesn't work as well as you need.

 

[Chu Gai]

Or, get something like a Mastiff. They have exceptional hearing and sight. In the old days, they were used by royalty to sound the alarm that someone or something was approaching. My daughter in law had an English Mastiff. Great dog and protective as hell. Great around people it knew.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

this seems to be better product:
https://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Mule-Wireless-Driveway-FM231/dp/B003765W0W/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1474222748&sr=1-3&keywords=outdoor+Driveway+Alarm

http://fakespot.com/product/mighty-mule-wireless-driveway-alarm-fm231

 

[mtrycrafts]

... Great around people it knew.

And the ones it didn't know? Dinner?

 

[mtrycrafts]

Oh, H.. still ROTFLMAO

 

[mtrycrafts]

...

Anybody have experience w/ this kind of system?

No, but as mentioned, may be easy to test it out for reception distance, depending on how you house aligns with the road and where the sensors may be located.
Just like wi-fi routers, verly large house, etc. Blah, not really.

 

[Chu Gai]

And the ones it didn't know? Dinner?

Once, ar her former home, she was expecting someone but had to run out for a brief errand. The person let himself into the house and her Mastiff, Hopi, and Rotweiller, Tai, ran to the door. They confronted the 'intruder' and through barks, growls, and menacing looks, cornered him against the wall. Attempts, no matter how subtle, to move towards the door and leave were met with rapid teamwork. Hopi's eyes were so good that once at my house she set to barking. I had to look hard but I figure it was about 600 feet away, a fellow was walking on his roof. Sadly both dogs have since died.

 

[highfigh]

And the ones it didn't know? Dinner?

Squeaky toy.

 

[highfigh]

Once, ar her former home, she was expecting someone but had to run out for a brief errand. The person let himself into the house and her Mastiff, Hopi, and Rotweiller, Tai, ran to the door. They confronted the 'intruder' and through barks, growls, and menacing looks, cornered him against the wall. Attempts, no matter how subtle, to move towards the door and leave were met with rapid teamwork. Hopi's eyes were so good that once at my house she set to barking. I had to look hard but I figure it was about 600 feet away, a fellow was walking on his roof. Sadly both dogs have since died.

I knew someone who was, among other things, a hunting guide in West/Central Texas and he raised his own dogs- Pit bull and Greyhound mix, so they were voracious and fast. His sister went to his house and then, he needed to leave before his friend arrived, so she waited. At some point, she heard the dogs going nuts outside, but she saw nobody when she looked. They started up again and she saw nothing, so she went outside- the dogs had treed her brother's friends.

 

[herbu]

this seems to be better product:

Thanks! I like this. No "deer" alarms. May be a winner. Thanks again!

 

[herbu]

her Mastiff, Hopi, and Rotweiller, Tai,

We've had a couple Rottweilers and love them. They were both the sweetest, funniest and most loving dogs you can imagine. And protective. They could sense who was supposed to be here. They barked at every car coming up the drive, but stood with their little nubby docked-tail butts wagging for family & friends. And they quickly learned and accepted that the cats were alpha. Most people who didn't know us stayed in their car and beeped the horn. Exactly what we want. We are seriously thinking about another puppy.

Still, thinking about the alarm. I'm sure the dog(s) would quickly learn the alarm meant to go on alert.

 

[herbu]

the dogs had treed her brother's friends.

Funny. A friend of mine was considering buying 40 acres next to me, and was walking the property perimeter. Wife and I happened to be out in the yard with our Rottweiler, "Peanut". We noticed the dog go on alert and looked toward the woods. Eventually we saw 2 guys walking toward us through the trees. Peanut charged them with all the vigor and ferocious sounds you see in a Rottweiler on TV.

Naturally the guys each hollered and shimmied up a tree. Peanut kept them treed as I walked over. When my friend yelled and I recognized who they were, I called the dog and he came straight back, not to me, but sat down in front of my wife and watched. I do not believe Peanut would have attacked. Just stopped them from coming any closer.

My friend bought the property and built his house on it. We laugh about the incident today, but I'm sure I still detect a bit of nervousness in his laugh. Can't say I blame him. Hard to imagine much that would be scarier.

 

[Chu Gai]

Well, you could've played the music from The Omen.

 

[highfigh]

Funny. A friend of mine was considering buying 40 acres next to me, and was walking the property perimeter. Wife and I happened to be out in the yard with our Rottweiler, "Peanut". We noticed the dog go on alert and looked toward the woods. Eventually we saw 2 guys walking toward us through the trees. Peanut charged them with all the vigor and ferocious sounds you see in a Rottweiler on TV.

Naturally the guys each hollered and shimmied up a tree. Peanut kept them treed as I walked over. When my friend yelled and I recognized who they were, I called the dog and he came straight back, not to me, but sat down in front of my wife and watched. I do not believe Peanut would have attacked. Just stopped them from coming any closer.

My friend bought the property and built his house on it. We laugh about the incident today, but I'm sure I still detect a bit of nervousness in his laugh. Can't say I blame him. Hard to imagine much that would be scarier.

Before I bought my house, I rented a flat from friends and after they moved into their new house, they rented the lower to a couple that didn't stay a couple for long (I would rather he had stayed- he was a chef at the local Hilton Inn and would leave a plate of food for me when they would BBQ for friends). My friends had a couple of red Dobermans, which gave me experience with dogs of that temperament and I came home one day to see a Rottweiler in the back yard. Didn't expect that one, but since it was on the other side of the fents (that's the correct spelling, BTW), I thought I would let it sniff my hand, rather than walk through the gate and be its lunch. After a few seconds, it looked up at me, as if asking "Will you pet me?", so I did. Never had a problem with that dog.

 

[herbu]

a Rottweiler... as if asking "Will you pet me?"

They got a bad rep due to TV/Movies, and the scum people that think it's cool to make them mean. As a breed, they are generally the most friendly, playful and loving dogs you can imagine. Their whole world and existence is to please their owner. I never had to discipline any of mine. Just a sharp word letting them know I was unhappy with them would break their heart. Really. They would drop their head, sulk, and act like a kid you told that you hated them and wished they had never been born. You've never seen a dog so sad.

They would stay like that until I hugged them and told them it was ok. Then it was like a kid on Christmas morning. They were immediately elated and acted like these dogs you see when reunited with their owners returning from overseas. I've had a number of breeds of dog. Each has its own personality. But I've never had a dog who was so attuned to making me happy.

And they are naturally protective. You don't have to train them for that. They check out anybody who comes, and can tell if someone isn't right. Many people are afraid of them because of their rep and intimidating appearance. When someone drove up to the house, they would stand by the car and bark. Some, (most), people who didn't know us wouldn't get out of their car/truck until we came out. (I liked that.) But people who knew us realized the dog's butt was wiggling so hard their feet almost came off the ground. (They were trying to wag their tails, but being docked it ended up being a butt wag.)

These are friendly, lovable dogs. I'm quickly talking myself into getting another one. Both of my previous ones were rescues and died of cancer. This time I'm thinking of going to a breeder who knows several generations of ancestry and maybe lessen the chances of cancer this time.