Spring Project – Installing a Driveway Alarm

Tired of being surprised by visitors, or missing deliveries even when you’re home? A driveway alarm system is a great way to receive an early warning every time a vehicle enters your laneway. The number of options out there can be daunting, but if you only need to detect vehicles entering your laneway then we always recommend choosing a magnetic probe style of driveway alarm system.

By far, our most popular magnetic driveway alarm is the Dakota Alert DCPA-2500, it consists of three parts; the magnetic probe which you’ll bury or place where you’d like to detect the vehicles travelling past it, the weatherproof transmitter box which is connected to the probe by 50 feet of wire (makes it easy to find an inconspicuous place to install), and the driveway chime receiver that you’ll have plugged in inside somewhere which sounds off alerting you to the vehicles entrance. The weatherproof transmitter and the indoor chime can be up to 2500 feet (nearly half a mile) apart. This system has a battery life of approximately 1 year before they would need to be changed.

For customers who aren’t afraid of a little manual labor, or who hate changing batteries (even if it is only once a year) the Mier DA-500 offers an excellent hardwired option for a magnetic driveway alarm. The DA-500 uses the same style of magnetic probe as the DCPA-2500, wire is then run in a continuous length into the building where the DA-500 control panel is installed. The control panel has a built in whistle which will sound each time a vehicle is detected. It also features a dry contact NO/NC output and a 24V output which can be used to trigger other devices such as a transmitter to wireless chimes placed throughout the home.