The Four Types of Driveway Alarm Sensors
Home security is more important than ever. The world can be a big, scary place and we want to ensure that the things most important to us are protected. That may mean having cameras or motion alarms, and it can also mean having something such as a driveway alarm.
These alarms come in two components: a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter is somewhere at the side of the driveway. When someone pulls in, it sends an alert to the receiver, which is usually plugged into a socket in the home. All of which can notify you when a moving object is detected. There are a few different sensor types to be aware of, though.
1. Infrared
The first type of driveway alarm is the infrared driveway sensor. These are wireless and they use heat to detect movement from animals, people, or vehicles. It does this by sending a signal where the warm object passes through the built-in beam.
Infrared are quite inexpensive and really easy to install. Best of all, they won’t pick up motion from a distance like some others, meaning you won’t get a ton of unnecessary alerts.
2. Photo Beam
There are some alarms that use photo beam sensors that have at least two, if not more, sensors. These are placed at opposite ends. What really makes this type of sensor stand out is that you will only get a notification if all of the sensors are broken at the same time.
That cuts down on potential false alarms that some others would trip. If you are hoping to detect people in general, this is probably the best type of alarm because birds and animals are generally not big enough to break all of the beams at a single interval.
3. Rubber Hose
If you see driveways that have soft rubber hoses running up and down, there’s a really good chance it is a driveway sensor. These are mostly meant for the detection of vehicles. When a car goes over the hose, the pressure triggers the sensor and the sensor signals the receiver.
While they are inexpensive, there are a couple of downsides. People and animals can trigger them by stepping on them, for one. For two, they will wear with each use, meaning you will likely have to replace them after a little while.
4. Magnetic Probe
This style of this sensor comes in two types: wired or wireless. Moreover, they are meant to only detect metallic items (cars, mainly). That means no false alarms because of random animals that may be in the area.
There is also another major benefit to this type of sensor in that it can be completely hidden from view when the installation is done. That said, it is also the most expensive type of sensor that there is. But for less false alarms and less visibility from outsiders, there may not be a better option than the magnetic probe driveway alarm sensor. You can find all the different types of driveway alarms from a specialty store like Absolute Automation.
