Home Driveway Security: Driveway Security Systems

We’ve all seen those big mansions in the films. The ones where a car drives up and the driver has to press a button on the gate to have it opened. Then he goes up a long drive before he reaches the front door. In these cases home driveway security is obviously extremely important. But for many more people with smaller houses it could be useful, too, especially if your gate is not visible from your window, or if some part of your driveway is also hidden from sight. Just knowing that someone is arriving at your house, or coming up the drive – and especially knowing who it is – can sometimes make all the difference to your safety.

Driveway alarms can provide those benefits.

Most home driveway security systems work by placing infrared sensors at appropriate spots on the house, beside the driveway entrance, on the gates, or in the yard. Those are connected to a transmitter that sends a signal to a receiver in the home. Other types emit a dark green light. In either case, a ‘light wire’ is tripped when a vehicle or person interrupts the beam. Still others use a pressure-sensitive tube in the driveway surface. A magnetic probe type can signal the arrival of a large metal object, such as a car or truck.

But whatever the underlying technology, the purpose and function is the same: to alert on the arrival of someone at the home. That allows detection long before the visitor has reached the house. That can be useful for more than just intruder detection, since it can alert residents to innocent package deliveries or workmen.

Contemporary home driveway security systems are often accompanied by a motion detector. That enhances the system, adding the ability to detect human movement, even when someone may step over the driveway beam. The range varies from about 800-1200 feet from the transmitter, providing coverage for a wide area.

Systems come in a variety of levels of sophistication and features. It costs a bit more, but many have an intercom system. That makes them more useful for distinguishing between expected visitors and those who arrive unannounced.

Adding a video camera, a much less expensive option today than in the past, adds yet another useful layer. Seeing the person and their vehicle makes possible the safest level of discrimination between friend and (potential) foe. It can also provide identification in case an intruder is apprehended and tried in court.

Additional useful features can be added to some systems. When you arrive at home, tripping the alarm, it’s possible to have the garage door open, or house lights come on or even the front door unlock automatically.

Some home driveway security systems come with a battery backup option that keeps the system functioning during a power outage. That’s beneficial when an intruder disables your power system before driving a vehicle past the alarm.

These are just some of the additional features you can look out for. Others might be, for example, to install waterproof transmitters, or controls for the volume. You could get equipment for do-it-yourself installation and, if you’re very handy, you could also connect it to your home PC network. However, one word of warning: the most important thing is that the equipment should work well and discriminate between different types of objects. For example, you don’t want it going off every time a dog runs past your gate, or if your daughter comes up the driveway on her bike. Continual false alarms can be almost as frustrating as a home driveway security system that doesn’t work!