does anyone have a motion detector in their driveway?

[cackle]

We have a very long driveway and about 50 feet from the house we have an electric fence to keep our dogs in. Well when fedex or anyone else comes and we are in the house we don't always hear the dogs bark and they are not coming past them. I have heard about motion detectors that you can put in the yard or driveway but not sure where to get one.

Anyone have any ideas?

Susan

 

[poppycat]

What do you want the motion detector to do? You could probably get one at Home Depot or Lowes. We had to disable ours because our cats set them off constantly.

 

[Beekissed]

Yep, my parents had to do the same, as a bird flying past would set it off. Went off all day long for no reason...sort of the boy who cried wolf thing going on!

They have wireless door bells and you could install one of those for them to push and it would ring in the house. Might try that!

 

[punkin]

We had to get rid of ours, too. It would go off for no reason. Now our dogs that lay on the back of the couch in front of the window that faces the driveway let us know when a car pulls in, when a leaf falls, when a bird burps, when a squirrel crosses the yard... Well, you get the idea.

 

[cackle]

Beekissed you are right. I meant to say a motion alarm. Someone told me they had a friend and once when they were visiting there was an alarm that went off and it was set off by a car in the driveway.

Our house is so well insolated that their are times the dogs are at the fence barking and we never hear them.


Susan

 

[heatherv]

when a car pulls in, when a leaf falls, when a bird burps, when a squirrel crosses the yard... Well, you get the idea.

LOL punkin, that's so funny!

We've considered getting some sort of motion sensor as well. But worried about the constant wildlife setting it off. Our house is a half mile up our driveway (through the woods) so we can't see anyone coming up our driveway, and usually can't hear them until they're pulled up and getting out of the vehicle.

I used to use a motion detector doorbell (cordless, it ran on batteries) where I worked, so when the door opened, I could hear a ding in the back room if I was back cleaning or whatever. I also used it w/ the door propped open, and facing the empty space there, so as people walked by it would go off. It worked great, but not sure if a leaf flying by, or a squirrel or bird would set it off if using something like that in my driveway?

We've also thought about just putting up a big gate w/ a business card holder, and whoever pulls up would have to get the business card and call us from their cell phone. I don't like strangers pulling up, waaay out here in the woods, it makes me nervous, especially when DH is not here.

 

[enjoy the ride]

I had motion detection lights but like everyone else they are off- wind in the branches set it off.
I tried thinking of some things- maybe you could have an unlocked gate that sends and alarm to you when it's opened. Not a motion detector but only when the gate's opened.
You cold have a camera at the gate too to check out who is coming.
The reason I say unlocked is that I had a locked gate that I diligently locked when away from the house til I came home -not once but twice- and found the gate in pieces that, adding insult to injury, I had to fix before I could get in. You need a heavy duty one- I think that they act like a challenge to some. By the way in neither case was it thieves- one was a hay delivery and the other a garage door installer- neither called to let me know they were coming and decided rather than go all the way back to town, to simply take the gate off the posts- they had the tools with them to do it of course.
Maybe a pair of geese in the yard- they are great watch dogs. At least I'm scared of them but they haven't actually ever killed anyone that I've heard of.
What if you had a gate that just rang a bell or something- would your dogs pick up on that so far away if is was a distictive sound?

What about teaching one of your dogs to come fetch you when someone arrives? My dog would bark the come to hide behind me anyway.

 

[cackle]

I tried thinking of some things- maybe you could have an unlocked gate that sends and alarm to you when it's opened. Not a motion detector but only when the gate's opened.

You cold have a camera at the gate too to check out who is coming.

The reason I say unlocked is that I had a locked gate that I diligently locked when away from the house til I came home -not once but twice- and found the gate in pieces that, adding insult to injury, I had to fix before I could get in. You need a heavy duty one- I think that they act like a challenge to some. By the way in neither case was it thieves- one was a hay delivery and the other a garage door installer- neither called to let me know they were coming and decided rather than go all the way back to town, to simply take the gate off the posts- they had the tools with them to do it of course.
Maybe a pair of geese in the yard- they are great watch dogs. At least I'm scared of them but they haven't actually ever killed anyone that I've heard of.
What if you had a gate that just rang a bell or something- would your dogs pick up on that so far away if is was a distictive sound?

What about teaching one of your dogs to come fetch you when someone arrives? My dog would bark the come to hide behind me anyway.

We have discussed putting up a gate at the end of the drive I would think a wireless alarm/doorbell would do the trick.

What had happened was my DH had been waiting for 2 days for a FedEx package. If you do not write out our address right then the PO and the other services can't find us. We were sitting in the livingroom listening (we thought) for the dogs to bark so we would know he was there. Well evidently we never heard the dogs barking. Yes the insulation in this house is that good. FedEx said the driver said there was an electric fence and 3 dogs -2 white, 1 black barking their heads off. I wish we could teach those old dogs to come bark at the back door.

We have a deer that was in the yard last night so you are right about an alarm being set off all hours of the day and night.

How would a camera work? Wouldn't we have to be able to watch a monitor?

I can't believe the guy delivering Hay and the garage dog guy took down your gate. That takes some nerve.

NO one who does not know our dogs will come in the yard . And I can't blame them one is a lab-pitt mix and he weighs about 100 pounds. He was going to be put down and we rescued him.

Heatherv you said:

We've also thought about just putting up a big gate w/ a business card holder, and whoever pulls up would have to get the business card and call us from their cell phone. I don't like strangers pulling up, waaay out here in the woods, it makes me nervous, especially when DH is not here.

That is not a bad idea. My husband is away from time to time and it makes me nervous too. Thank goodness we do not have may stray vechiles caome down the driveway.

Susan

 

[krjwaj]

We have a light that comes on with motion but you have to get pretty close.

 

[hoosier]

Remember back in the old days when filling stations had alarms that sounded when you drove over them? Do they still make those and would they be practical? I don't remember how they operated.