Driveway/perimeter sensor alarms
 

I'm having some refurb work done on my house at present and thought I'd uprate my security a little. I have alarms, cctv but like the idea of perimeter alarms, especially for the driveway. Not because I care if anybody nicks my car because I don't, but I'd rather know before somebody gets into my house or better still scare them off.

The pir type ones ie that would cover the whole drive seem to be a little unreliable and prone to false alarms. Then there are the more reliable single beam types, however they seem a bit flawed
for my application. The entrance to my drive is about is about 12 foot wide but only a few feet high and the kits I have seen are clearly visible. This means somebody could either smash it or jump over it. Even simpler they could just jump over a different part of the front wall.

Anyway, does anybody have a similar alarm and able to provide any feedback.

Btw I live in surburbia not on a farm etc.

Many thanks

Have you seen the security lights that will alert you, maybe worth a look.

Optex AX100 beams are very good. I have some and never had a false alarm in 6 years. Just make sure you put them at 3ft or above to stop any false alarms. They use dual photo beams and operate in snow / rain / high winds.

For extra security conceal them behind structure for covert operation. Have them set to chime a small buzzer in your house - or if you are off site you can connect via dialer so you get a phone call if they are tripped.

Have a look at what is on offer from GJD - I have their products installed in my home, can't recommend them highly enough.

Ding, depends on what you want to pay. I use GJD Opal Elites around my perimeter connected to 2 display control units of 4 zones, one upstairs and one downstairs. To prevent false alarms you'll need PIRs with pulse count.

If I hear 2 groups of beeps or more (zone 1= 1 beep, zone 2 = 2 beeps etc), it is a person walking through the beams and my cameras turn to view, if they aren't already there. If I hear 1 bleep it could be simply a pigeon landing. During dark hours floodlights are triggered too via the PIRs.

Fortunately only 1 of my 5 PIRs bleep if it is someone on the external driveway, up to 35 Metres away, the other 4 are inside my grounds and if it isn't family milling about any intruders would have already died via canine intervention.

To add too, my PIRs have the tamper facility connected to trigger my house alarm should someone attempt to damage them. That said they'd have been spotted by the cameras long before and notified my phone. From there I can operate my house siren remotely.

For your drive you can mask the PIR accordingly.

Thanks, you've both mentioned GJD so I will google them. I'll come back with any questions if that is ok?

Many thanks for your help

Lighting controllers. http://www.gjd.co.uk/products/securi...ting/dygizone/

PIRs. http://www.gjd.co.uk/products/wired-detectors/elite/

Could someone not be in and out, ignoring the alarms before any Police presence could be summoned? (when you're out)

Do you have physical security? improved doors and windows for example?

Is it this to warn of troublesome tenants rolling up at your gaff

Spoon/tarmac

I've looked at the gjd stuff and it looks like just what I'm after. I had a chat to one of the tech guys at gjd and he recommended the elite passive pir detectors. I'll be using the voice module as well to give a verbal warning to any unwelcome guests. Two questions please

1) Is it possible to configure things such that if even one detector is triggered that multiple security lights all over the property go off?

2) Can the security lights still work independantly ie still be triggered individually even when the gjd kit isn't armed?

3) Do you get many false alarms with these kinds of systems?

Many thanks

1) Yes, there are various options when setting up and also timer options for lights on.

2) Yes, the lights can be manually overriden by pressing the controller, they will stay on until you press it again. You can also remove the option for sound or even trigger if you so wish, just by a simple press of the controller. You can also lock the keypad to stop others meddling.

3) You will get the odd bleep from pigeons, cats etc but you will learn quickly what is false. I know 1 bleep is nothing (on PIR 1). 2 bleeps means something has past through the beams. You can set the PIRs to 3 levels of pulse count for sensitivity.

Yes, the system is purely for when you are home but that said, it is only a small part of my security. My cameras will pick-up anybody before my PIRs and alert my mobile, from where I can then view the scene and trigger my alarm siren while calling whoever.

All doors, windows, gate and outbuildings are wired up to the house alarm/cameras but nothing physical.

Get a few of these around your house

Thanks Spoon.

What I meant with question 2) was this; When the system is armed and triggered I would like all the lights to go on and the voice warning to sound.I would only arm the system upon going to bed. When the system is not armed I would like the inbuilt pir in the lights to trigger but not the whole system. This would be useful when I'm walking around the house, pulling onto the drive so as to give me light to see what I'm doing.

I hope that makes sense?

Okay, without any system armed it isn't going to work. :Suspiciou

I wasn't aware they did an external voice sounder either or are you mixing it up with adding voice messages instead of bleeps to the controller for internal zone identification?

On your controller there are 4 main zone buttons. If you want sound indoors on a trigger, the red light shows. If your floodlights are on, the yellow light shows. If the system is armed and waiting for a trigger, the green light is on. If you don't want any controller lights showing it means you don't want your system armed.

With this system the lights are separate to any PIR but work in conjunction. If you want to come home to light in your drive then you must have the controller showing at least a green light (armed but no internal bleeping sound). Once you trigger the PIR that then triggers a separate floodlight, you will now have light and your controller indoors will show a green AND a yellow light.

Setting the system for just bed time is really wasting the potential of the system. Turn the bleeps down lowish or off but never bother to turn the green lights off to allow for detection. Get yourself some Mini Sun 20 watt LED floodlights and the pain of running 4 500 watt floodlights is erased.

I have my floodlights zoned separately according to which PIR is triggered. I also find a minute on is ample for me or family in the garden. They'll stay on anyway if someone is inside the PIR range.

Spoon, many thanks. I'm getting myself a little confused and need to read up a little more.

Not a problem at all. Read this link. http://www.gjd.co.uk/wp-content/uplo...-Manual-UK.pdf

On the surface it might appear relatively daunting but once installed it is second nature in no time.

Do you live in a high risk area?

Everybody lives in a high risk area Pimmo. Living somewhere nice doesn't stop you being a target, in some ways it could make you more of a target.

Hi Spoon

I've read through the manual, thanks. I'll try and make my question clearer and apologies if you have already explained it and I'm being stupid.

When I have the gjd system armed and a pir is triggered I would like

1) All the security lights to be triggered so that the house lights up like a Christmas tree.

2) A warning verbal message to be played to the intruder. Gjd sell something called a voice enunciator for this.

3) My phone to be called.

Now I know the system can do all three of the above. For my own purposes I would only arm the system if I was away or gone to bed for the night.

However when the gjd system is not armed I would like to be able to walk around the property and have just individual lights triggered but with no voice warnings or my phone being called. This is so that if I went into the garden in a dark evening I could see where I was going, or if I pull into the drive when I come home the area is lit, or if I want to take the bins out etc.

Can this be done?

Many thanks for helping

Historically, not at all.

1) That'll be fine, there are several options for what lights you want on during set-up.

2) I see the enunciatior on the site but have no experience with this. http://www.gjd.co.uk/products/voice-modules/
I only have speakers indoors, except my gate intercom, should I need to communicate with someone already inside but that is part of the alarm. I wouldn't use a voice message or it'd be constantly being played when I go to the gates, if for instance the Postman was there with a parcel requiring a signature.

3) The Dygizone lighting controller won't phone your mobile. You'll need a separate speech dialler http://www.gjd.co.uk/products/speech...-professional/
I have a different make GSM dialler wired through my alarm for mobile contact so I'm not sure how a Dygizone would, if at all, through outputs be partnered with a dialler. That is one for an installer to answer.

If the system isn't armed it won't do any of what you want. For your lights to be active you need at least the green light on the controller which will then trigger a yellow light on the controller when your floodlights come on because you have triggered a PIR.

The Dygizone really is something that should be left on all the time. If you don't like the bleeping indoors, either turn it right down (inside the panel), or press the red light off. That however seems a bit daft if someone triggers a PIR and your curtains are drawn so you can't see the floodlights on, you'll be non the wiser, except the controller lights up of course, but that could also be missed if you have it placed in another room.

No I get that, I wasn't suggesting it was a bad area, but a lot of the high end areas are classed as high risk of theft.

Prevention is the key then.

Prevention, entertainment, interest in what can be done etc. My installer 21 years ago has stayed a friend and consequently is on the ball where security is concerned. He's recently replaced everything for the modern equivalent, plus a few other things not previously on the market. I call it the Bulgarian update and should they invade the countryside, I'm ready.

We had loads of hassle in the nicer areas of Bristol. In the rather shabby part, I left a wallet in the car, left the car unlocked and other stupid (accidental) stuff and never had a problem.

It was SO bad in one place in Clifton, I had to sell my R32 and get an Astra. Now that IS bad.

It must have been incredibly distressing....

...driving an Astra. :norty:

Better than expected after a fairly long period of utterly hating it.

What are the odds of being home invaded when you are asleep? Seems a bit over-concerned?

A not insignificant number of home invasions occur whilst the owners are in. I personally know at least three people who this has happened to.

Of course that does not make it common or a likely event, but then neither are plenty of other things in life but you still take precautions against them.

The risk is relatively low but the impact is high and so for me the risk analysis points to taking some action.

And the system would also be used for when I'm not at the property.