Perimeter "Alarm"?


  #1  
Old 12-18-02, 02:50 PM
magister
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Perimeter "Alarm"?

If you've noticed me in other forums; You'd know that my wife and I moved across country and bought a house, a couple of months ago...

We moved from a place with literally no crime to a small town where all measures of crime are higher than the national average. Though, what is prompting this post is our location near an elementary school and a college; College kids sometimes urinate in my yard and it snowed this afternoon, so my beautiful pristine yard which I was "saving" for my kid is now tracked with dozens of footprints where the elementary kids got into snowball fights, after school; Both of which, bother me...

When I was a kid, the rumor was that the local millionaire had a "pad" buried around his yard and if you stepped onto the pad, you'd trigger an alarm system. Needless to say, his house never once got tp'ed. I'm not a millionaire, nor do I have as much yard, but the technology has increased, so if such a thing existed two and a half decades ago; Surely, it must be cheaper and better, today.

Ideally, I'd like something that I can bury around the edges of my front yard which would/could trigger some type of audible alarm or alert and if it would/could also trigger lights and possibly a video camera, so much the better. But, the lights could also be triggered by a motion detector and the camera would be overkill, so anything which would trigger an alarm would be welcome and if it or an upgraded product could accomplish the other goals, I'd consider it gravy.

And while I'm seeking suggestions; My back yard is surrounded by a 5' block wall; The movies often show an electronic eye-based product that would alarm, if someone or something were to climb over the wall; If someone could point me toward a website, or name a relatively inexpensive solution for the backyard; I'd be doubly grateful.

Also, it should be noted that I'm not seeking a contracted service and that I have experience with electronics and programming; Basically, I'm hoping for something a fellow with intermediate knowledge can install himself that might also, decrease our insurance premiums and increase the resale value of this fixer-upper, plus keep the kids out of this grumpy old man's yard.

Thanks in Advance;
R
 
  #2  
Old 12-18-02, 03:08 PM
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There are thousands of products all over the net. You'll just have to find one that suits you best. Try www.x10.com for some pretty low-cost solutions to Motion Detection and Cameras, not to mention some nice Automation solutions that could be used in conjunction with Motion Detectors to turn lights on and off. You'll find a lot of post about X-10 here at DIY. It's definitely a favorite.
 
  #3  
Old 12-18-02, 03:23 PM
magister
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Thanks; I'm familiar with X-10 and that's one of the reasons, cameras and lights isn't really a priority and theoretically, they could be installed as a secondary line of defense...

I guess, what I'm really wanting is something that would "yell" at the kids for me, where I don't have to be a bad guy. If it triggered a sustained alarm for say, thirty seconds, I could live with that but I primarily would like to fashion a "skinner box" that would teach the kids not to stalk each other through my bushes and scare the heck out of a drunk college kid who's making a pit stop in the shadow of my house.

The burglar-proofing aspects of the buried system would primarily be something for me to "sell" my insurance company and the electronic eye would provide piece of mind, when my kid is playing in the back yard and I'm engrossed in my computer.

Also, motion-detecting for an alarm right along the perimeter, seems that it'd be difficult to exclude alarms triggered by people walking down the sidewalk; That's why I'd prefer the specificity of a buried perimeter, if such a thing exists and of course, it occurs o me that I could also jus simply extend an electronic eye device to include the front yard; I'll do a google-search on this secondary idea in a bit; But any suggestions from personal experience and/or knowledge would be appreciated, as it pertains to either solution.

(edited by author)
 

Last edited by magister; 12-18-02 at 03:42 PM.
  #4  
Old 12-21-02, 12:19 PM
stanky1
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Optex is a company that makes detection systems using infrared perimeter beams. The equipment would sit out in the corners of your front yard and be subject to vandalism.

I have discussed pressure sensing plates and proximity sensors with US Border Patrol agents. They said that these systems are expensive and require a lot of maintenance. These agents were not directly involved with this equipment, so this isn't first-hand scoop.

Check out PC based video security systems. They can do a lot for not too much of an investment. SafeWatch looked over a few of the options and had some good advice on an earlier thread. I haven't made my own decision on which to buy, but I expect to do this before the end of the year.
 
  #5  
Old 12-21-02, 09:33 PM
magister
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Stanky; That's what I seemed to find when I was looking the other day; I don't remember my search terms, but everything I could find spoke about "installation security" and at least one had the option of raising a barricade that would be capable of destroying a car and several would trigger tire shredders, no prices but it sounded expensive.

Then, because I really don't have that far to see, I thought about the thing that rings a bell when you walk into a convenience store, but all I could find advertised were motion detectors and I saw that the one in my local convenience store is a simple motion detector pointing down. About a thousand years ago when I worked retail, we had an actual beam that chimed when it was broken and in one of my wife's former offices, they had a counter which worked from the same concept; But I could find neither when I was searching online.

As to pressure, I've thought about the idea of burying some gas station roll-over bells between a couple of sheets of plywood, but that'd take more study to see exactly how much pressure would be required.

If anybody has any other ideas, please share them with the rest of us and if I do figure something out, I'll post the results here, as I hope you'll do Stanky, if and when the time comes...
 
  #6  
Old 12-22-02, 08:01 PM
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The beams you are speaking of are called Photoelectric Beam Detectors. It's exactly what it sounds like, a photoelectric beam between 2 sensors, when broken it activates an alarm/chime/etc. As stanky mentioned, Optex makes this brand of security. Also check on Ademco, Detection Systems, Pulnix Sensors, Aleph, New Line, just to mention a few.

Now, having said that, there are a few problems with this type of sensor. The first being cost, you're looking at anywhere from $150 (for cheap, cheap - not recommended for the reasons below) to $1000 (for the good ones professionally installed.)

As I said, I do NOT recommend the cheapies - the main reason is that these sensors are extremely sensitive to the environment, animals, and other outdoor factors. One thing you don't want is a lot of false alarms, especially if wired to a home alarm system or loud siren of some sort.

The other thing about these sensors is that, since they are so sensitive, they require professional installation. Not just any technician can install a P/E. They also require regular maintainance and service to stay in proper operating condition. So, in other words, this is not a DIY project.

I currently have a customer that owns a motorcycle shop, and he has P/E's in his back yard for perimeter security around the fence. He has a 5 beam system that he constantly has problems with. My company was not the installing company for these sensors, so I don't service them, but he usually has 1 or 2 sensors out every other month or so. He's looking at getting some Tri-Tech motions to cover the back yard instead, which came highly recommended to me by one of my major distributors. Unfortunately, these also are not very cheap, but you wouldn't need tri-techs for your yard. Maybe a dual tech, just for the false alarm factor.

Well, either way, let us know how it goes and what you come up with.
 
  #7  
Old 12-23-02, 02:31 AM
stanky1
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Impaling elementary school kids on a spike strip is generally not a good option. Urinating college kids? Well, that's a judgement call. If you are looking to keep them out of your yard, is a fence an option? What about a barrier of thorny bushes? Motion detector lighting might discourage the urinating college students. I've also seen motion-sensored sprinklers. When they come to sprinkle on your house, you sprinkle them right back!

Until I get my cameras up and running, I have been using an inexpensive wireless infrared motion detector. It activates a chime located inside the house. It is called the "Driveway Patrol."
Here is a link:
http://www.savontv.com/google/driveway-patrol.html

I bought mine for $19 at Fry's Electronics in San Diego. For that price, you can't go too wrong. To minimize unwanted alarms, you can narrow down the field of detection by placing electrician's tape over the lens. I only use mine at night, so false alarms are very infrequent. Mostly, I trigger it when I get called out to work at night. This results in very nasty looks from the rest of the family the next morning. I'm getting better at turning it off before I leave.

I have a similar device (Optex Wireless 1000) in a field behind my house. It has a stronger wireless signal, but is too sensitive for this application. It alarms with direct sunlight, and blowing brush. There haven't been many false alarms at night, just a few coyotes. The Optex Wireless 1000 costs a lot more than the Driveway Patrol. Heath-Zenith has a product, but the signal is so weak that it is worthless.
 

Last edited by stanky1; 12-25-02 at 11:51 AM.
  #8  
Old 02-03-09, 04:16 AM
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Simple solution

HI All,
There are new solar powered PIR talking alarms available here:Talking PIR perimeter alarms

Just mount them out of reach and away you go, easy
 
  #9  
Old 02-09-09, 07:11 AM
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Originally Posted by magister
If you've noticed me in other forums; You'd know that my wife and I moved across country and bought a house, a couple of months ago...

We moved from a place with literally no crime to a small town where all measures of crime are higher than the national average. Though, what is prompting this post is our location near an elementary school and a college; College kids sometimes urinate in my yard and it snowed this afternoon, so my beautiful pristine yard which I was "saving" for my kid is now tracked with dozens of footprints where the elementary kids got into snowball fights, after school; Both of which, bother me...

When I was a kid, the rumor was that the local millionaire had a "pad" buried around his yard and if you stepped onto the pad, you'd trigger an alarm system. Needless to say, his house never once got tp'ed. I'm not a millionaire, nor do I have as much yard, but the technology has increased, so if such a thing existed two and a half decades ago; Surely, it must be cheaper and better, today.

Ideally, I'd like something that I can bury around the edges of my front yard which would/could trigger some type of audible alarm or alert and if it would/could also trigger lights and possibly a video camera, so much the better. But, the lights could also be triggered by a motion detector and the camera would be overkill, so anything which would trigger an alarm would be welcome and if it or an upgraded product could accomplish the other goals, I'd consider it gravy.

And while I'm seeking suggestions; My back yard is surrounded by a 5' block wall; The movies often show an electronic eye-based product that would alarm, if someone or something were to climb over the wall; If someone could point me toward a website, or name a relatively inexpensive solution for the backyard; I'd be doubly grateful.

Also, it should be noted that I'm not seeking a contracted service and that I have experience with electronics and programming; Basically, I'm hoping for something a fellow with intermediate knowledge can install himself that might also, decrease our insurance premiums and increase the resale value of this fixer-upper, plus keep the kids out of this grumpy old man's yard.

Thanks in Advance;
R

There is something called a video motion detector made by Pelco. It's an invisible screen that looks through a CCTV
camera, and anybody passes through that screen sets off the controller. Then you can use a Napco voice driver, that will yell out over your lawn a voice command.
 
  #10  
Old 02-09-09, 07:17 AM
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Just so everyone knows....6 y/o post...but thanks for the info
 
 

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