Posted: 4/3/2011 6:17:45 PM EDT
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I wanted to post this in the tech forum on SF Equipment, but I figured there was just as much content about methodology as equipment, so I hope it fits here.
I knwo from reading the SF that quite a few of us have concerns about entrances, back roads to our homes and BOLs, and controlling access. I wanted to share some trial and error (read money poorly spent) in the hopes that you guys might learn from my mistakes. No pics. I say this every thread I know, but I don't do pics well. Plus I'll be talking about locations of my security devices, so Operational Security applies. We have a long driveway. More than 500 feet in the front, and many times that for the back entrance. When someone turns in to come to my house, I want to know. We tried a device called "Dakota Alert." This was a fairly high techand pricey transmitter and receiver combination. Problem is that the transmitter unit was not built very securely and recently the case just degraded in the sun after a couple of years of use. This was a fairly expensive unit (less than $300.00). It maxed out on distance at about 250 feet, which was a real problem for maintaining standoff distance and awareness. Basically they were already at the house by the time the alarm was going off. I then decided to replace teh unit with a different manufacturer's device, and found a Milltronic Driveway alarm. this has turned out to be very versatile. I got mine direcly from milltronic as they were having a deal where you get an extra transmitter for free. My whole package cost around 200 dollars adn I got a high power version that transmits over 2500 feet. After mounting both transmitters at a height above small dog/coyote/skunk/possum level, I spray painted them to match their suroundings, after first using blue tape to mask off the IR lens. They run off a 9 v battery. My next project will be to set up a home made spike strip based on Echo's idea on this in the SF equipment forum. I have also incorporated a long ditch called an "Aha" at the front entrance. It is around 500 feet long. You have the illusion you could bypass the drive way go around it, but the drop off is several feet - enough to stop most large 4/4 trucks. My final project will be to put a dogleg in the driveway that will slow oncoming traffic into an engagement area. Hoep this helps someone and I encourage you guys to share your driveway security ideas. I don't plan on stopping any zombie horde caravaning to my home to steal my apples....haha....but I am having fun w ith these projects and I know our place will be safer after. |
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I then decided to replace teh unit with a different manufacturer's device, and found a Milltronic Driveway alarm. this has turned out to be very versatile. I got mine direcly from milltronic as they were having a deal where you get an extra transmitter for free. My whole package cost around 200 dollars adn I got a high power version that transmits over 2500 feet. Do you have any problems with this going off during a lightning storm? |
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I then decided to replace teh unit with a different manufacturer's device, and found a Milltronic Driveway alarm. this has turned out to be very versatile. I got mine direcly from milltronic as they were having a deal where you get an extra transmitter for free. My whole package cost around 200 dollars adn I got a high power version that transmits over 2500 feet. Do you have any problems with this going off during a lightning storm? I believe they all go off in lightning. the dakota did, the milltronic does, not that much of a problem with your typical short duration storn. |
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http://www.southwestmicrowave.com/products/ for some reason I was just looking today I'm sure it's overkill |
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We got 2 of these to try.
Mighty Mule brand. Anyone have any experience with them? They use inductive field disturbance to detect a ferrous body like a vehicle. Don't worry about the range of the transmitter-receiver, that's easily increased. http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=202072041&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_sku=202072041&ci_src=14110944&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googlebase-_-D30X-_-202072041&locStoreNum=1513 
I took one apart to reverse engineer and understand it and it's well made. |
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We got 2 of these to try. Mighty Mule brand. Anyone have any experience with them? They use inductive field disturbance to detect a ferrous body like a vehicle. Don't worry about the range of the transmitter-receiver, that's easily increased. http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=202072041&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_sku=202072041&ci_src=14110944&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googlebase-_-D30X-_-202072041&locStoreNum=1513 http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/6f/6f9af582-6451-40af-94ad-594ee3a4baab_300.jpg I took one apart to reverse engineer and understand it and it's well made. I'm sure one could do the same to the Dakota Alert. I think the right antenna and a bit of elevation would GREATLY increase the range beyond 250ft. I like the Dakota Alert idea because it would interface with my HX370S radios. I'd put the Dakota Alert on one of the unencrypted channels and use the others for local commo. |
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...My final project will be to put a dogleg in the driveway that will slow oncoming traffic into an engagement area. .... Congrats on the a-ha! My 'dream' rural property would have a ditch and berm with a thorn-laden hedge atop it, along the frontage road, akin to the hedgerow country of Normandy. With a gateway area that denies a straight-in view or run at the property. OVerlapping the fence / ditch line at the gate area would make it readily possible. And I'd also been thinking / posting about a dogleg to slow and channelize the approach to the house. Then also adding landscape walled-planters or boulders that act as dragon's teeth between the driveway and home. Vehicular assault on the structure itself is blocked, without being obviously fortified. 
The other idea was to orient the interior half of the dogleg in the entrance such that it provides no shelter from the house, giving a straight shot right down it. Turning it into a killsack if necessary. 
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We got 2 of these to try. Mighty Mule brand. Anyone have any experience with them? They use inductive field disturbance to detect a ferrous body like a vehicle. Don't worry about the range of the transmitter-receiver, that's easily increased. http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=202072041&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_sku=202072041&ci_src=14110944&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googlebase-_-D30X-_-202072041&locStoreNum=1513 http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/6f/6f9af582-6451-40af-94ad-594ee3a4baab_300.jpg I took one apart to reverse engineer and understand it and it's well made. I'm sure one could do the same to the Dakota Alert. I think the right antenna and a bit of elevation would GREATLY increase the range beyond 250ft. I like the Dakota Alert idea because it would interface with my HX370S radios. I'd put the Dakota Alert on one of the unencrypted channels and use the others for local commo. The Dakota would be an excellent unit to interface to a remote battery powered camera that is activated by the alarm and transmits a snapshot either via an analog 2.4 gHz link or an 802.11b link. Should be straightforward. |
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We got 2 of these to try. Mighty Mule brand. Anyone have any experience with them? They use inductive field disturbance to detect a ferrous body like a vehicle. Don't worry about the range of the transmitter-receiver, that's easily increased. http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=202072041&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_sku=202072041&ci_src=14110944&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googlebase-_-D30X-_-202072041&locStoreNum=1513 http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/6f/6f9af582-6451-40af-94ad-594ee3a4baab_300.jpg I took one apart to reverse engineer and understand it and it's well made. I'm sure one could do the same to the Dakota Alert. I think the right antenna and a bit of elevation would GREATLY increase the range beyond 250ft. I like the Dakota Alert idea because it would interface with my HX370S radios. I'd put the Dakota Alert on one of the unencrypted channels and use the others for local commo. The Dakota would be an excellent unit to interface to a remote battery powered camera that is activated by the alarm and transmits a snapshot either via an analog 2.4 gHz link or an 802.11b link. Should be straightforward. One of those ubiquiti wireless bridges should be good for a VERY long distance, under the right conditions. |
| Interesting info, thanks for sharing. If I ever get some land, I'll have to incorporate some of your ideas on the driveway. As it is, our driveway is long enough for two cars, steep, and at a funny angle, so we don't need to worry about anything like that right now. |
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Good thread FG. I've been mulling over driveway security for a while. I have a unique situation. My driveway is a deeded easement over my neighbor's property. My neighbor is an asshole, so if I install anything by the entrance, he'll likely either destroy it or tear it down.
Other than the driveway being owned by my neighbor, it's a good setup. It's perpendicular to the road, so you have to slow down to turn into it. Where it hits the road, it sits btwn two small steep hills, about 8' tall each - they're steep enough to not be able to drive up. The driveway runs about 550' straight down the neighbor's property, in btwn the neighbor's pipe fencing and an elevated barbed wire fence. When the driveway hits my property, it runs 50' more and then turns 90 degrees and goes 150' to our house. Where it turns, on my property, the previous owner installed some steel oil well pipe as an entrance/gate mount. With the right gate, you would not be able to enter the rest of the property. If the SHTF, then I'm using my tractor to push a car down to block off the entrance - I keep a junk car just for this purpose - how's that for preps. lol. We are saving to have a heavy steel gate made and installed at the entrance to our property. I'd prefer to have a gate btwn some brick columns installed down by the road, but that won't happen. |
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I also have a 1950s era junk car strategically located in the woods for this purpose. Imagine that...must be law school training.....haha.
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Good thread FG. I've been mulling over driveway security for a while. I have a unique situation. My driveway is a deeded easement over my neighbor's property. My neighbor is an asshole, so if I install anything by the entrance, he'll likely either destroy it or tear it down. Other than the driveway being owned by my neighbor, it's a good setup. It's perpendicular to the road, so you have to slow down to turn into it. Where it hits the road, it sits btwn two small steep hills, about 8' tall each - they're steep enough to not be able to drive up. The driveway runs about 550' straight down the neighbor's property, in btwn the neighbor's pipe fencing and an elevated barbed wire fence. When the driveway hits my property, it runs 50' more and then turns 90 degrees and goes 150' to our house. Where it turns, on my property, the previous owner installed some steel oil well pipe as an entrance/gate mount. With the right gate, you would not be able to enter the rest of the property. If the SHTF, then I'm using my tractor to push a car down to block off the entrance - I keep a junk car just for this purpose - how's that for preps. lol. We are saving to have a heavy steel gate made and installed at the entrance to our property. I'd prefer to have a gate btwn some brick columns installed down by the road, but that won't happen. |
indeed.
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If I had a good sized piece of property like that, I would definitely make a mote. I would rent a machine and dig a mote and use the dirt I pulled out of the mote to make a berm behind the mote.
Afterwards, I would make a draw bridge, kinda like the one that pulled out from underneath the Thundercat's lair. I've been planning this since I was a kid. Someday... |
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If I had a good sized piece of property like that, I would definitely make a mote. I would rent a machine and dig a mote and use the dirt I pulled out of the mote to make a berm behind the mote. Afterwards, I would make a draw bridge, kinda like the one that pulled out from underneath the Thundercat's lair. I've been planning this since I was a kid. Someday... check out the "aha" much more effective than a moat and possibly easier to maintain and construct, plus if done right you can't see it until you are already stuck.... |
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If I had a good sized piece of property like that, I would definitely make a mote. I would rent a machine and dig a mote and use the dirt I pulled out of the mote to make a berm behind the mote. Afterwards, I would make a draw bridge, kinda like the one that pulled out from underneath the Thundercat's lair. I've been planning this since I was a kid. Someday... check out the "aha" much more effective than a moat and possibly easier to maintain and construct, plus if done right you can't see it until you are already stuck.... Yeah, but can you put alligators and sharks into an aha???? Didn't think so 
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If I had a good sized piece of property like that, I would definitely make a mote. I would rent a machine and dig a mote and use the dirt I pulled out of the mote to make a berm behind the mote. Afterwards, I would make a draw bridge, kinda like the one that pulled out from underneath the Thundercat's lair. I've been planning this since I was a kid. Someday... check out the "aha" much more effective than a moat and possibly easier to maintain and construct, plus if done right you can't see it until you are already stuck.... Yeah, but can you put alligators and sharks into an aha???? Didn't think so ain't no gators in New Jersey brother. 
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If you want to make the view from your house look nice and keep the livestock at a distance, place the wall side closer to your house. The sloped side will be viewable from your house and blend in so you shouldn't notice it. Livestock can walk up and down the sloped side.
If you want to create an anti-vehicle ditch that someone will drive into before they see it, put the wall side further from your house. If you then have elevation over the ditch, anyone caught in it has no cover because the slope points up at you, and no retreat unless they can climb out of the walled side. |
