Deluxe Wireless Driveway Monitor
by Design Tech International
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List Price: Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Deluxe Wireless Driveway Monitor
Customer Review: Great Product
Summary: 5 Stars
The DesignTech model 33370 driveway monitor is a great product. Clear and concise instructions made the installation quick and easy.
The sending unit is located 500 feet from our house at the entrance to our driveway. It has detected every vehicle using the factory supplied sensitivity settings. We have not had any false alarms.
We first mounted the sending unit on the supplied stake. To make it less visible, we remounted it on the side of a small building close to the driveway entrance. It works perfectly in either location.
I would recommend this monitor to anyone.
Vince
Missouri Ozarks
Customer Review: A reliable driveway monitor (updated Oct 30, 2005)
Summary: 5 Stars
I have spent several hundred wasted dollars and many trial-and-error hours over the past few years trying to get a reliable driveway monitor. Problems encountered in past have included short-range/unreliable wireless transmitter function, many false alarms caused by animals, wasps, wind moving tree branches, even fast moving clouds causing rapid sun heating changes, etc. Finally, got one that works satisfactorily. This specific unit (don't know about their other models which ARE different), the DesignTech "Deluxe Driveway Monitor model 33370," is excellent. Well designed, well constructed, very simple/easy/quick installation, unique patented technology (different from all other motion sensors I've tried); and most impressive, it really does what it is advertised to do. Plenty of reliable range between the transmitter and receiver, zero false alarms, and always detects cars in the driveway. Some suggestions for anyone purchasing one of these: 1) If possible, install the transmitter/motion sensing unit on the side of the driveway nearest your house so that the passing car will not tend to block the path between the receiver and transmitter. 2) Don't unfairly judge the unit by testing it inside the house; nearby indoor metal (stove, conduit in walls, overhead lights, nails, steel springs in sofa, etc.) will distort the magnetic field, and result in a negative (false) impression that it is not as sensitive as it should be. Just install it per the manufacturer's instructions, and it will detect passing vehicles as advertised. 3) The outdoor sensor is waterproof, but just to be safe I added a strip of electrical tape around the unit where the front and back join. Only negative is that replacing the batteries requires removing the case cover which is held by four screws thgat need to be carefully tightened when done. UPDATE:July 26, 2004 - Things I've learned: 1) be sure to fully tighten the case screws, otherwise unit may not be waterproof. Look into crack between front & back of case with a flashlight to be sure screws are tight enough and no water can enter. 2)don't mount sensor on a tree, even a big one. Even the slightest movement of the tree by winds can cause a false alarm. Use the mounting post provided with the unit. 3) The unit still works great, and I still recommend it. UPDATE: Feb 9, 2005 - The original batteries had to be replaced after about nine months in service. I have the unit set on the most sensitive setting, which drains the batteries the most. Next time if I only get nine months battery life, I will lower the sensitivity setting to extend battery life. When the batteries become weak, you will start getting false alarms; not a bad way to be alerted to need to change batteries. I'm still pleased, and recommend the unit. UPDATE Oct 30, 2005: Had to change batteries. Again about a 9 month lifespan. Weak batteries (.98Volts) indicated by false alarms. This time I changed sensitivity jumper from high to medium to extend battery life. Still happy with unit and highly recommend it, for those who won't mind a small hassle in changing the batteries every year or so.Customer Review: Really didn't work
Summary: 1 Stars
We tried to get this to work for almost 6 months and finally gave up. With fresh batteries, sensetivity set to high and receiver close to transmitter it worked only about 50% of the time.Customer Review: Better than nothing but...
Summary: 3 Stars
This unit is confusing. It ignores the UPS truck. It ignores small (Tacoma) sized pickups. It always picksup my larger Tundra truck or my wife's Dodge Van. Still, it is better than nothing but it is also disappointing and NOT worth the $90 price... Cheaper technology from other vendors would also prove to be as unreliable as this one!Customer Review: New Christmas present
Summary: 1 Stars
I mounted it 6ft high and about 50 ft from the receiver, with the receiver in sight. It has only detected one vehicle in front of it in about 25 times. Sensitivity is set to high, new batteries in it. I tried pointing it right to the receiver or away, nothing helps. Its a very worthless item.