Driveway security ideas

t1ct4c

Hi everyone,

I have just purchased a new house and in need of some advice...

The property is located in a rural area and can be accessed via a 30 foot drive (nestled between another property and a thick hedge and stone wall).

The property itself has an alarm system with external sensors and lights. However the drive (and wooden gate) have no form of security, although the drive is gravel so it isn't easy to quietly walk up/down the drive.

Any ideas on what (if any) form of security is needed?

My friends have suggested things like:

1. A steel bollard to prevent the gate being opened
2. An electric gate opening/closing/locking system
3. Sensor driven driveway lighting
4. Keypad gate opening
5. CCTV

As you can see they go from one extreme to the other. From my perspective I would like something subtle - I think going overboard might encourage more people that is deters, but it also should be practicle and effective.

All advice most welcome.

Regards

TT.

P.S Merry Christmas everyone :beer:

imho

This any good ?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=gate++keypad&_sacat=0&_odkw=deivway+keypad&_osacat=0&_from=R40

getmore4less

What is access like on the rest of the perimeter. no point making one acces hard when there are others.

Gate at the bottom(house end) of the drive not the top.

that way people have to come down the drive to see if it is locked in any way.

Cheap(ish) would be a remote sensor for the house lighting hidden on the drive somewhere.

Hintza

Do you know the area?

I think I would be reactive rather than proactive unless you have any reason to believe otherwise. Chat to yoour neighbours.

Mojisola

There's a range of options explained here - https://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/12/03/2010/120305/High-tech-route-to-farm-security.htm

You need to get the balance right between being secure but not stopping emergency vehicles accessing your property in a hurry.

t1ct4c

getmore4less wrote: »

What is access like on the rest of the perimeter. no point making one acces hard when there are others.

Gate at the bottom(house end) of the drive not the top.

that way people have to come down the drive to see if it is locked in any way.

Cheap(ish) would be a remote sensor for the house lighting hidden on the drive somewhere.

Hi there,

You have to travel down the drive to get to the house. There is access to the back of the property if you go through some fields, but the sensors pick up anyone entering the garden from that aspect. There is side access, but you would have to know the area very well and have to go through someone else's garden to be able to get to the wall - which in turn you would have to get over (I believe its about 10 foot).

@Hintza - Personally I would rather lock the gate before the horse bolts but I do see your point.

I do like the idea of some sort of sensor to simply illuminate the drive, that said I could also just fit a lock to the gate

TT

sillygoose

Good lighting is important, also intruders don't like the 'unknown' too much, I am considering fitting some of the new tracking security lights - when the PIR sensors are triggered the light turns to face the person and tracks them if they move across the range of view. This give the impression they are being watched on CCTV and actively monitored (by a police control centre for all they know) I think they would be quite good at making intruders think twice as for all they know the 'camera operator' could be on the phone to the police already.

Various makes around.. something like this
http://www.scldirect.co.uk/security-lighting/nightwatcher-security-lights.html

skivenov

x2

Make the gate noisy to open and train him to bark at it.

Hintza

You could spend a small fortune if you wanted but you have to assess
the risk.

If your house is alarmed etc why go to all the trouble to save the gravel being nicked. :shrug:

baldelectrician

I would suggest lighting, even bollard lighting (LED) along the drive (as long as it isn't too expensive)

Or geese- then nobody could creep up

evoke

Lighting is usually the best deterrent, together with some real or fake CCTV cameras dotted around the property discreetly. Maybe a CCTV warning sticker on the gatepost and a decent alarm bell-box with very bright alternating LEDs.

I have perimter PIR approach lighting all around my house - literally from every possible angle. It serves me well if I have to go outside in the hours of darkness and any person approaching will light up the area that they are in well before they get to a window or a door.

I also have several CCTV cameras.

A guard dog warning sign on the gate is also a good deterrent. If you have a fairly modern alarm system then you can make it chime inside your hour whenever a zone is triggered (even when the alarm itself is not set). I have this facility set for an outbuilding and a garage.

However, very good approach lighting from all angles is probably the best deterrent and it'll also be useful to you.

Edit: get a decent security company in to do a design and a quote for you. They know a lot more about security and you don't have to buy off them. They'll give you some excellent ideas. I got a company in to do a design and a quote for me and was so impressed with them that I ended up getting them to install and maintain everything for me in the end.