Best Driveway Alarms and Sensors of 2021

The Guardline Wireless Driveway Alarm allows for a quarter mile between the sensor and the receiver, although heavy foliage and thick walls will reduce this distance. The sensors can withstand all types of weather and work without interference, and the receivers come with a battery backup as well as a 12-volt relay to link them to additional external alarms.

Guardline claims two years of testing went into each product, and the reviews seem to back that up. With over 1,000 reviews on Amazon, the Guardline earns consistently high ratings—an impressive track record, no matter the product.

The Chamberlain base system comes with a single sensor and receiver. You can add up to three more sensors later, but you must purchase them separately. When someone (or something) breaks the sensor’s line, the receiver sets off an alert with both light and sound.

The sensor detects motion up to 30 feet in front of it and will reach a receiver up to a half-mile away. However, it needs line of sight to function properly. The receiver uses AA batteries or an AC adapter, allowing you to carry it with you into the yard.

The 1byone wireless driveway alarm system starts at around $26 for the receiver and one sensor. Additional sensors can be purchased for about $16 each. You can pair up to five sensors with one receiver. 

Despite its low price, the 1byone has a decent range for its receiver (1,000 feet) and sensors (24 feet), which should be more than enough for a suburban home. 

The Rodann Electrics unit is composed of a sensor and a receiver that sends out a sound when triggered. The unit is small and unobtrusive, and runs on two AA batteries. The receiver has no battery backup and relies on a 12-volt power supply to operate. The receiver also has an LED display that shows how many times the sensor has been activated.

The downside to this device is the cost. The Rodann starts around $130, but for so few features it seems the price should be lower. The unit has solid reviews from its customers, but there are other less-expensive options that provide far more features and reliability.

The Safety Technology sensor can be as far as 1,000 feet from the receiver, but it has a maximum detection range of only 12 feet. What this sensor does right is ignore shadows, animals, and people.

The driveway monitor will be triggered, in theory, only by passing cars. It uses a magnetic sensor to detect passing vehicles, and the sensor itself is powered by a solar panel—so there’s no need to change batteries in it. However, the cost is a bit steep at around $150.