The Guardline Wireless Driveway Alarm ($99) (motion sensor/detector) is one of my favorite gadgets. I have a few of the extra motion sensors, all programed with different chime/sounds, strategically placed around our home. I sleep deeper knowing that no one has walked on to our property. Not sure why, but I am wired a bit like an old guard dog. I sleep with one eye open and always pay attention to my Nest Cameras. So, I thought it was about time that I shared my review of the Guardline Wireless Driveway Alarm System. Read on…
Guardline GL2000 Wireless Driveway Alarm System Review
Quality/ Look and Feel – Setup and installation are pretty easy. Read the manual, or at least the quick start guide, as there are some tweaks you can make to the range, motion detection delay, night/day vision, etc…
Motion Sensors – I installed the sensors about four feet off the ground with the included screws. Took about five minutes per unit. You can order additional receivers here.
The motion sensor is a brown/green color which blends in nicely with most fences, trees, and the like. I’m glad it isn’t white or black like so many other sensors which stick out like a sore thumb. There is a removable sunshade and I recommend using it as it protects against both sun and rain hitting the sensor eye. With that said, we have had quite a bit of rain lately and the sensor is still working great. Battery life on the sensors (4 AA) is supposed to be about 1 year. When the batteries are low the receiver will light up to let you know. Nice feature so you don’t have to wonder if batteries are low or try and guess which sensor is the offender.
False alerts are, in my opinion, the worst thing for these types of gadgets. If your driveway sensor keeps crying wolf you will stop relying on it and that is when it goes to the recycling bin. So far I have only had one unverified alert. I suspect it was a huge raccoon that I saw jogging away.
Receiver – There are four zones labeled clearly on the front of the receiver unit. Each zone can play a different chime and will light up the corresponding zone number. If you have multiple sensors this makes identifying the location very easy. The melodies available on the Guardline Receiver range from pretty normal bing sounds to pretty random songs. Sound quality is good on most of the melodies but some seem to be poor analog quality. Hard to explain but you will understand when you cycle through the tones.
On one side there are three buttons; a pause/reset,melody/battery check, and learn/next. The other side has an on/off switch, power cord input, and an analog volume knob. I keep my receiver plugged in to wall power but it can also be powered by four AAA batteries (no mention of battery life).
The Guardline range is about 500 feet with normal interference. My sensors are only about 100 feet away and work perfectly. If you need more range you can add optional signal repeaters to this system or opt for the 1/4 mile Guardline GL5000 version ($159). Most homes will be fine with the standard version.
Ease of Use – Again, read the manual or quick start guide. Pairing sensors to zones and picking the chime/melody for each Guardline sensor is easy and takes just a few minutes. Setting individual sounds for each sensor makes identifying the motion easier for the user. After sensors are registered to their respective zones the only thing I tend to use is the volume adjustment. The unit makes a great pre-doorbell for guests. Because of the early warning, I typically open the door before our guests reach the doorbell.
Packaging and Manual – The packaging was perfect. Not too bulky, but the product was well protected for a safe shipment. The manual is written in proper English and is intuitive. Speaking of “English”, I had to call support once during setup and not only does Guardline answer their phones but they are located in Seattle, Washington. Yay!
