M1 Newsletter

February 1, 2005

Know When a Visitor is Approaching 

Whether you are expecting visitors, or someone just drops by, it would be nice to know that a visitor has arrived before the doorbell rings. Using vehicle sensors, the M1 can notify you when a vehicle enters your driveway.

The most commonly used vehicle sensors are laser beam sensors and magnetic sensors. When choosing the sensor that is right for your application, be sure that the system you choose has relay outputs for alarm systems. Using two sensors will allow the M1 to distinguish between a vehicle entering the driveway and one that is leaving. The message will play only when a visitor is entering the driveway. This also reduces false alarms from blowing leaves, stray animals, etc.

When the first sensor is tripped, an unused output is turned on for 10 seconds. If the second sensor is tripped within the 10 seconds, the M1 will announce " Visitor Entering The Driveway"

Your customer may not want the announcement at night.  By modifying the rule as shown below (in bold), the message will be announced, only between 8:00 AM and 11:00 PM .  These times can be adjusted to meet the customer’s needs.

To give visitors a more welcome feeling at night, a light can be turned on for several minutes when they arrive.  With the modification below (in bold), the front entrance light will turn on for 10 minutes when a vehicle is detected entering the driveway.

The customer may want to be notified if a visitor was missed while they were gone.  In the example below, the customer will be notified that a visitor was missed by a message on the keypad.   When a vehicle is detected entering the driveway, an unused output will be turned on for 2 minutes (see changes below in bold).  This should be a different output than used earlier.

When the unused output is turned off, the keypad will beep and the message will be displayed, but only if the system is still armed.  This allows the customer to enter the driveway and disarm the system without getting the “Visitor Missed” message on the keypad.

ELK RP Tip Of The Week

For information on navigating and configuring ELKRP, connecting to and programming the system, setting up accounts, and more, check out the online help. Access online help by clicking the "Help" button on the upper right side of the ELKRP screen, or you can access the contents or search for a specific topic in the Help menu found at the top of the screen.

Got Questions or Ideas?
Email me at amy.strickland@elkproducts.com