The Mier DA-500 driveway alarm is a hard wired driveway alarm system. The DA500 control panel is capable of monitoring up to two of the DA051 metal sensing probes. The probes consist of an electrical coil and the DA500 control panel is constantly monitoring the resistance across the coil. When a large metal object, such as a vehicle, moves by the probe this causes a fluctuation which the control panel is able to pick up on and triggers an alarm condition.
Pros:
The DA500 is impressive as soon as you open the package. The control panel is a robust steel casing with solid steel screw terminals for all of your wire connections. All terminals are clearly labelled and easy to read. The system looks and feels industrial grade right out of the packaging and the system is manufactured in the United States. The magnetic probe sensor is reliable and does not suffer from false alarms like so many other motion or infra-red style systems are prone to.
Mier has gone above and beyond in developing accessories and add-ons for their system. They have everything from hard wired and wireless chime additions to appliance modules and even timers for other accessories. With all of these units being manufactured by Mier themselves they are designed for use specifically with the DA500 systems and come complete with easy to read instructions on how to connect them.
Cons:
As nice as the steel casing is, it does not fit well with just about any typical home décor, meaning the control panel itself needs to be installed in a utility room. The built in whistle works great in commercial applications but can be found annoying by home-owners. Fortunately there is the DA655 pleasant sounding chime available to add to the unit, this easily connect to the DA500CP and will sound a pleasant chime while the whistle is turned off on the control panel.
The other big drawback is related to the accessories options on the control panel. While either dry contact or 12V outputs are the standard in alarm and automation panels Mier has gone with a 24V output from their alarm panel. This can make it difficult, but not impossible, to use generic alarm or automation controllers with the system. Fortunately you can select to use the dry contact outputs instead of the 24V but it would have been nice to have the voltage option be a 12V output.
Overall:
Overall the Mier DA500 has proven to be a robust, reliable and accurate driveway alarm system. The few downsides can be easily overcome with work abounds using low voltage relays etc.. The panels ease of use, installation and ruggedness give users a peace of mind that they've purchased a unit they will be using for many years to come.
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