Customer Reviews

Dakota Alert DK-WMT-3000 Dakota Alert Extra Wireless Transmitter

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

After my Chamberlain system failed due to water leakage, I was thrilled to see that the Dakota Wireless Transmitters had a rubber ring to waterproof. I was also thrilled to see that it's wireless range is 600. However, when testing, I find that it barely makes it 100' direct line of sight with transmitter sitting upright (antenna vertical) and receiver upright with absolutely no obstacles between the units. When I called Dakota, they said that the FCC changed the rules about the transmitters and that they couldn't get the range that they did a few years ago. So, the reviews are giving this unit a 5 were from units sold a few years ago and not from current sales. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN FALSE CLAIMS! On the other hand, they do say UP TO 600', and 100' is UP TO, but not even close......

I thought it was great when I bought it. Soon though I found people coming to the door without hearing the alarm going off beforehand. It only worked for 6 months. Stay away from this company and this product.

I purchased two transmitters and two receivers for my farm. The receivers work fine but the transmitters are unreliable. Both transmitters leaked allowing rain water to ruin the electronics. The warranty only lasts one year. In total I paid over $300 for what I consider junk.

My place isn't that big so it only has to transmit about 150'. It has worked perfectly for a year. Through storm and freezing weather. It hasn't given any false alerts. When it goes off and I spotlight the backyard there will be something standing there...deer, big dog. It will pickup cats sometimes but I can get over that. We haven't even changed the battery yet. I'm going to expand this year and get more transmitters.

Poor range for transmitter and poor sensitivity for motion detector. Strongly recommend you pass on this device. The only reason I rated it at one star is because there was not a lower rating. If you have a large home or business and need more than 100' of range you will not be happy with this product.
Thank goodness for Amazon's return policy.

You can place up to 4 of these sensor/transmitters around your house for full coverage and detect movement of human beings... we have a "Peeping Tom" in our neighbor hood and I will be the one to catch him just you wait and see! Using the PIR-3000 miniature receiver and clip it on my shirt at night when I go to bed... just waiting for it to go off one night here soon. Works great... many settings and options. Plenty sensitive. No false alarms... even in a downpour... very well designed.

I put mine on 2x4 posts sunk in the ground and painted forest green and growing ivy on them to blend them in more. Front detector I will paint and disguise and cable/telephone equipment and have that one watch my cars in my driveway.

The problem with alarm systems is that they detect the bad guy after he is inside you home (has broken through the perimeter)... NOT GOOD! You really want to detect him while he is prowling around outside still. This system will do that.

I have a 400 ft driveway and limited visability to anyone approaching the house. I mounted the Xtra Zone Transmitter about 40ft from the end of the driveway and it has worked flawlessly. It's simple to set up will detect anything crossing it's sensor.

I now have owned this product for nearly 4 years. I was sure this product would stop working or be miss firing false motion alerts. But it has not the product lived up to its name. False motion alerts are about 1 in 200 alerts. Missed motion alerts are 1 in 35 mostly at night with black cars. I have 2 detectors outside running fine with 9volt lithium batteries that have not been changed. Inside the receiver speakers has been replaced but the system as a whole is really impressively solid.

I have very mixed feelings about these Dakota Alert transmitters. Note that this review only covers the transmitter, not the receiver/base station.

Here are my experiences:

The Good:

When they are in operating condition, the transmitters work well for our situation. If something crosses the path of the beam, it sends a signal to the base station which chimes. That is all well and good.

I also have to give credit where credit is due - a few years ago, our chime went off at about 3 AM. It turns out a burglar was on our property. Thanks to the "early warning" of the Dakota Alert system, we were able to summon the Police who arrested the man. Without the chime, we would never have known the burglar was prowling until it was too late.

The Bad:

We have two of these transmitters set up on our property. In the past 4 years, I have had to replace them both about 3 times due to various electronic failures. That gets EXPENSIVE very quickly.

While I LOVE the "early warning" provided by this Dakota Alert transmitter, the fact that they are seemingly so cheaply made and NOT very weather resistant is getting really old really fast!

One tip - If your transmitter will be located where it will be exposed to the full weather elements (rain, etc.), run a piece of thick, heavy duty tape around the seal where the door seals together. This greatly extended the life of the last transmitter we had outdoors. Unfortunately, the squirrels decided to chew it to pieces. So, once again, I must decide if ANOTHER expenditure is worth it.

I would summarize by saying that the Dakota Alert transmitters do their job. However, they seem to be short-lived devices, especially if used in unprotected outdoor locations. You will be replacing them every so often, but when they work, you just might be thankful you have one; maybe consider it part of your "insurance" premiums!

Good Luck!

I have been using Dakota Alert alarm units for about six months. I have seven transmitters outside dispersed over a two acre area and two receivers in the house to signal when visitors drive in the driveway or when deer are shopping in the garden. I use all four of the available alarm signals to indicate the approximate direcrion of the intruder. The units work very well. One unit was defective on receipt, and it was promptly replaced by the manufacturer. The original batteries are still working. Fine units.