The Best Barking Dog Alarm

Updated 09-17-2022

We have seen more than eight different brands of barking dog alarms that are currently on the market. While there are a number of other sites out there that have barking dog alarm reviews, we find reviewers haven’t tested the products themselves, rely on product paper work, or user comments after owning the product for a very short period of time.  Some of these reviews are not barking dog alarms at all, but have a dog breed as part of the brand name and others have comments or reviews that cover the wrong brands or models. 

Almost none of these reviews cover the expansion features that add on sensors provide, or offer setup help to customers beyond the included package instructions. 

Since 2010, we have been working with, testing, and selling the best barking dog alarm systems out on the market today. As a result, we are dedicating this site to share information from our years of experience with our readers and customers.

It is well known that most thieves will look for an easy target. The best way to protect your home or office from these crooks is to make them think it will be harder to steal something from your property than to go somewhere else. One way to do that is to have a large dog. During interviews, burglars have admitted that they would look for an easier target if they checked out a property with a large sounding dog.

Many victims interviewed have had a dog in the past and still want the secure feeling that their dog gave them. But they either don’t have time for, or can’t provide the extra effort to care for a live canine.

The next best thing to a live dog  is to have a quality electronic barking dog, because it sounds real from the outside of a home or office and all it needs is power to make it run.

About 2009, we began to research information about what the best electronic barking dog was and how it works. For the results of that search and to see a demonstration video click here. You may see a message the only secure content is showing. You will need to click on show all content to see the video.

We found a number of barking dogs alarms that work, but we wanted to find the best ones that sound realistic from the outside of a building. As a result of our research and product testing , we compiled a list of features that we believe make up the best barking dog alarms today.

1. It works with a provided AC to DC power adapter and continues to work if power is lost by using a set of back up batteries.
2. The main unit has a batteries getting low indicator.
3. It is loud enough and has the quality to sound like a real large dog from outside of a structure.
4. It can detect motion through objects such as wood; glass; brick; and plastic.
5. The main unit uses an adjustable sensitivity Microwave Radar sensor and has limited detection from the sides and speaker side.
6. The owner can arm and disarm it with an included remote control, removing the need to move the unit or have it barking while trying to turn it on or off.
7. The remote control has a panic button that will sound a siren alarm through the barking dog alarm speaker.
8. To our knowledge there is no barking dog alarm that can detect through solid metal, however these have available optional wireless add on sensors to be placed to get around metal, or to protect different areas by triggering the main barking dog unit.
9. The optional add on sensors can be matched to the main unit one at a time and will only work with the alarm they are matched to.
10. Each barking dog alarm is unique and more than one can be used in the same building without interfering with each other.
11. Both the Barking Dog Alarm Main Unit and at least one optional motion sensor is independently adjustable for different situations.
12. A Door/Window/Vibration sensor has magnetic contacts that can be expanded in series.
13. The included AC to DC switching power supply can be used in the USA out of the box and internationally from 110 AC volts up to 240 AC volts with a simple plug adapter (not included).
14. One Year Manufacturer Warranty.

As of this date, we have found four barking dog alarms that meet the above features. They can be found under the brand names of HomeSafe model 639SR; SafeFamilyLife model EWD-1; Safety Technology model EWD-1; and StreetWise model SWEWD. We have tested all four of these units and they are identical with the exception of the brand names and model numbers stamped on the products.

All four of the alarm main units can use three specific HomeSafe branded sensors and extra remote controls to expand their coverage and ability . We have reviewed these sensors on another blog post. Click Here.

The shape, size, and look of each of these alarm main units is the same. Only the brand name is different. The barking dog alarm main unit stands 7 inches tall. At the front is a five inch speaker with an output of 5 watts; which is all you want to make the sound realistic from outside of the building.

The bottom left LED will glow green when plugged into power and the batteries are good. It will glow yellow when the power has failed and you are running on batteries, the batteries are getting low, or are missing when plugged into power.

The bottom right LED will glow red when the system is armed. (The system has a one minute setup time before it will detect.)

The right side of the alarm has two adjustment knobs. One is for on/off volume control and the other is for Sensitivity or distance the unit will detect.

The volume control on/off click is at the low end of the volume. The sensitivity control lets you adjust for detection distance. This will also help you adjust how the sensors pick up through different thicknesses and types of walls, windows or doors.

The left side of the unit allows you to set the alarm to Bark, Chime, or Siren.

There is an Arm/Disarm button in case you don’t have your remote control. This side also has the port that the supplied AC to DC adapter plugs into.

The below photo of the back of the main unit shows the open battery compartment. 8 AA alkaline batteries (Not included) are placed here to run the alarm in case of power failure.

A note here about batteries: We recommend that you use quality brand names such as Energizer due to the possibility of leakage. Leakage can corrode and destroy electronic contacts and components. In any case you should check often and switch out batteries that have the slightest sign of leakage in any electronic device.

This back side of the Main Unit is the only part of the system that can penetrate objects with the microwave sensor, however there are three types of optional sensors that can be added to enhance functionality. The learn button, shown above, is used to mix and match these sensors or additional remote controls to the unit. (Up to 16 total can be added). This battery side of the unit faces the wall, or other object you want to see through. The speaker side faces into the room, so the sound of the bark can bounce off of walls and ceilings to make it realistic sounding from outside or another room of the structure.

The figures below shows the general microwave detection areas of these dog alarms when mounted on a wall. These detection areas can be increased or decreased with the sensitivity control on the main unit side.

The Below figures show the right and wrong way to set the Barking Dog Alarm location when protecting a door or wall.

The included remote control is powered by an included CR2032 button battery. This battery should be changed every six months, or when you need to be close to the alarm for it to work. With a fresh battery the range of the remote is up to 30 meters (98 feet); 20 meters or (65 feet) is average.

This remote control comes branded with the same logo as the barking dog alarm. Any new add on additional remote controls will have the HomeSafe brand.

There are three buttons on the remote control. The PANIC button will cause the alarm to SIREN. It will reset after 30 to 90 seconds. Many people request that this button cause the alarm to BARK, however that is not the case and currently there is no way to change this on the main unit. The ARM button will activate the alarm and it will give a short bark (in Bark Mode). After about a minute the alarm will give a tone and be ready to detect movement. The DISARM button will deactivate the alarm, acknowledged with a tone immediately, including the panic mode.

In our opinion, these are the general features of the best barking dog alarm main unit.

A note about all motion sensors and barking dog alarms that use microwave radar movement detection. Some people think that these sensors and alarms will only detect people. That would be great if they did, but these are motion detectors. Just like a real dog they will bark at anything that moves, even what we might not see including: large animals inside or outside; plants blowing in the wind; curtains moving with your heater or air conditioners; air circulation fans; and walking close by the unit on any side.  All of these are usually easy to manage with the proper setup.

You can view and purchase the alarms on our sister site ForSecuritySake.com . You can check out the alarms here.

Be Safe out there!