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Build a Mailbox Alarm that Sends You a Text Whenever You Get Mail
If you've ever checked the mail repeatedly only to find it empty, or
your mailbox is a good hoof from your house, this project is for you. It's a simple photo-sensitive alarm that will fire off an SMS message to your phone when the mailbox is opened and the sensor is triggered. Related The video above shows you how it works, and while it definitely requires some specific electronics to make it work, it's nothing you can't do easily with a little effort. Here's how Instructables user nikoala3 describes it: http://lifehacker.com/build-a-mailbo...-yo-1394293178 How well would your router work for detecting the mailman? I was thinking something like having a sensor on the delivery vehicle so when the mailman gets within range of your house, it would detect it. |
#2
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Build a Mailbox Alarm that Sends You a Text Whenever You Get Mail
Metspitzer wrote:
If you've ever checked the mail repeatedly only to find it empty, or your mailbox is a good hoof from your house, this project is for you. It's a simple photo-sensitive alarm that will fire off an SMS message to your phone when the mailbox is opened and the sensor is triggered. Related The video above shows you how it works, and while it definitely requires some specific electronics to make it work, it's nothing you can't do easily with a little effort. Here's how Instructables user nikoala3 describes it: http://lifehacker.com/build-a-mailbo...-yo-1394293178 How well would your router work for detecting the mailman? I was thinking something like having a sensor on the delivery vehicle so when the mailman gets within range of your house, it would detect it. Unless you are in a rural area where the mailbox is so far away that you won't be able to see it or it's hidden by woods, why bother tying you computer to a simple detector in the mailbox? Seems you could just build a latch circuit with a battery and a flashing lamp. A magnetic switch would detect when the mailbox door was opened. A latch circuit would fire to connect the strobing/flashing lamp to the battery. Just go to a window to peer outside to see if the light is on. When you retrieve your postal mail, just press a reset button that unsets the latch (which could be a semiconductor or mechanical relay type). If you don't want to buy the parts and build it yourself, you can buy mailbox alarms, even wireless ones to ring a chime inside your house. Adding a computer into the mix smacks of building a Rube Goldberg setup. If your computer isn't powered up, is idling in a low-power mode, or you have a power outage then it isn't going to help you. Plus you would need to leave your computer logged into your account along with your e-mail client always left running so it could popup an alert to tell you when you got the new e-mail alert. You would need to have speakers and they would need to be unmuted since a screensaver would prevent you from seeing the popup alert plus you would have to be within view of your monitor to see the visual alert. A lot of dependencies for just a door sensor. If you don't want to go the wireless route or even bother with any electronics, hell, there are flip-up flags that popup when the door is opened. When the mail person opens the door to put in your mail, a spring-loaded flag pops up. Again, just look out the window to see if the flag is up or not. Some don't even use a spring but instead a bit of curved plastic. You bend it down to keep it down by the door closing over it. When the mailbox door is opened, it flips up. Of course, with the e-mail approach, you could be notified when you have new postal mail in your mailbox using a mobile device; however, unless you are home then there's no point in telling you that there is something in your mailbox when you're not home to go visit your mailbox. Besides, it'll do you good to get your big squashed butt out of the computer chair or lazybox watching TV to go walk over to your mailbox even several times. You should be getting out of the chair every hour or two so a trip to the mailbox will do the trick. Typically I don't bother checking for postal mail until getting home from work or during the evening which is long after the work hours for any postal carrier. This e-mail alert setup is a solution in search of a problem. |
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Build a Mailbox Alarm that Sends You a Text Whenever You Get Mail
In article , VanguardLH wrote:
Metspitzer wrote: If you've ever checked the mail repeatedly only to find it empty, or your mailbox is a good hoof from your house, this project is for you. It's a simple photo-sensitive alarm that will fire off an SMS message to your phone when the mailbox is opened and the sensor is triggered. Unless you are in a rural area where the mailbox is so far away that you won't be able to see it or it's hidden by woods, why bother tying you computer to a simple detector in the mailbox? Seems you could just Even simpler, I ran a buried pair up my driveway to the mailbox, a magnetic switch that closed a contact when the box was opened, and a buzzer in the house that sounded when the contact was closed. I powered it with the 24 volts from the sprinkler controller with a series resistor such that with the resistor loss plus the line loss, there was about 6 volts left for the buzzer. The previous soulutions all seem unnecessaraly complex. Sure I am only notified when I am home, but if I have been out and return around or after the postpersons usual time, I will check it anyway. -- Rich Greenberg Sarasota, FL, USA richgr atsign panix.com + 1 941 378 2097 Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67 Canines: Val,Red,Shasta,Zero,Casey & Cinnar (At the bridge) Owner:Chinook-L Canines: Red & Max (Siberians) Retired at the beach Asst Owner:Sibernet-L |
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Build a Mailbox Alarm that Sends You a Text Whenever You Get Mail
On Thu, 26 Sep 2013 12:52:51 -0500, VanguardLH wrote:
or two so a trip to the mailbox will do the trick. Typically I don't bother checking for postal mail until getting home from work or during the evening which is long after the work hours for any postal carrier. This e-mail alert setup is a solution in search of a problem. Agreed. Unless I'm awaiting a package I need I simply check the mailbox late in the day. |
#5
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Build a Mailbox Alarm that Sends You a Text Whenever You Get Mail
On Thu, 26 Sep 2013 12:28:18 -0400, Metspitzer
wrote: If you've ever checked the mail repeatedly only to find it empty, or your mailbox is a good hoof from your house, this project is for you. It's a simple photo-sensitive alarm that will fire off an SMS message to your phone when the mailbox is opened and the sensor is triggered. Related The video above shows you how it works, and while it definitely requires some specific electronics to make it work, it's nothing you can't do easily with a little effort. Here's how Instructables user nikoala3 describes it: http://lifehacker.com/build-a-mailbo...-yo-1394293178 How well would your router work for detecting the mailman? I was thinking something like having a sensor on the delivery vehicle so when the mailman gets within range of your house, it would detect it. I've thought of building a video surveillance, couple lenses front or maybe one back (PVC privacy fenced in, anyway). The control monitors are pretty nifty, storage options (SS be cool) and playback timing retinues, action sequence triggers (what you're specifically after)...lots of things (used to work indirectly as an operative with them, also). Coax or aerial transmission, a dedicated monitor or integrated multimedia system, color or b&w, degree of nightvision...they one of those give'away sales items that I catch periodically surfacing for a song&dance, anyway. Cable traffic is killing it for me, though. It would have to be a pretty damn little tight package before I'd consider pulling for routing up another "box." - Come As you are As you were As I want you to be As a friend As a friend As an old enemy Take your time Hurry up The Choice is yours Dont' be late Take a rest As a friend As an old memoria Memoria Memoria Memoria Come Dowsed in mud Soaked in bleach As I want you to be As a trend As a friend As an old memoria Memoria Memoria Memoria And I swear That I don't have a gun No I don't have a gun No I don't have a gun -Cobain |
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