Security advisors suggest that potential burglars will ring your doorbell to find out if anyone is home before they break in. So, if they hear what is thought to be a "big" dog inside, they may go elsewhere. This kit is the "big" dog. I did research this before I purchased this kit. Another alternate might be an MP3 recording of a big dog. But, by the time you've built a triggering circuit, power supply, and audio amplifier, this kit could be cheaper and easier to implement.
There are lots of components to be soldered so you'll need some soldering skills or you'll likely have problems. The kit lacks a lot of detailed assembly instructions, but all of the parts are easy to identify and provided in the order that they are to be installed. Nothing was missing and everything was of good quality.
Required but not provided, is an AC or DC power source and a 4 ohm speaker. For "newbies" to electronics, this may be a negative. I have several dozen old "wall-warts" and was able to find a suitable 9 VDC power source. 4 ohm speakers are not all that common but I ordered one from Amazon. The unit worked the very first time. Making any noise triggered the unit via the included mike and it started barking (and drove my real dog nuts)!
I don't plan to use the mike trigger anyway. What I want to do is trigger the unit from my doorbell, only enabling this when we, and our dog, are not home. Triggering from the doorbell causes a little more design and build in that you have to covert the 16 VAC doorbell signal to a switch closure. The kit does tell you how to use an external trigger. Another job is to create an enclosure for all of the circuitry and the speaker.
I think you can find and buy something similarly advertised and completely built but at a significantly higher price and I don't know if these pre-built designs work the same. For the price and time invested, I think this is a good deal and maybe a good "starter" project for those interested in electronics. If you search for this model online, you will find that this price on Amazon is pretty good.
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