Types of Pool Alarms
Pool alarms fall into four main categories: in-pool wave sensors, subsurface motion detectors, gate and door alarms, and wearable alarms. Each detects a different aspect of unauthorized pool access, and the most effective implementations use multiple types in combination — a layered approach that reduces the probability of an undetected entry event to near zero.
In-pool wave sensor alarms float at the pool surface and detect wave disturbance created when a person or object enters the water. They sound a loud alarm at the poolside unit and transmit a wireless signal to an indoor receiver. False alarm rates are the primary usability concern — wind, rain, and pool equipment cycling can all create surface disturbance that triggers the alarm. Better-quality in-pool alarms use algorithms to distinguish entry events from environmental disturbance; lower-cost units produce false alarms frequently enough that owners disable them, defeating their purpose.