Lightning Detector

I decided to buy this product after reading about lightning from the NOAA.gov website: [...]. It is suggested at this website to buy a handheld or portable lightning detector so I chose this one.This product is meant mainly for outdoor use. The instructions for the product states "While StrikeAlert will work indoors, its ability to detect lightning strikes can be affected by common sources of electromagnetic emissions, such as: CRTs (television or computer monitors), Motors and engines, or High-powered electronics equipment."I like this device because it tells you the distance of how far away you are from the lightning: 0-6, 6-12, 12-24, and 24-40 miles away.I haven't had a chance to try this out yet as I've only owned it for three days, but it will give me peace of mind when I'm outdoors for any outdoor activity.

I got this lightning detector because I LOVE taking photographs of lightning storms over the South shore on Lake Superior. They happen often during Summer months, often with no sound/thunder nor rainfall. I live about 30-35 miles away from the lake though and rarely get the same shows near my home. So I wanted a way to tell if there was anything brewing over the big lake all the way out at my house. Most detectors only read up to 25 miles max or they run several hundred dollars for a unit. It's mostly just for convenience of having an alert that tells me when it's worth making the drive to take photos, so I can't justify a $200-$300+ detector. This one has worked well for me. Keep in mind it doesn't function very well inside of buildings or vehicles. It's meant to be used outside in the open atmosphere where it can detect the electromagnetic fluctuations from lightning bolts. It will still detect some strikes inside though, just not all of them. The instructions could have been written better in my opinion. But I got the hang of it. You hold the power button to turn it on in silent mode. Or continue to hold the power button when turning it on until it makes an audible beep to put it into audio alert mode. Press and hold until the lights activate to get it's storm direction prediction. Coming in, going away, standing still, or not enough strikes to make a prediction. Then you long press the power button until the device turns off to power down. Not sure why so many people seem to be struggling with the functions, but hopefully that helps someone. Mine hasn't given any false alerts as of yet. And I left it on during a storm all day, all night, and to mid day the following day and the battery was still going strong. I manually shut it off. For the price and the fact that it detects up to 40 miles as opposed to 25 miles, I think it's worth it and reliable enough to trust for a personal safety device or a notification system like I'm using it for. I would recommend it to a friend. There are likely better more expensive ones but this does well enough to negate any need for me to spend that kind of money on a higher end one

The lightening in Florida can come on unexpectedly and the strike alert is a must if you are outside and especially if you are participating in a sport that keeps you focused away from the weather. With a swimming pool, horseback riding, and outdoor volleyball and an 11 y/o granddaughter, I would not be without this product! I actually got one for the riding instructor who owns the farm and she is thrilled. Taking her riders on a trail ride while not knowing the weather conditions is not desirable. She uses it all the time. It may seem expensive, but being hit by lightening is a high price to pay when it could have been avoided. SAFETY FIRST with STRIKEALERT! Your best buddy when outside and especially in Florida!

BOUGHT THIS AS MY FIRST LIGHTNING DETECTOR TO USE JUST AS A REFERENCE WHILE I AM OUT CAMPING OR HIKING. IT WORKS GOOD WHEN THERE IS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WHICH IS WHAT IT IS MADE FOR BUT THE CLOUD TO CLOUD OR INTRA-CLOUD LIGHTNING IT EITHER DOESN'T DETECT IT OR MIS-JUDGES THE DISTANCE. THE UNIT WILL TELL YOU IF THE STORM IS MOVING CLOSER OR MOVING AWAY FROM YOU. IT ALSO GIVES YOU THE STATUS OF THE BATTERIES EVERY TIME YOU TURN IT ON. ITS NICE HAVING THE AUDIBLE ALARM THAT CORRESPONDS WITH THE DISTANCE, BUT ITS EVEN BETTER THAT YOU CAN SHUT IT OFF SO FOR INSTANCE IF YOU ARE AT WORK YOU CAN HAVE IT ON YOUR DESK TO WATCH THE LIGHTNING BOLTS.

I bought this for kayaking so I would know when to get off the water. On 2 occasions, I could see lightning strikes in the far distance and this device wouldn't make a sound. Most of the time it did, but sometimes it didn't, and that was enough for me to lose faith in the device. I gave it 3 stars because it has detected strikes that I couldn't see/hear, giving me time to casually paddle close to shore before a storm rolled in.

I have a swimming pool and while clouds move in you just never know which one to trust. Sometimes the sky is clear and distant storms on the way, this device will let me know. It tells me if the storm is coming or going away from me. I love that it is portable! We take it camping with us. If you are at all concerned with lighting, get one. The piece of mind alone is worth the value.