Uses

• Non-contact voltage meters will alert the user to the presence of voltage in a wire the voltage meter tip is touching. This tells the user if the line is "hot."
  
  

Ranges

• Most non-contact voltage testers will detect the presence of voltages between 50 and 1000 Volts.
  
  

Accuracy

• These units only react to presence of voltage and do not indicate value of voltage.
  
  

Safety

• As the user is not in direct contact with a charged line, non-contact units are much safer than contact meters.
  
  

Prices

• Simple voltage detectors cost as little as $8 and as much as $100 depending upon the features desired.
  
  

Warnings

• Non-contact voltage detectors may give voltage readings on lines which have static charges or are receiving voltage induced from nearby lines. Treating a "cold" line as "hot" is safer than the reverse case.