Motion Sensor Problems
A motion sensor may be used around your home for any number of reasons. When attached to an exterior security light, it will turn on that light when anyone approaches the area for which the motion sensor is set up. If attached to a trail camera, it will fire a picture of the area your camera is trained in whenever it detects motion. Inside your home, it may be set up with a "nanny cam" to record certain rooms whenever anyone goes into them. But occasionally, users can experience trouble with motion sensors. Does this Spark an idea?
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Sensor Obstruction
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An easy thing to determine is whether the sensor is blocked for any reason. If your motion sensor is blocked, it cannot detect movement within its sensing range. In some cases, a spider may build a web over the sensor. Still other times, vegetation may have grown in front of the motion sensor to obstruct it. Simply clearing away the obstruction will help to improve your motion sensor's performance.
Dirty Sensor
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Outdoor-mounted sensors are particularly prone to becoming dirty. When your sensor becomes too dirty, the effect is the same as when it is blocked. By cleaning your dirty sensor, you can easily restore it to working order.
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False Motion
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Whether in your home or outside, you should check for natural movement in your motion sensor's range. Indoors, a blowing curtain or a turning fan may trigger the motion sensor. Outside, a tree branch or other piece of vegetation blowing in the wind can do the same. By removing the natural motion in your motion sensor's range--through shutting a window or turning off a fan indoors, cutting down the bothersome vegetation outside or repositioning your motion detector--you will improve its performance.
False Heat Signature
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Some motion sensors are triggered by a strong heat signature. This prevents them from being triggered by natural motion, but a strong heat source such as a fireplace or vent in wintertime can trigger them. By repositioning your motion sensor, you can avoid triggering it with a false heat signature.
Battery Life
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The life of the batteries powering your motion sensor will vary greatly depending on the brand of battery and the amount of motion that occurs in the range of the sensor. The more often your sensor is activated, the more it will draw life from the battery. Test the batteries in your motion sensor frequently.
False Daylight
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Motion sensors on many security lights are designed to save battery life by switching off while the ambient light in an area approximates daylight. If your motion sensor is failing to switch on a security light at night, check to see if another light in its proximity is causing it to shut down.
Repeat Triggering
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A common problem with trail cameras and chime detectors is that when someone lingers in the motion sensor's zone of detection, it will often cause the sensor to trigger the device continually. In lighting situations, this is not a problem. But for trail cameras and doorbell devices, this can prove to be annoying. To correct this problem, select a motion sensor that automatically stops triggering the device until the motion is no longer detected and then resets itself.
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