Motion Sensor

Gary from Muleshoe

Well-known Member
What is a good brand name motion sensor? I have been getting them from big box stores. I have one on the front above garage door and one at the back door, both sensors are identical, set exactly the same, the one in the front is brand new and comes on and will not go off. The one in the back has been there for 5 years and works great. I have had to replace the one in front every couple years because of this problem. What am I over looking here?
 
Is the one out front exposed to direct sunlight during part of the day/season/year?
 
Gary, I haven't found any that work, but haven't tried in several years. I put several up around my moms house, some at the church.

All failed to function properly or quit working completely. Some seemed to be false tripping from the wind and moving trees.

Possibly stepping up to a commercial grade might work better, but that is still a big gamble, looking at $200 for a fixture!
 
They usually have a manual override built into them. This is usually activated by turning the light switch on and off within a certain period of time. Check the instructions for this feature. I have gotten a good motion detector through Echo Electric wholesale houses but I cannot remember the brand. IIRC it is a common lighting brand name, but it escapes my memory at the moment.
 
Ok. I always hate to bring up the simple things but I also know how often I can miss the easy fix
 
Hello Gary from Muleshoe,

Here is one that is close to the best thing since sliced bread! well.................. almost. STEALTH STL110W
1000 watts capacity 110* view angle; led detection/indicator; It simulates/looks like video camera surveillance light;. surge protection; temperature compensation circuit; protected manual override; 10 year warranty. Mine is about 7 years old. The first one failed within the first year, free replacement. This one is still going strong. It will pick up at least 70 feet away, light sensor is adjustable, sensitivity adjustable and time light will stay on adjustable. $49.99 at the local electric supply,

Guido.
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I have seen in the past, in the installation literature, that may be a problem. Some years ago, I tried several on my shop that faced directly into the afternoon summer sun, and gave up after a couple of years.

Maybe just a coincidence, but I doubt the hottest, brightest, direct sun of the day does them any good.
 
Have gone thru a bunch over the years. Mostly Heath-Zenith. Some good and some bad. All apparently are poorly engineered for durability. Not impressed with any.
 
Do you have LED bulbs in it? Some units won't work right with them. Apparently they require a certain amount of load to work. I have one I replaced about a year ago like that. It would come on but not go out. I thought it was faulty and took it back to Home Depot and exchanged it. The new one was the same way. Then I read about that situation some place on the internet. I replaced the bulbs with halogen and it works fine with them.
 
Hello Bob,

Mine faces the sun till noon, and no restriction on where to mount it. Water proof and it is 6 years old.

Guido.
 


The ones exposed to the north/west winds act weird when the cold fronts come through... The ones on the other side of the barn act normal. The cold winds trip the sensors into seeing motion by the heat changing rapidly. The sensors are NOT motion sensors in the VIDEO sense, but are HEAT changing sensors in the truer sense. Some work on the infrared level which is a special wavelength of video related to heat.

corrosion, accumulation of dust, spider webs, dirt daubers, and cloudy cheap plastic lenses can contribute to early failure in sensing changes in infrared heat. Remember the sensor is looking for a rapid change to trigger "movement". And there is a simple solar cell to turn off sensor in daylight in most casesd if used for lighting, but not for alarms.
 
The first one I brought from lowe's (don't remember the brand name but its brown and uses flood lights has been going strong for 15 years. Lets just call it the brown one for now.

I installed 3 on the new shop the sensors lasted about 10 years and went bad, They are a P.I.T.A. to change out the sensor so what I did was mount the sensors independent of the light to make them EZ to change out. I have not had to change one out seance I relocated the sensors.

I have looked for the sensors for the brown set up but have not found them separate. My tip would be to relocate the sensors were they are out of the sun the best you can do...
 
The light sensors we have at work say to mount them facing north if possible (or shade from direct sun). The ones facing south seem to yellow out and fail in a short time. I wonder if the same is true for motion detectors?

Aaron
 

Not to highjack your thread but you should see how confused the members of the local church are now. The light and phart fan are on the same switch . People leave , shut off the switch and leave a lingering cloud in the room.
I installed a pair of motion sensors with a 5 minute delay timer in place of the light switches .
The parishioners were pawing the motion switches like cats at a peice of yarn. Trying to turn the light off.
 

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