ActiveEye motion detectors falsing

I have 4 activeeye motion detectors...all are set to detect motion at all times. 3 of them are inside and have never given me a false motion detection, but the 1 that is outside on my porch seems to false semi-regularly between 11am and 4pm or so... I suspect this has to do with temperature, that once the temp gets above a certain threshold, the detector becomes susceptible to falsing in the heat/humidity.. (it gets to 80-90 degrees during that time).

Does anyone else have any experience with this problem or have any suggested solutions? I've heard of detectors losing their sensitivity in heat because they can't distinguish warm bodies from the ambient temperature, but this seems to be the opposite problem.

Thanks.

Reply to
random735
Loading thread data ...

While a few people have had occasional success with Active-eyes outside, particularly in colder climates, it's pretty well-known that X-10 PIRs suck for outside work. They see swaying trees, moving shadows, squirrels and birds.

You can play around with masking the PIR window with black electrical tape but that's very hit and miss and only works if the target will be very close to the detector and moving against something like a brick wall. The DM10s that came with the Robodog are a little better than the Active/Eagle/Hawk-eye PIRs, but not enough to depend on.

A better solution would be to buy *decent* PIRs with dual technology sensors and wire them to a powerflash or the minicontroller four channel powerflash DIY mod that's quite easy to do.

formatting link
About mid-page see:

Turning the mini controller into a dry contact receiver

-- Bobby G.

Reply to
Robert Green

Have you tried "swapping" sensors?? You may have one that's become unstable for reasons other than the immediate environment (ie. a bad detector).

You are correct in that PIR's tend to become less sensitive as the ambient temperature increases and the Piro element becomes "flooded" with IR. What is the motion sensor "looking at"?? Trees and shrubs that may move in the wind on a hot night may offer enough of a temperature delta to create a false. What about animals/birds? Have you checked that insects/spiders haven't found their way inside the detector? If you're placing a sensor designed for indoor applications "outside", then I can pretty well guarantee that you're going to have problems. It may be time to look at an alternative method of detection.

Reply to
Frank Olson

well the activeeye is designated as an outdoor sensor, for whatever that is worth coming from x10, but you make some excellent points. I will try swapping first. I had moved the sensor around to try to avoid having it looking at any trees/shrubs etc, and given that my falsing only occurs during the day, I suspect it's got to be somehow light or temperature related, as opposed to animals or trees which will also false it at night, or even a bad detector, but it's definitely worth trying.

the hardwired powerflash suggestion definitely sounds like the way to go for reliability, but probably pricier/more complicated than i'm really interested in getting into.

Reply to
random735

I think all that means is that it's gasketed and the battery cover screws down. I don't recall any discussions or claims of an improved PIR.

I only have two EagleEyes. One is between the screen door and the front door at the top of the frame and the other is above the basement stairwell. IIRC, every other location falsed like crazy all day long.

Your pattern could easily be squirrels or birds because they're not active at night. I wouldn't rule out trees because during the day they're reflecting sunlight and causing bright shadow patterns that don't occur at night. My X-10 PIR saw moving tree shadows on the lawn as motion and falsed like crazy on windy, sunny days at almost every time except noon when the shadows were the shortest. It falsed far less on still and overcast days.

When I first hooked up the cameras to activate with the PIR, I realized how big a problem squirrels and birds really were. A better PIR would ignore those targets, but X-10's pick them right up.

I hear you. I think that after you've spent enough time relocating them and chasing false activations you'll change your mind. I know I did!

-- Bobby G.

Reply to
Robert Green

Yes, I agree - nothing like a hardwired sensor.

If you do go with the x10 wireless ones though, if used outside, be very careful of placement. The can be very effective but be careful because they will pick up a lot more than you think. I do have 2 of them installed outside in weather that is frequently over 100 degrees (north Texas). For one of my sensors out front, it's mounted to a tree facing the house. That way I don't get background movement.

Martin Custer

formatting link

Reply to
AutomatedOutlet.com

Cabling-Design.com Forums website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.