Types of Motion Sensors : To see and control what happens outside or inside your house, we tell you how to install a motion sensor that turns on a light or activates an alarm.
Suppose you want to reinforce the protection in your home, your office or your business. In that case, a good option is to install an alert system that allows you to detect and give notice if there is activity on the perimeter or inside your house.
We tell you how to connect a motion sensor to gain peace of mind and security where you need it most.
Different Types of Motion Sensors
Depending on whether they are placed inside or outside a building, these devices can light a lamp, sound an alarm or even send a signal to a security control panel. We tell you what the different options that exist are:
LED lamp with motion sensor
These devices are ideal for use as an outdoor motion sensor since they detect activity and immediately turn on a light that indicates the intrusion of something or someone, and you can see what has happened. They are ideal for patios and terraces.
If you are going to install a lamp with a motion sensor, keep in mind that you will have to carry three cables: the line or phase, the return, and a third, which is the neutral cable.
The energy savings that this LED technology allows makes this type of sensor ideal for the exterior of your house, both for security purposes and to have good light in patios and gardens.
In fact, due to their greater efficiency, LED lamps are being used as a replacement for many traditional lighting forms.
Reflector with motion sensor
If you have a park or a garden, this type of motion sensor for lights can be your great ally. The reason? Because when it detects movement, it turns on a powerful reflector that allows you to see into the distance.
Another advantage is that you can integrate this system with several reflectors or place different sensors in each one, associating them with a separate reflector.
Motion sensor for light
If there is already appropriate lighting in the space where you intend to place the sensor, you can directly purchase this type of equipment, which is the one that can be connected directly to existing lights.
Motion sensor camera
Some devices (especially wireless ones) incorporate a high-quality camera that sends an alert and transmits a sequence of images to the monitoring station or your cell phone in the event of an intrusion or at the owner’s request. It is operated through an application that is very easy to download and use.
How to Install Motion Sensor and Connect
To know how you should connect a motion detector, you will first have to know whether or not the equipment needs the power to operate. Let’s see how to do the installation in each case:
Sensor with electrical connection
This type of equipment requires that there be a current electrical network that feeds them. Installation is straightforward, and if done right, it can give you optimal coverage for motion detection and help you avoid false alarms. You have to follow these steps:
- The first and most important thing is to take all the necessary precautions. For this reason, it is essential to disconnect the power from the house from the mainboard. Also, since you are probably working outside your house to place the sensor and do not know if someone enters your home, it would not hurt to leave a note advising that no one reconnects the electricity.
- Now you must choose the place where you will place the sensor and check that there is an electrical installation available:
1. If you had already planned to install the sensor and left a small box on the wall for this purpose, the connection would be similar to connecting any light fixture.
2. If you did not plan, you will have to take the current from the nearest box. To get to the corner or point of installation, you will have to route the cables through the wall or ceiling. The simplest way (i.e. without breaking) is to do an outdoor facility and cover the wires with a cable channel.
3. It is time to screw the sensor in place. Most motion detectors have a mounting bracket that detaches from the main body of the device so that you can screw it to the wall first. This also makes it easier later to remove the motion detector from the wall for maintenance.
4. Now, you can open the motion sensor equipment and link the cables of your electrical installation inside. Once this is done, you can hook the motion sensor to its mount.
Wireless Sensor
If you know how to use a screwdriver, you will have no problem installing a wireless motion sensor.
These detectors do not require any electrical connection, so their placement is straightforward. It is enough to decide where to place them and then mount the equipment on the wall.
In addition, they are very light, so you will not have to worry about anchors or studs if you are installing them in a gypsum rock partition (Durlock).
How Motion Sensor Works
There are different types of sensors, and each one works with other technology. The most common are:
Ultrasound Sensors
These devices emit a signal that bounces off the walls, windows, furniture, and other objects located in the sensor’s environment. These signals stabilize and form a pattern.
If an intrusion is generated, that pattern is broken, and the device emits an alert signal that goes to the control panel. This system is widely used in alarm motion sensor equipment.
Infrared Sensors
They are the most used in home security. When your system is connected, it can detect heat and movement in the surrounding areas, creating a protective web.
If a moving object blocks too many sites of that network, the infrared energy levels change rapidly, and the sensors go off. This type of motion sensor is widely used for its low cost and high reliability.
Photoelectric Sensors
These systems emit beams of light to the final perimeter marker. If these lines of light are interrupted at any time, an alert signal is activated that announces the intrusion of a foreign body into the protected space.
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