Please answer if you have a motion sensor currently installed in/around your home/business.?

Question

Dear Yahooligans:

I currently own a battery-operated Skylink motion sensor. I tried to install it around my home (outside) but the sensor keeps making false alarms. When the weather is warm though, the false alarms are SOMETIMES gone for a while. The batteries (9V) just lasted around 3-4 days with false alarms. I think it's because of the cold weather causing these batteries to die. How can I monitor the front entrance of my home (exterior) AND have it protected from the cold? Can I put the sensor on a window? How? Also, if you have a story similar to this one, please share it with us. We'd love to hear from you (I do, at least).

Thank you!

---Stephen

Answer 1

I use X 10 sensors around my house. It is extremely difficult to prevent false activation, though. Cats, moving trees and shrubs and even birds can set them off.

It is best to position them so the field of vision is somewhat protected from these. Also it is possible to columnate the field of view. Perhaps have them look through a short tube. This minimizes the total area they see.

The x 10 stuff is fairly inexpensive, and the batteries last a long, long time. You can find them on the Internet. Also you can find similar devices at Radio Shack.