Found a better way to test motion sensors after a false alarm disaster

Last month I had a call at a dentist office in Des Moines where their motion sensor kept tripping every night around 2 AM. I spent three hours checking wiring and reprogramming before I realized a heat vent was blowing directly on the sensor. Now I always check for HVAC vents and air currents before I mount anything. Anyone else run into weird stuff like that causing false alarms?

2 comments

2 Comments

aarons3629d agoMost Upvoted

Heat vents are the absolute worst for false alarms, I learned that one the hard way too. Had a similar situation in a warehouse where the sensor would go off every time the furnace kicked on (like clockwork) and I felt like an idiot when I finally noticed the vent. Also ran into a case where a big ceiling fan was causing the sensor to trigger because the air movement was just enough to shift the detection pattern. Spiders and bugs crawling right across the lens are another sneaky one (I had a ladybug set off an alarm once). Now I always do a quick walkthrough with a laser pointer or just wave my hand near any vents before I drill anything.

johns1829d ago

Does your buddy still do installs? I had a friend who spent damn near two hours chasing a ghost in a church basement. Turned out a dehumidifier was kicking on and the fan was just barely moving a curtain that was in front of the sensor. He said he felt like a detective in a bad mystery movie.