How to install PIR sensor minimize the false alarm?

One of the biggest problems with installing a motion detector alarm is that they tend to set off false alarms. Contrary to popular belief, false alarms are not caused by cheaper alarms, but instead by bad placement of the alarms.

This means that when you install wireless motion detector alarms, you will need to make sure that you place them in spots which will maximize their effectiveness and minimize their false alarms.

When simple things like air blowing from a furnace, or a bug crawling across the floor can set off your alarm, you are going to be in for a lot of false alarms. This tends to be more of a problem with systems run by ultrasonic or photoelectric beams. These would shoot off a beam and when something interrupted the stream of the beam, the motion detector alarm would sound.

Today, we have far more advanced technology with Passive InfraRed (PIR) and Microwave (MW) technologies. These prevent many of the false alarms which occurred from the older types of detectors as these detect for heat and waves, not just movement.

One of the best ways, although one of the hardest, to test your placement of your alarms is to wait until you get a false alarm and then troubleshoot it. False alarms can also be caused by radio frequency interference, lightning, power surges and equipment failures. Make sure it isn’t any of these problems first. If you are sure, go check the placement. See if they is anything around the motion detector alarm that may set it off indiscriminately.

Since pets are a common culprit of setting off these alarms, you can actually get ones which are pet-proof. These have programmed in them the heat signature of a pet and when the motion detector alarm reads this, they do not go off.

Try your hardest to keep pests and bugs out of your home. These small creatures set off the motion detector alarm often on their own. Keep ant or mice traps around if need be. Just make sure that you keep all of the pests out.

Often, you will have a wireless motion detector alarm. This will need to be tested and have its batteries changed every so often. If you do not comply, then you may end up with no alarm at all. Keeping your wireless motion detector in top shape will only help its overall performance.

If you install hardwired alarm systems or use hardwired PIR motion sensors, then you can install two PIRs to guard the same area (each separated by many feet). You need to connect the two together in "series connection", therefore both PIR motion sensors have to detect same intrusion at the same time, before they would send an activation to the alarm panel. This installation method can eliminate bugs on just single PIR sending an false alarm. This can avoid false alarms are generated by spiders, ants and roaches crawling or flying across the lens of motion sensor, since bugs won't be crawling across both detectors'lenses at same time.

Please remember that motion sensor alarms are just tools and will only work as well as they were installed and are operated. Blaming a faulty installation or operation on the device is not fair and not going to get you anywhere but frustrated. Do everything you can to prevent false alarms and you will be happier and sleep better for it.