Motion Sensors & Detectors

Motion Sensors and Motion Detectors

Motion sensors and motion detectors can be a vital part of a home security system as well as a way to add a touch of convenience to your home. Tired of unloading groceries in the dark? Add a motion sensor to a flood light over your driveway. Can never find the light switch in the basement? Add a motion detector to turn it on automatically.

What are motion sensors and motion detectors?

Motion sensors and motion detectors are small, sometimes battery-powered devices that can detect movement. Typically they're programmed to ignore small movements, like pets, and only activate with more significant movements, like those created by a person.

Connected together, motion sensors can be a part of a comprehensive home security system. On their own, you can use them to activate lights when you enter a room or outside area, like when you arrive home or open a dark cupboard.

Many motion sensors and motion detectors can be connected to your home's Wi-Fi network and, via an app on your phone or tablet, send you an alert when they sense movement. Adorama carries a wide variety of motion sensors and motion detectors from brands like Eve, Samsung, and American Power Conversion.

Other types of detectors

You can get devices that detect more than just movement. Carbon monoxide detectors can sense and sound an alarm when they detect this dangerous, odorless gas. Water detectors, when placed in basements or near water heaters, can alert you before a leak gets out of hand, something which is especially useful in low-traffic areas. Some can even detect changes in humidity and temperature to help prevent mold growth and frozen pipes.

Door and window sensors can be an important part of a home security system. There are also noise sensors that can detect a sudden rise in sound in an area, like a broken window, for example.

Where do you mount motion sensors and detectors?

It's best to think of a motion sensor or motion detector like a camera. It needs to be able to "see" the area to detect any motion. Each sensor has a specific field of view—usually an arc that's measured in degrees—and that's where it can detect movement.

You have to consider the field of view when you install a camera. Make sure you place it high in a corner so it can see a whole room, for instance, or at the end of a hallway or facing a door. And, if possible, test how well the camera and its software works before you mount it anywhere permanently.