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slugbait's profile

Friday, January 17th, 2020 5:27 PM

Patio motion sensor in warm weather

I have an attached enclosed patio. All sides of the patio have several large sliding glass windows with screens. There's 2 entry doors. I wouldn't say the windows and doors are cheesy, but they're not as solidly build as ones you would find in your house. The doors are covered with entry sensors. I have 1 glass break sensor mounted to the ceiling pointing down, that seems to be the best place for it to hear all the windows. The motion sensor is mounted in one corner that covers the whole patio. We rarely go out in the patio, it's mostly used for storage so I keep the windows closed for security reasons. My question is, having all the windows closed year around, will I have issues with false alarms when the weather starts getting warmer and there's very little air circulation in the patio?

1.2K Messages

5 years ago

Possibly.  A motion sensor works by detecting quick heat changes.  For example, a 98 degree human walks by so the sensor sees a heat change and triggers.  Even an indoor unit mounted under a heat vent could get set off.  These sensors were also designed to work indoors where temps stay relatively the same so it may take some experimentation on your part.  Motion sensors can be setup for secret alert which is a good way to test them out without setting off the alarm system.  With this option you can get a text that motion was seen, but the alarm stays quiet.

Captain

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6K Messages

5 years ago

@Slugbait I have a motion sensor in my garage and it gets very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter as we are north of Chicago. No issues, as the garage has is not temp controlled it also has no windows.  The sun will effect the performance of your motion sensor, even on the inside of your house if its facing due east like mine formerly did.  Don't recommend a motion in your patio room.
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