good PIR external light sensor

[bludger]

Hi,

I need to change my outside PIR which operates two 60w lamps. It is very erratic and seems to be on far more than it should be, with no cause. It was a cheapo so I'm not complaining.

But it has also proved impossible to adjust properly. If set to respond to ourselves going out the front door, then cars going past on the road also set it off. So do bats flying near it, no matter what the setting, .

I have the idea that this PIR responds to both movement and heat. I wonder if, for our situation, one that responded only to heat would be best. Is there such a model? And would it respond well enough to the heat from a human body?

If such a thing doesn't exist, how could I find out the activation range of a better sensor before I bought it? It would have to be positioned carefully to do the job.

Hope somebody can help.

 

[saxondale]

its movement OF heat old chap not either or, the more you pay the better these things get - we can set ours to within a couple of inches of a pavement etc but the sensors and control unit doesnt leave much out of a couple of hundred all said

 

[bludger]

Well, Saxondale, I may have to think again. A couple of hundred smackers may be more than we are prepared to pay.

I'll talk it over with the wife tomorrow. Thanks for your reply.

 

[ColJack]

what saxondale is describing sounds like more of a commercial / industrial set up with multiple PIR's controlling miltiple lights..


stand alone PIR's are in the range of £15-£30..

you may need to mask off some of the sensor to eliminate nuisance triggering..

the light outside my moms front door comes on every time someone runs the hot tap in the bathroom...

 

[bludger]

Hi,

Having thought it over, I'm going to simply go for a two-way manual switch setup. One switch indoors for when we leave the house and the other on the outside wall of the garage for when we come back,

Our friends will just have to remember where to turn on the outside lights when they come to call.

Thanks for your advice. I appreciate it.