All You Need to Know About Motion Detector Lights
The safety and security of your home are your prime concern, no matter where you live or safe your neighborhood is. For this purpose, people spend thousands of dollars every year on state-of-the-art security systems that protect them against intruders and burglars. One of the best ways to ward off any intruders is through motion detector lights, which instantly turn on as soon as they detect movement within their detection radius. They also have numerous other applications apart from being security lights.
If you wish to get an outdoor motion sensor light installed for added protection, you can hire an electrician in Vancouver to do it for you. Before you do that, let’s discuss everything that you should know about motion detector lights.
What are Motion Detector Lights?
Simply put, motion detector lights are designed to flash on when a person or object is detected within their specified radius, and turn off after a few seconds of not detecting anything. They can be installed inside the house on walls, ceilings, and above doors, or outside the house on walls and ledges. You can also find motion sensor lights that are installed in a room and turn off the lights when the room is vacant.
There isn’t only one type of motion detector – here are the different kinds that you can find in the market.
Active Sensors
Motion sensor lights with active sensors make use of infrared energy or radar waves to detect changes where they are installed. They usually come with microwaves, ultrasonic and tomographic waves. Ultrasonic sensors send out sound waves with a frequency that the human ear can’t detect, whereas microwave sensors emit microwave pulses. The problem with microwave motion detectors is that they can often give false alarms due to their higher sensitivity.
On the other hand, tomographic sensors send out radio waves and are typically used for outdoor motion sensor lights or commercial settings, since they cover a huge area. The active sensor keeps sending out energy pulses, which collide with each object in their field and bounce back. The sensor records the time it takes for each pulse to return. When another object enters the field, such as a person or animal, the active sensor can instantly detect a change in the time it takes for the pulse to return, which gives it the signal to turn on.
However, as active sensors are quite sensitive, they are prone to false alarms, and also consume more power than other types of motion detectors.
Passive Sensors
Also called Passive Infrared Sensors, these motion sensors monitor the infrared radiation emitted by warm-blooded creatures, which can also be called body heat. They have a thin pyroelectric material on the surface with two slots on it, which detect infrared, or IR, radiation. When both slots detect an equal amount of radiation, the light stays off.
As soon as a human being or large animal enters the covered area, their body heat causes the radiation levels detected by one slot to differ, and this causes something called a “positive differential charge” between the slots. This activates the sensor, which instantly triggers the motion sensor light. The best thing about passive sensors is that you can set them to go off at a certain level of heat so that they don’t go off every time a small animal enters the room.
Dual Technology Sensors
Dual technology sensors make use of both active and passive sensors, and they are designed to minimize the chances of false alarms. They are mostly used in settings where neither of the two types of sensors can function well on their own, such as classrooms, offices, or rooms that have high ceilings. Dual sensor lights are turned on only when both sensors detect any movement, but one of them is sufficient to keep the light on till the room is occupied.
If one of the sensors picks up a small movement, like a person getting up or a cat jumping from the table to the couch, the other will ensure that it doesn’t give a false alarm and disturb the occupants.
Basically, all motion detector lights have two functions: one of them turns on the lights when the sensor detects any movement, and these turn off after a set amount of time when there is no movement. The other types of lights require flipping a switch to turn on, but automatically turn off when the room is vacant. You can choose between the two based on where you want to install them, as well as what purpose they will serve.
Applications of Motion Detector Lights
Motion detector lights have a myriad of applications, and you must have seen them in people’s homes, offices, as well as malls, and public places. They are not just security lights but can be used for various purposes, some of which are listed below.
Security
One of the most common applications for motion detector lights is in the security industry, and they are used to detect movement or intrusion inside homes and offices at night, especially when people are asleep and no one should be present around or inside the premises. Most people install outdoor motion sensor lights outside the homes or workplaces so that even the slightest movement doesn’t go undetected. Moreover, they can even be installed outside the entrance to the building, as well as in corridors and walkways.
Motion detector lights can also be programmed to work with security cameras and burglar alarms so that the intrusion can be recorded and the alarm triggered to ward off the trespasser.
Saving Energy
Another common application for motion detector lights is to save energy, i.e. to turn off the lights inside the room when people leave. In homes, most people tend to leave the lights on whenever they leave the room so by installing motion detector lights, you can ensure that the lights don’t stay on for more than a minute after everyone leaves, thus saving energy.
Motion detector lights are used in offices and institutions for the same purposes. They can be installed in classrooms and conference rooms, so that whenever the lesson or meeting ends and everyone leaves, the lights turn off by themselves after the set timer.
Motion detector lights are also used in public places to turn the lights on when movement is detected. For instance, they are used to power up street lights when they detect someone walking from a large distance. Moreover, they can also be used in restrooms, lobbies, walkways, and many other places where lights are always on and a lot of energy is wasted. They can also be used in elevators to keep the lights off when they are vacant.
Pros and Cons of Motion Detector Lights
Now that we have discussed the different types of motion detector lights, how they work, and how they are used for various purposes, let’s have a look at the pros and cons of using them.
Pros
Safe to use: Since motion detector lights require zero effort on your part, they are safe and easy to use for children, the elderly, and people with disabilities who need support to perform the most basic tasks around the house.
Power saving: As mentioned above, motion detector lights can be used to save a significant amount of power in your home or office, thus reducing your electricity bill, since it turns off the lights when they are not needed, even if you leave the room for 5 minutes only.
Easy to illuminate dark spaces: You can install motion detector lights to instantly turn on when you are in places where installing a nearby switch isn’t possible, such as garages, backyards, decks, patios, and attics. This will also minimize the risk of falling or getting injured due to little or no visibility. You can also find cabinet lights that illuminate your shelves whenever you open the door.
Keep your home secure: Motion detector lights are great at detecting intruders or burglars, and they can also be set up to give off an alarm to scare off the trespasser and keep you from getting robbed.
Increase aesthetic value: apart from providing security and functionality, motion lights are also suitable for adding a decorative and aesthetic touch to your home or garden. Plus, if your hands are full with groceries, you won’t have to fiddle with light switches, and they will turn on for you instantly.
Cons
Disturbing during the night: One major downside to using motion detector lights is that you have no control over their operation. If you have indoor motion detector lights, they may turn on every time you get up to use the restroom or to drink a glass of water. The light can be quite sharp and may trigger a headache if it instantly flashes in your eyes.
Randomly turning off: When you are watching television or working on your laptop, you may be partially stationary, not making any sudden or significant movements. This means that the motion sensor won’t detect any movement and see it as an indication to turn off. Either you will have to keep moving a little to keep the lights or install additional lights that you can control, both of which are tedious actions.
False alarms: If you are sleeping during the night and a cat passes by your garden or backyard, the motion detector light will go off, and possibly also trigger an alarm, causing you to wake up suddenly. This can be quite disconcerting, as you will think that there is a burglar trying to enter your home. If this keeps happening frequently, you might be compelled to replace your lights or ignore the alarms altogether.
Limited security: Although motion detector lights are useful in detecting intruders, they aren’t as useful in preventing them from going about their plans to break in your house. This is because motion detector lights have become quite common and because of the false alarm occurrences, most people ignore them and go to sleep. This can make you vulnerable to theft, and require installing additional security measures that can be costly.
Complete darkness or brightness: Since motion detector lights are programmed to flash with maximum brightness or cause a complete blackout, they can render you quite uneasy, especially if you look out your window and see that your porch is pitch black at midnight. For this purpose, you will have to install a second normal light that can stay on, which will add to the expenses.
Do You Need Motion Detector Lights in Your Home?
If you are thinking about installing motion detector lights in your home, make sure to consider the purpose for which you need them. If you live in a safe neighborhood and need a motion detector light to assist you when you go out to throw away the trash, then you can make do with a small one that illuminates the street when you go out.
However, if there are security issues in your home or office, then it is best to go for motion detector lights that have a higher range, and can also be connected with an alarm or security system so that your premises are truly safe.
Indoor motion detector lights are not as common as outdoor motion lighting, but they can be bought and installed just as easily. They are suitable if you want the lights in your house to stay off when nobody is present, so you can save a lot of energy.
Plus, they are also great to illuminate dark spaces in your home, so that you don’t have to fiddle for the light switch in the dark. Plus, you can also find motion-activated cabinets and closet lighting, which is a useful addition to your home.
Some manufacturers have also come up with motion detector lighting that you can control with your smartphone or tablet so that you can stop them from turning off on their own, or you can immediately check to see if they turned on due to a false alarm, or whether there is really a security threat. It will also give you more time to alert the cops if there is a burglar trying to break into your house.
Can You Add a Motion Sensor to Your Existing Lights?
If you have recently spent a lot of money in choosing the lighting fixtures in your home, then you won’t be very keen on replacing them so soon with motion detector lights, which are relatively more expensive than the former. You might have also picked aesthetics over functionality, which is why you didn’t go for motion sensor lights.
If you still want to get motion detector lights for security or energy-saving, there is no reason to worry at all, because you can still add a motion detector to your existing lights. Not only will it help you save money, but you will also be able to retain the beautiful lighting fixtures that you spent days choosing. Moreover, they will act as the best deterrent for burglars, intruders, and other people with malicious intent.
The easiest and most cost-effective way to do this is to install motion-sensor light bulbs in your lighting fixtures. They use passive sensors to detect a change in infrared radiation and turn it on instantly when there is any movement. You can also find smart lighting systems, as well as smartphone-controlled motion detector cameras, which give you a sense of control over your security.
Is Dimmable Lighting a Suitable Alternative?
As mentioned above, not all people like it when their porch or backyard is pitch black during the night, and it gives them an eerie sensation. Moreover, a house with no lights on is exactly what burglars are looking for, which makes your house all the more vulnerable if you are using motion detector lights that are off when nobody is around.
Instead, you can opt for dimmable motion detector lighting, which can be programmed to reduce the brightness after a certain time, say 10 PM. This way, not only will your house be well-lit, but you will also manage to save a lot of money since your lights won’t be at full brightness throughout the night. The lights will only turn at maximum brightness when the sensors detect someone entering their field.
You can also program your dimmable lights to reduce brightness periodically. For instance, they go down to 60% brightness at 10 PM, and at midnight, they reduce to 30%. As the sun comes up, they can go off on their own, and you won’t have to get up and turn them off.
This concludes our article on everything you need to know about motion detector lights. All you need to do is to get in touch with a reliable and experienced electrician in Vancouver who not only does the perfect installation job for you but also guides you about which type of motion detector lights you should choose, as well as where should they be placed.