Motion Lights and Security Lights are triggered when the fixture picks up "motion", which is defined as the movement of heat across the detection coverage area.  Keep this in mind when setting up your light fixtures, because false and unwanted light triggers will cause great frustration!

Because motion lights pick up heat across the sensor range, a number of heat sources will trigger your light.  In addition to people and animals, here are other heat sources that many times will cause false positives: 

• Pools of Water (from temperature changes rising off of, and above, the water)
• Air Conditioners
• Dryer Vents
• Fenced-In Animals
• Heating Vents
• Automobile Traffic

There are a number of ways to adjust your security light to avoid and minimize false positives.  If your motion light is coming on when you don't want it to, try some of the following:

1. Reduce the sensitivity using the motion light setting (usually a dial)
2. Use a lens shield, which is included with many motion lights, and provides a cover to block out portions of the sensor, to avoid motion being picked up in certain directions
3. Use the MacGuyver lens shield -- Duct Tape or Black Electrical Tape!  Cover the portion of the motion sensor that is picking up the unwanted heat source
4. Adjust the direction that the sensor faces - usually a simple adjustment with a wrench or even by hand

Good Luck!

The benefits of outdoor motion sensor lights are real, including security, convenience and energy savings.  But I've covered those in other articles, and will probalby cover them in future articles as well.  Outdoor motion sensor lights generally come in two varieties - motion sensor flood lights, and motion sensor decorative lights.  As you can see from our site, there are a number of choices of both flood and decorative lights - but which light is best for you?

This article is intended to outline some of the major differences between these two types of motion sensor lights, and hopefully help you make the decision of which type of motion light to focus on.  Any question, don't hesitate to ask!

Save money on outdoor protection lighting effects while at the same time, safeguarding your property (and your own personal safety) with floodlights that are activated when movement is detected by a sensor.  Automated motion sensor lights (flood or decorative) are an easy way to conserve energy and save.  

Motion activated outdoor lighting gives the security effect of shock value to would be intruders. When your house is in darkness, it is an easier target for burglary, and would-be intruders are shocked when they're suddenly flooded with light. The result is a deterrent effect, with the criminal choosing an easier target--one that has no outdoor lighting.

If you have seen the movie Predator, then you may remember the scene where Dutch (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) avoids getting captured and killed by the Predator when he accidentally covers himself in mud, which hides the heat from his body. The Predator, using body heat signatures to identify its prey, can't detect Dutch even though looking right at him -- the mud hides his body's heat signature. Well, I haven't tested it (yet?), but the same concepts should apply when trying to avoid detection by a motion sensor light! (if you test this, let me know and I'll post the results!)

In previous articles I have discussed how motion sensor lights work, and how the heat from objects moving across the motion sensing field will trigger a motion sensing light. This article is not meant to give you ideas for sneaking past someone's motion sensor, but instead is to help you better understand how your lights work and possibly help you better place your motion lights to pick up the type of motion you want to trigger your lights. I will plan to set up some testing in my backyard (using my kids - they will love it!) to see how well we can avoid our motion sensing lights--I'll post any results. Here are some suggestions and ideas on avoiding motion sensors (note that these apply to heat-sensing motion detectors like those typically found in motion lights - these do not necessarily apply to sound, beam or other detectors):

Dusk to Dawn Feature

Many times we are asked about the meaning of the "Dusk to Dawn" feature of motion lights.  This is a very nice feature that you will find on most motion sensor lights, so understanding this will help you make the best choice when choosing the light that is right for you. In short, the dusk-to-dawn feature of a light will cause your motion light to only activate when it is dark.  In daylight hours when existing and ambient light is present, the light will not activiate when motion is detected.  This feature uses a small photocell like the one pictured above to detect the presence of available and existing light.  If light is detected, the motion light will not trigger.  If light is not detected, then the light will turn on when motion is detected.

Motion detectors sense moving objects by picking up the heat that radiates from the object.  The motion light will automatically turn on when the motion detector senses an object moving within its detection range -- the sensor will work especially well when warm objects move within the detection area, such as animals, people and cars.

Once motion is detected and the light turns on, the light will remain on for a set period of time.  Most outdoor motion lights will allow you to set the amount of time that the light will remain on, typically anywhere from 1 minute to 25 minutes.  Then, if the detector no longer senses movement after the set time, the light will automatically turn off.  In addition, most outdoor motion lights include a photocell that will deactivate the light during daylight.  As a result, the light will only turn on when motion is detected during darkness.

You will see many motion detector lights with a feature called "Dual Brite" or "Dual Brite Timer". What is the Dual Brite feature? It is a very convenient and valuable feature that adds a new level of function to a motion light. Below, I'll describe how the Dual Brite feature works.

The Dual Brite feature adds another set of light control settings to a motion light.  When the Dual Brite setting is on, the light will automatically turn on in a half-bright mode for a set period of time after dusk.  So when it gets dark, the light automatically switches on in dim mode, providing you with convenient lighting during times when it gets dark early in the evening, and the security of automatic dusk lighting.  The Dual Brite setting does not interfere with normal motion light settings--if the motion detector picks up motion, the light will switch on in full power mode, even if the light is already on in dim mode from the Dual Brite setting.