Outdoor motion detectors

T

tadr

Active Member
Does anyone have recommendations for outdoor motion detectors?  I want to use these to trigger lighting and email events on and under my deck.  I'm having trouble finding outdoor sensors other than the DSC-151 and DSC-171, which don't appear to be widely available.
 
What outdoor sensors are others using?
 
I took a standard motion security light and wired the output of the PIR sensor to energize a 5VDC transformer which activates a UPB IO module to send a UPB link.
I use the light fixture to respond to the link, rather than have the sensor activate them directly.
This allows me manual control over the lights as well as a means to inhibit light activation from the sensor.
I have these placed in several locations around the property so different links can activate different actions.

I also have a counter and timer in programming so that if they get activated too many times in a short period, from wind for example, they quit activating the lights for a period of time.
 
Optex makes the good outdoor ones if you want high reliability and don't mind paying; I know there are other brands too.
 
I went the cheapo route - a W800RF32 tied to my automation system so I can just use those $5 X10 outdoor sensors anywhere and have the events picked up by my HA system.
 
Here started way back with Optex...then drifted to trying different ones (added more wires and kept the Optex in place)...looking over at a box o outdoor sensors I see one brand that I have tested over the years and it did do ok...from a company called Luminite electronics LTD....then others which...I would say though most of them were more than $5. 
 
There are many MFGs and many are well constructed.  Some folks are more comfortable with one MFG and others with another.  I am though just using wired.  That said there was a person on the Homeseer board that passed away a couple of years back and was using wireless indoor and outdoor  x10 sensors.  He did though write a plugin related to these motion sensors which I used in the early 2000's.  (he lived close by to my old house) .  I helped his widowed wife for about a year or so (maybe more?) with the automation.  I changed a lot of batteries as the sensors were everywhere.  Off on a tangent...the light switches were UPB and many were multipaddle UPB.    I was so impressed that his wife knew the functions of all of the multi toggles on all of the UPB switches that I installed a bunch last year. (recalling now that their master bathroom had some 4 multitoggle switches plus regular UPB switches).  Today my wife knows most of the UPB multipaddle switches better than me. 
 
I did though have an issue with birds on deck and purchased these little mini photo optical beams (IE: the big plastic moving Owl didn't work); not sure where they came from though...blended nicely and not really that noticible....everything though has always been wired.....BTW did "wire" the deck during a redesign a few years back.
 
...a while back (last year?)motion sensors did trip; wife ignored them; then I heard a low muffled "scream"/"yelp" coming from the kitchen while I was somewhere else in the house....
 
It was a dog (medium sized) staring at her through the door in the breakfast nook...mostly I guess just an unexpected visitor....
 
JimS said:
$5 X10 sensors?  I thought they were a bit more than that.  What's the details on those?
Click to expand...
With X10 dying off, I'm not sure what's going on now - but for the longest time X10.com would run these ridiculous deals on their softcore-porn advertisements at the very bottom with things like "4 for the price of 1" and so on - for various things; among those things were the little keychain remotes, slimline switches, motion sensors, etc.  Well they might run that deal for one day, but the link would work forever so if you could dig one up, they'd still let you purchase like that.   At one point I found a simple web-site that had all the package deals available super easy to find/buy but no luck digging it up now. 
 
Just try calling them - I just found in my email where I bought 6 for $50 the last time - not quite as good as $5 but not shabby either for something totally wireless and weatherproof - and I can see from the code they used it's a call-in special.
 
Trying another MFG outdoor sensor.  I do use some of these today for occupancy sensors inside of the home.
 
I am not promoting one MFG over another just really writing here that I am playing with another outdoor sensor from another MFG.
 
http://www.riscogroup.com/products/product/151
 
Off a bit on a tangent here...and a bit of a carry over to outdoor stuff that I played with in the 80's and 90's. 
 
Unrelated but for my brick mailbox I didn't want to use a hardwired door switch because it has a mail slot and a door to the box.   I decided to utilize a hard wired piezo vibration switch many years ago which works OK but not ideally.  Always playing though.  Lately have found various sensor kits for the Arduino modules.  Trying something different (this thread has convinced me a bit).  Found a vibration sensor with a board which adjust sensitivity and includes a debounce circuit.  Very small footprint and cheap.  Geez now wondering if I should just put an arduino in my mailbox instead....ordered the pictured board to play with. (looks more like its for a car alarm thing).  The Arduino stuff is mostly 5VDC.
 
Features:
- remote vibration sensor included.  (saids cable length/sensor can be up to 15 feet away).
- output solenoid switch can be connected to HV or LV stuff but NC
- 12VDC PS with only 100 mA draw
- debounce and timing circuit built in (1-180 seconds)
 

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Pete - wouldn't a loud motorcycle or truck going by also trigger the vibration alert?  Seems detecting the break in a beam shooting above/below the slot would be most reliable without falsing.
 
I am in a small court of 5 homes.  Really not much traffic. 
 
That said I tweaked it a bit such that I do not really get too many false positives. 
 
Its literally a metal box inside of the brick structure.  Its sealed somewhat from the brick structure it's in and my preference is not to have anything inside of it (devices or wires and such).
 
In the old house with a conventional mailbox just used a wireless tilt switch (still saw it though).
 
How would I utilize a beam?  I guess I could put two photobeams and reflectors on the back of the two doors?
 
I would then have to install two photobeam sensors transmitters inside of the box though I think eh?  I do have some very tiny ones that I have been playing with.
 

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How about a photocell....assuming the box closes well enough, when the door is opened it's going to raise the ambient level, even on an overcast day.
 
Thanks Del. 
 
I was thinking of trying something like that plus the Piezo (or something similiar) and putting two in a loop going to a debounce circuit maybe then back to the alarm panel.  This is all relating to my upgrading of the mailbox to utilizing HD IP and now wanting to do more with it relating to automation. 
 
While playing with it figured I would update more stuff as it is totally wired anyways.  For the illumination of the structure I put in one layer of glass blocks around the top of it and a halogen 120VAC lamp inside of it.  Thinking of a UPB dimmable LED lamp next or multiple HD LED lamps.
 
Pete - my thought was a small circuit in the top of or even above the mailbox over a cutout in the top - shooting down to a reflector on the bottom - and boucing back to a receiver on the same board directly in the path of the mail slot such that mail entering is guaranteed to break the beam.  I saw an example of this done years ago and it seemed pretty foolproof.
 
Here's another similar adaptation: http://grizzly-grizzlysblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/mail-waiting-alert.html
 
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