Pet imune Motion sensors

[felixrosbergen]

Hi All,

Do the various advertised 'pet motion sensors really work?

I would like to consider them but have 2 cats (12lbs and 20lbs), not that they move much..hahah

Rather than having sensors on all doors and windows i was hopeing that a few motions around the house would be much more cost effective.

Any experiences/words of advice?

MavRic

 

[Steve]

My $.02

Cost effective and security don't necessarily go together. You can maybe make that argument more for automation or frills, but you should do security right. It's been discussed before, but I am a believer in perimeter security - stop the person BEFORE they get in the place. In that regard, window/door sensors or even glass break detectors should be the primary defense, with PIR as a backup. Of course you can argue that PIRs are better than nothing, and while that is true, you would then need to really evaluate why you are doing it in the first place.

As for the PIRs, there are several types based on different technologies that all work with different degrees of success. I know this has been discussed before so you can probably find more details by searching around.

Ok, maybe that was $.03 worth

 

[CollinR]

Honeywell DT-7235 dual technology motions work well.

I would put up door switches but pass on the windows in retrofit, if you want that level use glassbreaks instead.

Uplight the exterior of the house.

 

[paulw11]

I have dual technology PIRs as well and they work pretty well with my cats. The only problem I had was persistent false alarms with a PIR that covers a stairwell.

I know that the cats sometimes chase each other up/down the stairs and it seems that the cat moving rapidly diagonally across the sensor's field of view was enough to trigger the detector. I eventually had to disable this PIR, which wasn't too big a deal as it is in the entrance foyer where the door is covered by a contact anyway.

Paul

 

[CORT]

My two cats haven't set off my Bosch Blueline "Pet Immune" motion detectors. Having said this, I would never rely solely on motion detectors. They are only an added security measure for the alarm when it is in away mode. Your best bet is to set up a robust perimeter defense first, then worry about interior motion.

 

[programmergeek]

Start with the motions and maybe glass break sensors since you may be able to do them in the same run. That will cover the house from intrusion when you are not home pretty well. Also consider smokes/heat and co2 I think one of the good points about an alarm system is the fact that it can alert authorizes early if there is a fire and you are not around or if it is in a room you are not near or sleeping that to me is just as important as the alarm.

Anyhow I use the bosh blue light motions just put them in about 3 weeks ago in two homes and have not had any false alarms. Both homes have cats. The trouble with the stare well is the sensor is probably not installed right. If you read on the pet immune sensors they are suppose to be mounted about 7' above the floor (some have adjustment) and not pointed down. They work because they are more sensitive at the top of there zone and evaluate vertical objects to determine size. If they are pointed at stairs two cats could appear as one tall person coming down the stairs.

 

[felixrosbergen]

It seems like the Bosch BlueLine is getting pretty good reviews all around....AO and setnet don't seem to carry them..

Where's a good place to get some of these??

 

[Steve]

AO does sell them. Here.

 

[gatchel]

My bosch pet immune units work exactly as they describe in the manual. If one of our cats get up in the "not pet immune" area they will trip the motion. I had my Elk set to announce whenever the zone was tripped and the cats set it off about once a week.

Good motion placement is key. We just had to rearrange some high furniture and so far so good. I still wouldn't put it past our cats to still set it off once in a while.

Download the manual for the detector of choice before buying and check them out.

Several suggestions from above are better than just motions alone.

 

[felixrosbergen]

strange...not sure how i missed them....thanks steve..

 

[sic0048]

We don't have any pets right now. We might have a cat or dog in the future however (not anytime soon however - we just put down my 14yr old dog last week). Would everyone recommend getting the pet immune detectors upfront? Is there any major drawback to using these types of detectors?

 

[CollinR]

As always when the topic comes up I suggest the Dual Tech DT-7235 from Honeywell.

I don't even sell them but I have installed enough to know they work damn the well. You adjust the microwave side to the mass of your pets the PIR side os overlayed. If it can see both inline it trips. However there are limits, the microwave setting isn't absolutely precise or at least to small to precisely adjust so if your dog is more then 100lbs you probably can't detect people under 150lbs. If you have no pets or a cat you can crank it up though.

Although it solves many of those issues placement is still key ends of hallways and above walk throughs are usually good spots.

 

[tmbrown97]

I'm also using Rokonet 100lb pet immune sensors... I did this because I have 2 cats - one of them is 26lbs... and I absolutely didn't want false alarms. Of course it's been said that some crack-heads weigh under 100lbs, but if they're carrying my TV and going through the house, hopefully they're putting off a stronger heat signal. I'm not too worried about it... and my wife isn't far from that 100lb mark, and she trips the 3 that were installed correctly every time. The one that's too high I trip every time, she doesn't.

No false alarms yet - been several months. I used these based on recommendations from some of the guys over at homecontrols.com

 

[EST]

I was apprehensive about the pet immune PIRs so I bought a few different ones and tried them. I have a 50lb dog and a 20lb kid...neither set them off! It's funny, as I write this I looked at the 3 I am using and I found the one is not pet rated without changing the lense but it works (not to mention I installed it upside down).

BV-300 - Wired PIR Motion Sensor (Not rated...installed upside down without knowing but it works)
AP100PI - Mirror Optic 44 lb Pet Immune Motion Sensor
K9-85 - Pet-Tolerant Digital PIR Detector

I actually like the first one...looks and function. The second works just fine but I don't like the looks. The last works for pets but not good at capturing all motion but I did install it high in my basement to get any motion from the entrance windows.

Eric

 

[js19707]

At Martin's recommendation, I put in some Rokonet RK210PT CoMET motion detectors.

So far, they haven't been terribly immune to my 2 ~10lb (and very active) cats' motion. The cats regularly set one off in the kitchen and occasionally set off another in my family room. Part of the issue may be the placement, which is a bit higher than the recommended 7' (more like 8' and 9'), and that the cats have a couple of tall counters and furniture they can jump onto that are in view of the motion detectors.

I haven't put any effort into masking out part of the lens or fiddling with the jumpers on the detector (looks like # pulses is adjustable?) but I will try doing that when I can find a spare moment.

I guess I can't really judge how much of the blame lies in the Rokonet motion detectors and how much is in the installation/placement, but so far I'm not terribly impressed..