X10 Community Forum

🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Troubleshooting Automation Problems => Topic started by: Oldtimer on October 08, 2007, 11:40:43 AM

Title: I/R Motion Sensor Service Life?
Post by: Oldtimer on October 08, 2007, 11:40:43 AM
The first X10 I/R motion sensor that I installed has been in service at least 8 or 9 years now and is beginning to sense much less accurately.  It is indoors in a fairly small space.  Replacing the batteries, which were weak but still in the good on a tester, didn't help.  What is the useful service life on these devices or is there some other variable I should be checking?

P.S.  :D Since w're getting older I thought our body temperature might have gone down.  But we checked that and it's still OK!  ;D
Title: Re: I/R Motion Sensor Service Life?
Post by: steven r on October 08, 2007, 12:33:04 PM
8 or 9 years seems to be a good life for an inexpensive sensor but with no moving parts I wouldn't know. I hope mine last forever.  ;)

I also don't imagine there is any way for a layman to get a scientifically definitive evaluation of the sensitivity loss a sensor might have.

That said, I'm looking forward to the responses to your problem from those that have worked with sensors over a period of time.

...Since we're getting older I thought our body temperature might have gone down...
Hey just because we might be getting older doesn't mean we're can't still be "hot".  ;D
Title: Re: I/R Motion Sensor Service Life?
Post by: Walt2 on October 08, 2007, 12:43:10 PM
For my flood light motion sensor (PR511), what dies, is the plastic lens.  Apparently, is it not UV resistant, and will eventually just rot away.