X10 Community Forum

🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Troubleshooting Automation Problems => Topic started by: tlh523 on December 18, 2008, 02:10:42 PM

Title: Active Eye sensitivity
Post by: tlh523 on December 18, 2008, 02:10:42 PM
I have an Active Eye sensor working in my driveway to trigger some macros to control exterior lighting.  However, the sensor only triggers on a person walking by and not a automobile.  Is this a limitation are there any other solutions that will sense both a person and a automobile?
Title: Re: Active Eye sensitivity
Post by: HA Dave on December 18, 2008, 02:45:20 PM
I have an Active Eye ........ the sensor only triggers on a person walking by and not a automobile. 

The "Eye" sensor(s) should be seeing the automobiles too. I can't figure why it isn't... unless the car is out-of-range... which would be more than 20 feet. I myself prefer the floodlight (PR511) motion sensor.
Title: Re: Active Eye sensitivity
Post by: dave w on December 18, 2008, 03:15:58 PM
Most motion detectors (xxxxEye included) are sensitive to only the infra-red spectrum, not visible light. So a "warm body" walking across the field of vision is easy to "see". Automobiles are harder to see. The detector needs to see something "warm" (i.e. giving off infra-red radiation) moving across the vision field. Because the car's engine is relatively well shielded by the metal around it, many times a car is harder to see than a person. Try repositioning the sensor if possible, so a passing vehicle is about same height as xxxxEye, and moving across the field of vision and not towards or away from it.
Title: Re: Active Eye sensitivity
Post by: tlh523 on December 18, 2008, 05:21:12 PM
thanks for you prompt reply. i suspected this might be the case.  i currently have it installed 6 feet high...i will try let me lowering it....
Title: Re: Active Eye sensitivity
Post by: BaBaLou. on December 18, 2008, 05:56:45 PM

My active eye that I have on my driveway was not picking up any cars passing by during the summer months. But now in the colder weather and with almost 40 ft distance, sensor to the street, it can on occasion pick up a passing car, did some angle and location adjustment and so far so good.
Title: Re: Active Eye sensitivity
Post by: thejfk on December 18, 2008, 08:42:33 PM
I had the same problem and good results with repositioning.

This should be helpful:
http://www.x10.com/kbase/articles/a00106.html#Behind_The_Scenes