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[gmanm1]

I was wondering if there is a better alternative or mod to the cm19a. It is very weak in it's range. Could it be the reason my motion detectors don't always pick up motion? Some days they trigger the cameras from a good distance and other days you have to walk right up to them to get them to trigger the camera and record.

gmanm1

[HA Dave]

I was wondering if there is a better alternative or mod to the cm19a. It is very weak in it's range.

Here is a nice link for a CM19A Antenna Mod:  http://www.shed.com/tutor/mr26ant.html

... Could it be the reason my motion detectors don't always pick up motion? Some days they trigger the cameras from a good distance and other days you have to walk right up to them to get them to trigger the camera and record.

Hummm... that doesn't sound related to your CM19A.

Two things that can effect your motion sensor are temperature, and angle.

• If the person to be detected is near the same temperature as the surrounding background... the person can be hard to detect. This seems to be a bigger problem in warmer climates.
• The motion sensor work much better side-to-side than directly in front. That means if the detector is pointed face-on to the approaching person... it is less likely to detect that person.. than if the person approached the sensor from the side.

[gmanm1]

I don't know. It was working great until it got cloudy and rainy for the last several days. I have both detectors so that motion has to come by them. The sensors ms14 have been modded with tape over the photo sensor. If I walk right up to them they trigger. 2 days ago they would trigger from at least 10'. I changed batteries in both , doesn't matter.

[HA Dave]

.... 2 days ago they would trigger from at least 10'. I changed batteries in both , doesn't matter.

It's interesting that it would change.

All things being equal... nothing should change. So... in my mind I would think/look at what could have changed. The position of the sun changes a little bit each day... could the season have progressed till the sun in now in the the sensors eye (sorta speak)?

I once had a IR re-sender routinely fail from time to time. Explaining to my wife that it's location was important... and moving it when dusting could be a problem... resolved that.

Also could something new have been placed between the sensor and the CM19A. Or in not new... now ON or plugged in... whereas before it might not have been. In short... what has changed in the last few (or two) days.

[gmanm1]

I added my home security console. The one that can dial out and triggers on window and door sensors. It is on house code a the cameras and detectors or on c. Now what is a person supposed to do , give up one or the other? 

[HA Dave]

I added my home security console. The one that can dial out and triggers on window and door sensors. It is on house code a the cameras and detectors or on c. Now what is a person supposed to do , give up one or the other? 

The console itself shouldn't have changed anything (I use all sorts of codes and devices myself). Could changing the batteries on the sensor defaulted the sensor to the "A house code"? Motion sensors all default to the "A" House code.. I only use "A" for (my office and..) testing.. myself. Has the console been placed directly between the sensor and the CM19A? If it has... could it be moved a bit to one side or the other?

[gmanm1]

I thank you for trying to help sort this out but I set the sensors back to their correct codes after battery replacement. Nothing else has changed and like I said this all worked perfectly for a couple of days after I installed it. I did a lot of testing on placement etc , before mounting anything permanently. I will just have to hope it comes back. It works now but who is going to walk up to it and jump up and down. Hopefully the security console will work on unwanted perpetrators. 

gmanm1

[joshknopp]

A quick, simple, and ugly antenna mod that was effective for me: aluminum foil.  I was having sporadic issues communicating to modules on the other side of the house - some days it worked great, other times almost not at all.  I took a small section of aluminum foil and rolled it into about a 12" rod.  I threaded the CM19A antenna into one end and secured the other end to the wall with tape, with the new foil "antenna" oriented vertically.  It looks ugly as sin, but i saw an immediate improvement in signal strength, and it solved my problems.  Worth a shot if you're like me and too lazy to try the other suggested mods.

[shuggins]

I have several MS14A's in my house.  They all seem to work fine...but I didn't think they work the way you guys are describing them.

When tripped on (motion is detected), I thought the MS14A (Eagle Eye Motion Sensor Module) sends an RF command to a nearby TM751 (Transceiver Module) that is plugged into the wall, the signal is then transferred to the CM19A?

Am I dead wrong on that?  If the MS14a is trying to directly communicate to CM19a, then that might explain some of the range problems I have had with MS14a modules.

[Brian H]

The CM19A only sends and receives X10 RF signals.
It has no power line connection so it can not see the power line signal from the TM751.
The CM19A is receiving the RF from the motion sensor directly. So distance to the motion sensor maybe your problem.
When the CM19A is controlling a module. It has to send an RF signal to the TM751 that in turn controls the addressed module with a power line signal.

Now if you have a X10 module on the address being sent by the motion sensors. It is possible they are being controlled by the TM751 sending the power line signals. Directly to them.

[dhouston]

This antenna is both easier to make and much more effective than those suggested in the thread.

• http://davehouston.org/eggbeater.htm

[shuggins]

I just wanted to comment that I tried joshknopp's suggestion above and MAN, it worked like a charm.  My cm19a has suddenly gotten SO much more reliable at distances where MS14a motion sensor is on the other of the house (I'd guestimate more than 150 feet!)  Yea, the tin foil isn't so great, but the antennae mod really isn't in plain view, so I don't care.  It took 15 seconds to do the antennae mod, and I just wanted to let people know that might struggle with CM19a not picking up signals sometimes.

[dhouston]

This might be better than tinfoil...

• http://davehouston.org/passive.htm

And it's not quite so ugly.

[dave w]

This might be better than tinfoil...
And it's not quite so ugly.

Being a card carring member of Green Peace I say; save mother earth and only use tin foil for hats. 

[dbemowsk]

Being a card carring member of Green Peace I say; save mother earth and only use tin foil for hats. 

Hats to keep the aliens from reading our brain waves?  Wait...  I feel them doing it right now...  Quick, give me some tin foil.