How to tame EagleEye Motion Sensor !

[Walt2]

GREAT JOB!!!! RCaddict!!!! Finally a replacement for the RoboDog. I found that VERY Helpful!

Great, now my RoboDog just mopes and cries when triggered, after hearing that he has a  replacement.

[BSRMAN]

So what is the red material you have put on the lens?

[RCaddict]

It is some kind of thin plastic that act as IR pass through filter. Same type covering remote IR lamp I guess.  I got it from a friend while  back when I built IR remote control for my indoor RC planes. But I don't know what IR band it pass through. Motion sensor lens supposed to be permeable to IR band generated by human body. This is not a very good idea in the long run because moisture accumulation possibility between lens and plastic layer. But it virtually eliminate false alarm during mid day. That make me very suspicious of the original lens material. It supposed to do this job! 

I am trying to learn about this stuff here. I dint think I will find easy solution to fix this. Motion sensors are very complicated marrage between hardware and software. Sensor has to be designed for its intended accuracy and reliability. This sensor seems to have nighther. But I can't complain I paid $15 for 3pack at Ebay! 

I really like Zenith sensor. It is fabulous bargain at $17 but they work with only few Zenith switches. After working with reliable motion sensors it is really irritating to work with this. X10 should have reliable motion sensors. How can they sell this as driveway alarms. Alarm will be chiming all day!!!!    I hope security sensors are more reliable !

[Walt2]

Motion sensors are very complicated marrage between hardware and software. Sensor has to be designed for its intended accuracy and reliability. This sensor seems to have nighther. But I can't complain I paid $15 for 3pack at Ebay! 

...

X10 should have reliable motion sensors. How can they sell this as driveway alarms. Alarm will be chiming all day!!!!   

I would gladly pay $50 for a good X10 RF compatible motion detector.  If X10 Pro line of products was really that, a $50 motion detector would have been an excellent addition to the Pro line.

From what I have read, the best are a mixture of techniques, since no one technique is perfect under all conditions.

[RCaddict]

Yes, I would do that too considering the time I have spent testing this things.

After few days testing I am almost certain these are nothing but repackaged indoor sensors. After side by side comparison with Zenith sensors they both perform equally well indoors but outdoors X10 sensor only detect moving heat source. It does not differentiate between size, type or the rate of movement of the object other than fixed delay of few second after detection of each movement. Today technology exist using software and hardware to differentiate the size, rate of movement and identify the type of object by IR radiation band. Yes they will cost more but not more than advertised price of X10 sensor. 

Picture worth 1000 words!

[RCaddict]

Now the good stuff!
Sensor work pretty well indoors day or night and out doors in backyard during night.
Daytime shadows created by trees swing in the wind, reflections of sunlight from cars even at distance and night time heat from hot car engines are the worst cases.

[HA Dave]

I had mentioned this once before in a post.

At my step-daughter's place, there is NO light switch at the backdoor, which she regularly uses. I put an EagleEye BETWEEN her backdoor and the stormdoor. I set the codes to turn on a hallway light that lights her path both in and out, as well as alerts her to any activity at her backdoor.

Because the motion sensors can't "see" through the glass windows in the doors, it doesn't (can't) detect motion on ether side of ether door.

This setup has worked flawlessly for about a year.

[RCaddict]

Good idea.

That's what I am beginning to realize too. Once we understood the limitation of this sensor we can overcome them by carefully placing them in the right places. Since they are cheep multiple sensors can be used to get desired result.

I mounted one on the ceiling at the main door outside looking directly down. This gave the sensor wide vision covering the entrance area and no view of the access road 30 feet away. This is the only remote door chime configuration that didn't chime at midnight. 

We need to share the good sensor placement ideas that worked which will be very helpful to us.
I hope more people will post their working sensor arrangements here!

[HA Dave]

We need to share the good sensor placement ideas that worked which will be very helpful to us.
I hope more people will post their working sensor arrangements here!

I use stick-on Velcro on the back of my sensors. It keeps them "spaced" from aluminum siding (which can drown-out signal) and makes batteries and re-programming easy. Not fun to change batteries and re-program while on a ladder.

[RCaddict]

I use stick-on Velcro on the back of my sensors. It keeps them "spaced" from aluminum siding (which can drown-out signal) and makes batteries and re-programming easy. Not fun to change batteries and re-program while on a ladder.

It seems you mount sensor flat on siding high up may be not the best arrangement. If you look at sensor specs except security sensor all others has 60deg vertical and 90 deg horizontal vision from respective axis. Only security sensor is designed to look down. So if you mount all the others horizontally up on the wall they are looking at the sky mostly. It is better to tilt them at least 30-45deg downward to get best results.

[RCaddict]

This is the real thing. Radar activated WOW!
Anybody seen one of these in action ?

http://www.tbotech.com/electronicwatchdog.htm

[eagle]

Hi guys,

I realize this is an old thread but rather than starting a new one and being redirected or referencing this thread, I thought I'd just post here.  I hope that's okay.

Anyway, I actually have the ActiveEye (MS16A) sensors and they were working fine for the first few days.  Now, they are triggering false alarms during the day due to .... bright sunlight.  All sensors are under the roof eave so they are never in the sun.  Their field of view however do cover areas that are lit by the sun. 

Unfortunately, there is no escaping the sun where we are.  The sun will simply laugh at me for any attempts at sensor strategic placement or positioning. 

I'm also not too keen on doing minor surgery on it: http://www.edcheung.com/automa/ms14a.htm

So, has there been any new "fixes" submitted to address the false alarms due to light/heat sensitivity from the sun?

Would appreciate your help.

r,
eagle