Motion sensor-controlled lights are a great way to save energy in your home, school, or business.
They can also be very annoying as they tend to turn off if you don’t move around enough. Is there a way to keep motion sensor lights from turning off?
Here are 4 ways to stop a motion sensor light from turning off:
- Turn the light off and on again very quickly.
- Adjust the motion sensor sensitivity.
- Bypass the motion sensor.
- Have the motion sensors adjusted by a qualified professional.
This article will explore ways to stop motion sensor-controlled lights from turning off. But first, we’ll explain how motion sensors work in a nutshell.
How Motion Sensors Work
There are three types of motion sensors used in commercially available motion sensor lights:
Passive Infrared
Everything that exists at a temperature above absolute zero (0 K, -273.15 ℃, -459.67 ℉, 0 °R) constantly releases excess energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation.
Under normal circumstances, this radiation isn’t visible to the human eye. But it’s detectable by electronic devices.
Humans and most objects we interact with emitting excess energy in the form of infrared radiation (IR), colloquially known as “heat.”
Infrared radiation exists in the wavelength range between 700 nm and 1 mm (2.75591e-5 in and 0.04 in).
Passive infrared sensors (PIR), also called “passive infrared detectors” (PID), use a camera with a lens opaque to visible light to constantly monitor the temperature of objects within their field of view.
Any object that emits at a temperature above room temperature is “seen” by the camera.
A microcomputer attached to the PIR monitors the position of any above room temperature heat sources relative to the sensor.
If those objects move to an extent above a preset threshold, the microcomputer turns on the light.
Microwave
It might scare some people reading this article to hear, but if there are motion detector lights in the same room as yourself, there’s a chance they’re bathing you with microwave radiation!
But don’t worry, microwave radiation (1 mm to 1 m or 2.75591e-5 to 0.04 inch in wavelength) is completely harmless to humans, as long as you aren’t inside of a microwave oven.
Microwave motion sensors emit a constant beam of microwaves into their field of view.
Using a special type of camera, they watch for reflected microwaves. Motion is detected through the Doppler Effect.
Like with PIR sensors, a microcomputer monitors any motion in the sensor’s field of view, and if any motion exceeds a preset threshold, it turns on the light.
Hybrid
Hybrid motion detectors combine passive infrared and microwave motion detectors.
They’re most often used in outdoor environments where atmospheric conditions might impair the function of either.
How To Stop Motion Sensor Lights From Turning Off
Motion detector lights are a rather simple appliance. There are some things that can go wrong with them, but there are a few ways to customize their performance.
1. Turn the Light Off and On Again Very Quickly
The easiest way to stop motion detector lights from turning off is to…turn them off and quickly turn them on again. Most modern motion sensor lights are designed or programmed to interpret this as an override command. In older motion sensor lights, it simply resets the timer.
2. Adjust the Motion Sensor Sensitivity
The microcomputers that monitor the sensors in motion sensor lights have detection thresholds. There has to be a certain amount of detected motion for the microcomputer to turn on the light. And most motion detector lights let users adjust that amount.
Most commercially available motion sensor lights have adjustable sensors’ sensitivity.
This allows users to adjust how much movement is required to turn on the light.
Increasing the sensitivity will set the motion sensor to respond to smaller movements, like those of a person working at their desk or a small animal in their yard.
While the actual procedure for adjusting the motion sensor sensitivity, most models use either a dial or a slider. Newer “smart” motion sensor lights can often be adjusted via an app.
The manufacturer’s manual for your particular model should contain the procedure.
Getting the sensitivity right will require some trial and error. You have to adjust the sensitivity up and down until you reach a level you like.
Take note that setting the sensitivity too high can result in the light staying on until switched off.
3. Bypass the Motion Sensor
This pushes the limits of DIY-ing, but it’s possible to bypass the motion sensor in your motion sensor light completely. Doing so will certainly void the warranty of your lights.
And if you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re more likely to ruin your lights than not.
The motion sensors in motion sensor light fixtures are typically not wired directly into the circuit that powers the lights.
Instead, they’re connected to a relay which in turn controls the power to the lights. A relay is an electrical switch triggered by an electrical signal.
When the light fixture is turned on, “on” is the fixture’s normal state. It takes a signal from the motion detector to trigger the relay and cut the power to the light.
To bypass the motion sensor in a motion sensor light, you must insert a switch between the motion sensor and the relay in the sub-circuit. This can be a toggle switch or another light switch.
When the new switch is in the off position, signals from the motion sensor don’t get through. As a result, your motion sensor light fixture will work like a normal light mixture.
Before attempting to bypass the motion sensor in your light fixture, please reference the circuit diagram for that model. More general circuit diagrams are available online.
4. Have the Motion Sensors Adjusted by a Qualified Professional
The best course of action for most people frustrated with the performance of their motion sensor lights is to have them installed or adjusted by a qualified professional. In most cases, this means calling an electrician or a home security specialist.
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