How to reduce motion sensor false alarms in your Yakima home

Motion sensors are crucial components in a comprehensive home security strategy, as they’ll tell you if suspicious activity is transpiring at your house. Unfortunately, they’re also vulnerable to false alarms, causing annoyance and lost sleep for Yakima homeowners. If you’re searching for solutions, check out our tips on reducing motion sensor false alarms.

What triggers motion detector false alarms?

The majority of residential motion detectors utilize passive infrared (PIR) technology to identify activity. They sense fluctuations in infrared radiation in their coverage zone and can recognize when someone is in motion by their heat signature. False alarms are often triggered by: 

• Pets leaping on couches or tabletops
• Streams of intense sunlight through a window
• A variety of heat sources, such as fireplaces and air ducts
• Sudden temperature or humidity changes, which cause equipment to be overly sensitive or non-reactive

Microwave motion sensors are another widespread option that detects motion by constantly broadcasting and evaluating electromagnetic waves. Referred to as active motion sensors, they spot movement through modifications in the returning signal. Any unexpected activity, like curtains swaying when your HVAC fan starts up, can trigger an alarm.

Ideas for limiting motion sensor false alarms at your Yakima home

In addition to a lack of sleep, motion sensor false alarms are particularly problematic as they can numb you to actual threats. Additionally, recurring false alarms might become an annoyance for emergency providers and may affect ensuing response times. Fortunately, you can help circumvent them by implementing these suggestions:

• Check the sensitivity parameters of your sensors and change to your animal’s size and behavior.
• Avoid aiming them at busy spots like food bowls, even when using pet-friendly sensors.
• Avoid aiming motion sensors at windows that receive heavy sunlight.
• Make sure spaces are sufficiently insulated to help prevent extreme temperature changes.
• Periodically dust and clean components to keep sensors working properly.
• Monitor batteries and replace as needed. Some devices will even let you know when batteries are getting low.
• Get them installed professionally to ensure optimal placement.

You might also opt for dual-technology devices that utilize both active and passive sensors to sense motion, resulting in improved accuracy.

How to utilize motion sensors in your Yakima smart home?

Incorporating motion sensor into a modern smart home is a fantastic way to boost your security and convenience. You’ll have the opportunity to do the following:

• Get automatic updates on your mobile device when motion is detected. You could also use them to alert you when your little ones get home from school.
• Configure indoor cameras to record automatically whenever a motion sensor triggers.
• Alter lighting or temperature levels according to whether people are home. This feature can help reduce energy costs.

Top smart home devices, like the ones installed by Vivint, continue to employ artificial intelligence (AI) to better identify real threats and decrease false alarms.

Create your Vivint smart home with dependable motion sensors

Get the top motion sensors in Yakima from Vivint when you plan your fully integrated smart home. Our devices are pet-friendly and permit you to configure a variety of home automation actions. You’ll also benefit from the five-year battery and automatic smartphone notifications. Contact (509) 790-6958 today to learn more.