I was planning on putting a motion sensor in my Kitchen, but it seems the best placement for would make it point directly at our sliding glass door. What I’m worried about is false alarms. Would it better to place it on the same wall as the glass door?
Typically you do not want to aim at windows/glass. While heat signatures are not visible through glass, exposure to sunlight changes can indeed cause false alarms, as can drafts. This all also depends on the motion detector. Manufacturer’s installation instructions will have specific guidelines.
What kind of sunlight exposure does the area get? I would recommend not pointing it at the door. It is a wireless detector though, correct? It can be adjusted.
If it sees the sunlight it may trigger as it takes a thermal “screenshot”, if the sunlight goes behind/comes out from behind cloud, or moves across PIR lenses area as the day progresses, it will change that thermal “picture” and trigger the alarm initiating device.
Or if you want to eliminate potential false alarms, go with an image sensor (captures the motion event, allowing you to verify quickly if it is false or true). Set the IS to zone type 23 (no response) with notifications, or if you want it to function as normal PIR zone type 04 (interior follower)
Jason - I don’t get much sunlight through the back door, but I would say it’s a possibility to have some changes in temp. It is a wireless 2Gig PIR so yes, it can be moved.
rive - not a bad idea either. I may have to look into that.