Turning on the lights in some rooms or on the street for the entire dark period is unreasonable. In order for the light to burn only when needed, a motion sensor is placed in the power supply circuit of the lamp. In the "normal" state, it breaks the power circuit. When a moving object appears in its coverage area, the contacts close, the lighting turns on. After the object disappears from the coverage area, the light turns off. Such an algorithm of work showed itself perfectly in street lighting, in lighting utility rooms, corridors, basements, porches and stairs. In general, in those places where people appear only periodically. So for economy and convenience, it is better to put a motion sensor to turn on the light.
Species and varieties
Motion sensors for turning on the light can be of different types, designed for different operating conditions. First of all, you need to look at where the device can be installed.
Outdoor motion sensors have a high degree of body protection. For normal operation in the open air, sensors with an IP of at least 55 are taken, but higher is better. For installation in the house, you can take IP 22 and higher.
Power type
The largest group is wired ones for connecting to 220 V. There are fewer wireless ones, but they are also enough. They are good if you need to turn on lighting powered by low-voltage current sources - batteries or solar panels, for example.
Method for determining the presence of movement
The motion sensor for turning on the light can detect moving objects using various detection principles:
Most often, infrared motion sensors are used to turn on the light on the street or at home. They have a low price, a large range, a large number of adjustments that will help you set it up. On stairs and in long corridors, it is better to put a sensor with ultrasound or microwave. They are able to turn on the light even if you are still far from the light source. Microwaves are recommended for installation in security systems - they detect movement even behind partitions.
Specifications
After you have decided which motion sensor you will install to turn on the light, you need to select its technical characteristics.
Viewing angle
The motion sensor for turning on the light can have a different viewing angle in the horizontal plane - from 90 ° to 360 °. If an object can be approached from any direction, sensors with a radius of 180-360 ° are installed, depending on its location. If the device is mounted on a wall, 180° is enough, if on a pole, 360° is already needed. Indoors, you can use those that track movement in a narrow sector.
If there is only one door (utility room, for example), a narrow-band sensor may be sufficient. If the room can be entered from two or three sides, the model should be able to see at least 180 °, and preferably in all directions. The wider the "coverage", the better, but the cost of wide-angle models is much higher, so it is worth proceeding from the principle of reasonable sufficiency.
There is also a vertical viewing angle. In conventional inexpensive models, it is 15-20 °, but there are models that can cover up to 180 °. Wide-angle motion detectors are usually installed in security systems, and not in lighting systems, since their cost is solid. In this regard, it is worth choosing the height of the device installation correctly: so that the “dead zone”, in which the detector simply does not see anything, is not in the place where the movement is most intense.
Range
Here again, it is worth choosing taking into account whether a motion sensor will be installed in the room to turn on the light or on the street. For rooms with a range of 5-7 meters, it will be enough with your head.
For the street, the installation of more "long-range" ones is desirable. But look here too: with a large coverage radius, false positives can be very frequent. So too much coverage can even be a disadvantage.
Power of connected lamps
Each motion sensor for turning on the light is designed to connect a certain load - it can pass a current of a certain rating through itself. Therefore, when choosing, you need to know the total power of the lamps that the device will connect.
In order not to overpay for the increased bandwidth of the motion sensor, and even save on electricity bills, use not incandescent lamps, but more economical ones - gas discharge, fluorescent or.
Method and place of installation
In addition to the explicit division into street and "home" there is another type of division according to the installation location of motion sensors:
If the lighting is turned on only to increase comfort, cabinet models are chosen, since with equal characteristics they are cheaper. Embedded put in security systems. They are small but more expensive.
Additional functions
Some motion detectors have additional features. Some of them are overkill, others, in certain situations, can be useful.
These are all features that may be useful. Pay particular attention to the animal protection and shutdown delay. These are really useful options.
Where to place
You need to install the motion sensor to turn on the lighting correctly - in order for it to work correctly, follow certain rules:
In large rooms, it is better to install the device on the ceiling. Its viewing radius should be 360°. If the sensor must turn on the lighting from any movement in the room, it is installed in the center, if only some part is controlled, the distance is chosen so that the "dead zone" of the ball is minimal.
Motion sensor to turn on the light: installation diagrams
In the simplest case, the motion sensor is connected to a break in the phase wire that goes to the lamp. If we are talking about a dark room without windows, such a scheme is efficient and optimal.
If we talk specifically about connecting wires, then phase and zero are connected to the input of the motion sensor (usually signed L for phase and N for neutral). From the output of the sensor, the phase is fed to the lamp, and we take zero and earth to it from the shield or from the nearest junction box.
If we are talking about street lighting or turning on the light in a room with windows, you will either need to install a light sensor (photo relay) or install a switch on the line. Both devices prevent the lighting from turning on during daylight hours. It’s just that one (photo relay) works in automatic mode, and the second is turned on forcibly by a person.
They are also placed in the gap of the phase wire. Only when using a light sensor, it must be placed in front of the motion relay. In this case, it will receive power only after it gets dark and will not work “idle” during the day. Since any electrical appliance is designed for a certain number of operations, this will extend the life of the motion sensor.
All the schemes described above have one drawback: the lighting cannot be turned on for a long time. If you need to carry out some work on the stairs in the evening, you will have to move all the time, otherwise the light will turn off periodically.
A switch is installed in parallel with the detector to enable the lighting to be switched on for a long time. While it is off, the sensor is in operation, the light turns on when it is triggered. If you need to turn on the lamp for a long period, flip the switch. The lamp stays on all the time until the switch is turned back to the off position.
Adjustment (setting)
After installation, the motion sensor to turn on the light must be configured. To adjust almost all parameters on the case there are small rotary controls. They can be rotated by inserting a fingernail into the slot, but it is better to use a small screwdriver. We will describe the adjustment of a motion sensor of the DD type with a built-in light sensor, since they are most often installed in private homes for automation.
Tilt angle
For those sensors that are mounted on the walls, you first need to set the angle of inclination. They are fixed on swivel brackets, with the help of which their position is changed. It must be chosen so that the controlled area is the largest. It will not be possible to give exact recommendations, since it depends on the vertical viewing angle of the model and on the height at which you hung it.
The optimal installation height of the motion sensor is about 2.4 meters. In this case, even those models that can span only 15-20° vertically control enough space. Adjusting the angle of inclination is a very rough name for what you have to do. You will gradually change the angle of inclination, check how the sensor works in this position from different possible entry points. Easy, but tedious.
Sensitivity
On the case, this adjustment is signed SEN (from English sensitive - sensitivity). The position can be changed from minimum (min/low) to maximum (max/hight).
This is one of the most difficult settings, since it determines whether the sensor will work on small animals (cats and dogs). If the dog is large, it will not be possible to avoid false positives. With medium and small animals this is quite possible. The setup procedure is as follows: set it to a minimum, check how it works for you and for smaller inhabitants. If necessary, gradually increase the sensitivity.
Delay time
Different models have a different turn-off delay range - from 3 seconds to 15 minutes. It must be inserted all the same - by turning the adjusting wheel. It is usually signed by Time (translated from English as "time").
Glow time or delay time - choose what you like best
Everything is relatively easy here - knowing the minimum and maximum of your model, approximately choose the position. After turning on the flashlight, freeze and note the time after which it will turn off. Next, change the position of the regulator in the desired direction.
Light level
This adjustment refers to a photo relay, which, as we agreed, is built into our motion sensor to turn on the light. If there is no built-in photo relay, it simply will not be. This adjustment is signed LUX, the extreme positions are signed min and max.
When connecting, set the regulator to the maximum position. And in the evening, at that level of illumination, when you think the light should already turn on, turn the knob slowly to the min position until the lamp / lantern turns on.
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