Motion Sensor Installation Questions

The most effective positions are hallways, stairwells, and main entry corridors, choke points that anyone moving through the home must pass. Placing sensors in the middle of large open rooms creates blind spots on both sides. Mounting height of 7 to 8 feet in a corner gives the widest coverage arc.

Entry points and hallways remain unmonitored, meaning movement through those areas goes undetected by your security setup. A gap in coverage at a choke point is the most common reason an alarm system fails to trigger when it should.

The most common causes are ceiling fans, heating or cooling vents, and direct sunlight through windows. These heat sources move or shift within the sensor’s detection arc. Adjusting the sensor angle to exclude them, identified during a walk-through, resolves most false alert issues.

Not equally. Sensors work best where movement crosses their detection arc, such as hallways and entries. Large rooms with heavy furniture or irregular layouts can block coverage. Placement matters more than the sensor itself, a well-positioned sensor in a hallway outperforms one poorly placed in a wide-open room.

The main factors are the number of sensors, the mounting positions, and the wiring complexity. A straightforward single-pole install costs less than one requiring 3-way wiring or a switch box without a neutral wire. A written estimate is provided before any work is booked.