Pet Safe Motion Sensors?
#1
01-09-03, 03:48 PM
Pet Safe Motion Sensors?
Hi,
I recently moved into a house that was already wired with an (inactive) alarm system. I had ADT come out, and they replaced the control panel, keypad, and smoke detector. Everything else that was in place was still working and perfectly compatible with the new ADT control panel. This includes heat sensors, motion sensors, and a glass breakage sensor.
We would now like to replace the existing motion sensors with pet safe motion sensors (for cats). Is this as simple as removing the old ones and mounting the new ones in their place? They're all mounted above doorways. It's extremely expensive to have ADT do this.
Can anyone reccomend a good quality motion sensor? Smarthome.com seems to have several available. And will they all be compatible with my current system?
Thanks in advance!
Peter
I recently moved into a house that was already wired with an (inactive) alarm system. I had ADT come out, and they replaced the control panel, keypad, and smoke detector. Everything else that was in place was still working and perfectly compatible with the new ADT control panel. This includes heat sensors, motion sensors, and a glass breakage sensor.
We would now like to replace the existing motion sensors with pet safe motion sensors (for cats). Is this as simple as removing the old ones and mounting the new ones in their place? They're all mounted above doorways. It's extremely expensive to have ADT do this.
Can anyone reccomend a good quality motion sensor? Smarthome.com seems to have several available. And will they all be compatible with my current system?
Thanks in advance!
Peter
#2
01-09-03, 10:34 PM
First of all, Pet PIR's are very misleading. Usually the only difference between a Pet PIR and a regular PIR is the 2 cent lens on the front of it (not the cover, the actual little 2 x 2 lens - the gray part on some motions.) Now, on the other hand, there are other features on some Pet PIR's that help immunity (pulse count, beam pattern, dual-tech, etc.) but most Pet PIR's just have a different lens on them. So, with this in mind, don't spend a lot of money on a "Pet PIR".
Now, on to the cat problem. Pet PIR's are typically useless and a waste of money when it comes to cats. Mainly because cats are so unpredictable. Motion placement, pulse count, beam pattern, and many many other factors come into play when you combine Motion Detectors with cats. Cats tend to jump on counters, furniture, shelves, bookcases, etc etc etc, and if your motion is anywhere near this kind of furniture (or anything a cat can jump on) they will probably set it off.
One myth of Pet PIR's is the weight limit on them. This is not a carved in stone setting. Immunity weights are all relative. As an example: Let's say a person crosses the path of the motion at 20' away. If a spider crosses the lens at 1/2" away, they could actually look the same size to the motion detector and both could set it off. So, with this in mind, don't think you can get a 40 lb. motion detector and not have to worry about the cats setting it off. If they jump in front of it, they could still set it off.
Cheap alternative to Pet PIR's: Masking. Use some Duct tape, electrical tape, vinyl tape (something fairly heavy) and put it on the inside of the lens to block off areas that the cats may roam. By doing this, you will be blocking the motion from seeing that area and possibly the cat won't set it off.
These are just some things to consider when buying motions and setting them up. If you can't find a good deal on a Pet Immune Motion, let me know. I can get you one fairly cheap.
BTW, to answer your question about installation. As long as you keep your black/red wires away from each other (otherwise you could short the panel) or power down the system, installation is simple. You have the 2 power wires (black/red), then you have your relay wires (usually yellow/green, maybe white/green) and you may have a resistor in the panel, depending on the installer and panel type (I think most ADT dealers just put them in the panel, not at the device.) Of course, just hook up the red/black to 12V power and Ground respectively. The yellow/green goes to the NC and COM terminals, no polarity, doesn't really matter which is which, but Yellow is usually NC and Green COM. Once you've done this, set up the motion for Slow pulse count (usually a jumper, may not have it) set the height on the lens (look at the instructions for recommended settings for the height of the motion) and mask off the lens, if necessary. Put it on test and let the cat loose, see if he sets it off. That's usually the best way to test with a cat. Then again, it's also the hardest since you can't make cats do anything (I know, I have 2 myself.)
If you have any problems or questions, reply back here.
Now, on to the cat problem. Pet PIR's are typically useless and a waste of money when it comes to cats. Mainly because cats are so unpredictable. Motion placement, pulse count, beam pattern, and many many other factors come into play when you combine Motion Detectors with cats. Cats tend to jump on counters, furniture, shelves, bookcases, etc etc etc, and if your motion is anywhere near this kind of furniture (or anything a cat can jump on) they will probably set it off.
One myth of Pet PIR's is the weight limit on them. This is not a carved in stone setting. Immunity weights are all relative. As an example: Let's say a person crosses the path of the motion at 20' away. If a spider crosses the lens at 1/2" away, they could actually look the same size to the motion detector and both could set it off. So, with this in mind, don't think you can get a 40 lb. motion detector and not have to worry about the cats setting it off. If they jump in front of it, they could still set it off.
Cheap alternative to Pet PIR's: Masking. Use some Duct tape, electrical tape, vinyl tape (something fairly heavy) and put it on the inside of the lens to block off areas that the cats may roam. By doing this, you will be blocking the motion from seeing that area and possibly the cat won't set it off.
These are just some things to consider when buying motions and setting them up. If you can't find a good deal on a Pet Immune Motion, let me know. I can get you one fairly cheap.
BTW, to answer your question about installation. As long as you keep your black/red wires away from each other (otherwise you could short the panel) or power down the system, installation is simple. You have the 2 power wires (black/red), then you have your relay wires (usually yellow/green, maybe white/green) and you may have a resistor in the panel, depending on the installer and panel type (I think most ADT dealers just put them in the panel, not at the device.) Of course, just hook up the red/black to 12V power and Ground respectively. The yellow/green goes to the NC and COM terminals, no polarity, doesn't really matter which is which, but Yellow is usually NC and Green COM. Once you've done this, set up the motion for Slow pulse count (usually a jumper, may not have it) set the height on the lens (look at the instructions for recommended settings for the height of the motion) and mask off the lens, if necessary. Put it on test and let the cat loose, see if he sets it off. That's usually the best way to test with a cat. Then again, it's also the hardest since you can't make cats do anything (I know, I have 2 myself.)
If you have any problems or questions, reply back here.
