To help avoid unwanted motion detection, each Amatis sensor is sold with a set of blinders that can be used to restrict the sensing region of the occupancy sensor. Below is more information on those:
Passive infrared can also not see through glass, so any window or glass wall within that sensing region would block the motion from being detected on the other side of the sensor. Another consideration to make when installing PIR sensors is that the HVAC system, which emits warm and cold air, can trigger false occupancy detection if the sensor is placed within direct airflow from HVAC. It is best to keep the sensors >2 feet from HVAC vents.
If a sensor is placed close to an open doorway or near it, motion on the other side of that doorway may be seen. An example of where this can be problematic is a small, unoccupied office with a sensor mounted in the middle of the ceiling and an open door. Motion in the high traffic hallway just outside the office may be detected, causing the lights in the office to remain on when they are not needed.
Next to the PIR sensor, you’ll notice an LED bulb which indicates occupancy detection. This bulb can be used to help optimize sensor placement after the system is powered on. When the sensor is powered and does not detect motion, this light is green. When motion is detected, this light turns orange. You can use this feedback mechanism to test confirm occupancy detection where you want it, and not where you don’t.
The last point to mention about occupancy detection is that the circular cone is an approximation for the detection of the sensor. You can see that the detection region is actually more rectangular. If you’d like to fine-tune the detection region of the sensor, you can rotate the sensor in the ceiling to make slight adjustments to where the sensor can see. A trick you can use to extend the range of the sensor is to place the LED in the direction you would like to detect. This orientation will extend the range of your sensor in that direction.
In some cases, our sensors will be mounted in difficult mounting locations. To assist, we offer two different types of bracketry. One bracket is specific to our UFO-style LED, and the other is a generic bracket to mount the sensor against a fixture.