Just spent an entire afternoon on a single motion sensor that kept giving false alarms in a finished basement.

3 comments

3 Comments

Ugh, motion sensors in basements are the worst. Mine kept going off because of a tiny spider web in the corner. Could be dust from the HVAC kicking on, or maybe a draft moving a curtain. Try wiping the lens and checking for any air vents pointing right at it. Sometimes they just need a slight angle adjustment away from the furnace.

tyler_baker1mo ago

Honestly I've found motion sensors in basements to be pretty reliable once you get them set right.

kellymurphy3h ago

Did you try taping a piece of cardboard over half of it? @sandra_anderson that spider web thing reminds me of an old house I had where the motion sensor would trip every time a moth flew by the basement window at night. I ended up just hanging a string of old Christmas lights near it to confuse the sensor with warm air pockets. Honestly, after three weeks of tweaking and getting false alarms at 2am, I gave up and bought a cheap pet-immune model from a hardware store clearance bin. Now it only goes off when my cat decides to sleep directly under it.