07. Jun 2023

Smart motion sensors: what you need to know

Making your home smarter happens one automation application at a time. Have you already thought about smart motion detectors? It’s a smart technology with a very easy installation process which has a remarkable ease of use. However, don’t dive into purchasing a smart sensor set before considering the three suggestions listed below.

Keep your intended purpose in mind while purchasing a smart sensor system

Adding smart motion detectors to your home can significantly improve your living standards. At least, if you install them right (meaning: ‘according to your intended goal’). Today, motion sensors serve us in three major domains: home security, energy management and comfort. Depending on which domain you want to use them in, the type of sensors, the installation process and location of the sensor units - and vital components (e.g. a hardware unit) as well as add-ons (e.g. a control panel) - will differ.

Smart sensors for your home security

Most home security systems almost exclusively rely on smart detectors to trigger lighting or alarm systems. Suspicious movements outside your home will trigger your outdoor lights to turn on in the designated area, scaring off trespassers. Once you activate your indoor alarm system, a hybrid sensor system of passive infrared and/or sensor units will watch over you and your family during the night. There are even smart sensors that can recognize the sound of breaking glass, resulting in an activation of the alarm system even before thieves are able to get inside your home.

Smart detectors for energy management

Did you leave the light on when you went to bed? Forgot to turn off the heating during work? They seem like silly accidents, but they can cost you - quite literally. Managing your energy consumption nowadays helps you save dozens of euros per month (you do the math for a whole year), but it does ask homeowners to constantly stay aware of their surroundings. Smart motions detectors stay alert, 24/7, with a disregardable energy usage of their own. How do they work? If there hasn’t been activity in a room, lighting and HVAC systems will automatically be turned off.

If you're specifically looking for a solution for forgotten open windows, then you might want to consider contact sensors. As soon as a window opens, the heating will shut down in that room (and vice versa).

Smart motion sensors for your comfort

Motion sensors can make your daily life more convenient by automating certain tasks in your home. For example, you can set up a motion sensor to turn on the lights in a room when you enter it, or to turn off the lights when you leave. Turn the heating and computer on as soon as you enter your home office. All without giving a single voice command or touching your control panel.

The right position for your motion sensors is key

Upon purchasing a smart detector system it’s crucial to know how many sensor units you’ll need to automate the preferred area of your home. In order to answer that question you’ll have to know where you want to place the units. Here are a few tips:

Monitor ‘inevitable’ areas of the house. A passage or hallway might not be very interesting to visit for trespassers at first. They are, however, crucial to pass from one room to another, and therefore very likely to be crossed.
Think like a burglar. What would be interesting areas in your house to visit? A TV, car and valuable documents are one of the most often stolen goods during break-ins.
Using infrared detectors? Be sure to not install them next to a heating source, such as an oven or radiator.

Read our article ‘How and where to install a smart motion sensor in your home’ for more installation tips and tricks.

Think ahead: Are your motion sensors compatible with other automation systems

Though you haven’t even bought any motion sensors yet, you should already think of other automation projects. In order for your motion sensors to trigger the lights when you walk into a room, those lights will have to be smart as well. Same goes for your heating or cooling systems.

Now you also have to make sure that both systems (motion sensors and its synched companion) are compatible with one another, and perhaps future automation devices. Luckily, KNX partnered up with automation manufacturers to provide you with intercompatible tech. Meaning that every device of the partners can be connected to a KNX hub.

Social Share: