We had a security light installed for my mother at her back door which
worked fine for a couple months. Now when someone walks up to the door it
no longer comes on but when you walk back to your car then it comes on. How
do we fix this? TIA

"Dinah" wrote in message
...
We had a security light installed for my mother at her back door which
worked fine for a couple months. Now when someone walks up to the door it
no longer comes on but when you walk back to your car then it comes on.
How do we fix this? TIA

Put a sign up that says walk backwards towards the door???

;-]

Sounds like you need to adjust the sensitivity....

"Dinah" wrote in message
...
We had a security light installed for my mother at her back door which
worked fine for a couple months. Now when someone walks up to the door it
no longer comes on but when you walk back to your car then it comes on.
How
do we fix this? TIA


Zillions of things cause this. Shall we pick a few.
Read the direction to see if there is a sensor adjustment.
COLD on el cheap o stuff
Aiming of the sensor

Dinah wrote:
We had a security light installed for my mother at her back door which
worked fine for a couple months. Now when someone walks up to the
door it no longer comes on but when you walk back to your car then it
comes on. How do we fix this? TIA

Stopped working when it got cold did it? Common problem many of them
become less sensitive when cold. You may be able to adjust it.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Joseph Meehan wrote:
Dinah wrote:

We had a security light installed for my mother at her back door which
worked fine for a couple months. Now when someone walks up to the
door it no longer comes on but when you walk back to your car then it
comes on. How do we fix this? TIA


Stopped working when it got cold did it? Common problem many of them
become less sensitive when cold. You may be able to adjust it.


Well, actually, many sensors get less
sensitive when it gets hot outside. When
everything is near 100 degrees,
including your body, the sensor can't
tell the
difference.

I had so much trouble with cold I tossed it in the trash. in the winter
every car going up the street would trip it.....


in the summer it was dead. not worth the effort

"LoL" wrote

I have 2 and the work!
I live in FL. so it never gets to 100.
but a sensor has nothing to do with temp!!!!!!!
Try again!

You sure about that, Mr. Science???

The "motion sensing" feature on most lights (and security systems) is a
passive system that detects infrared energy. These sensors are therefore
known as PIR (passive infrared) detectors or pyroelectric sensors. In order
to make a sensor that can detect a human being, you need to make the sensor
sensitive to the temperature of a human body. Humans, having a skin
temperature of about 93 degrees F, radiate infrared energy with a wavelength
between 9 and 10 micrometers. Therefore, the sensors are typically sensitive
in the range of 8 to 12 micrometers.

The devices themselves are simple electronic components not unlike a
photosensor. The infrared light bumps electrons off a substrate, and these
electrons can be detected and amplified into a signal.

You have probably noticed that your light is sensitive to motion, but not to
a person who is standing still. That's because the electronics package
attached to the sensor is looking for a fairly rapid change in the amount of
infrared energy it is seeing. When a person walks by, the amount of infrared
energy in the field of view changes rapidly and is easily detected. You do
not want the sensor detecting slower changes, like the sidewalk cooling off
at night.

Your motion sensing light has a wide field of view because of the lens
covering the sensor. Infrared energy is a form of light, so you can focus
and bend it with plastic lenses. But it's not like there is a 2-D array of
sensors in there. There is a single (or sometimes two) sensors inside
looking for changes in infrared energy.

"LoL" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 27 Jan 2006 02:27:22 GMT, "Dr. Hardcrab"
wrote:


"LoL" wrote

I have 2 and the work!
I live in FL. so it never gets to 100.
but a sensor has nothing to do with temp!!!!!!!
Try again!

You sure about that, Mr. Science???

The "motion sensing" feature on most lights (and security systems) is a
passive system that detects infrared energy. These sensors are therefore
known as PIR (passive infrared) detectors or pyroelectric sensors. In
order
to make a sensor that can detect a human being, you need to make the
sensor
sensitive to the temperature of a human body. Humans, having a skin
temperature of about 93 degrees F, radiate infrared energy with a
wavelength
between 9 and 10 micrometers. Therefore, the sensors are typically
sensitive
in the range of 8 to 12 micrometers.

The devices themselves are simple electronic components not unlike a
photosensor. The infrared light bumps electrons off a substrate, and these
electrons can be detected and amplified into a signal.

You have probably noticed that your light is sensitive to motion, but not
to
a person who is standing still. That's because the electronics package
attached to the sensor is looking for a fairly rapid change in the amount
of
infrared energy it is seeing. When a person walks by, the amount of
infrared
energy in the field of view changes rapidly and is easily detected. You do
not want the sensor detecting slower changes, like the sidewalk cooling
off
at night.

Your motion sensing light has a wide field of view because of the lens
covering the sensor. Infrared energy is a form of light, so you can focus
and bend it with plastic lenses. But it's not like there is a 2-D array of
sensors in there. There is a single (or sometimes two) sensors inside
looking for changes in infrared energy.

Nice try but bull!
my flag waving will set the light off!
So will my dog.
and a small tree when it is windy.....
and a hanging plant moving.

You obviously didn't read my explanation, so out you go!

buh-bye

*PLONK*

On Thu, 26 Jan 2006 23:49:47 GMT, Art Todesco
wrote:

Joseph Meehan wrote:
Dinah wrote:

We had a security light installed for my mother at her back door which
worked fine for a couple months. Now when someone walks up to the
door it no longer comes on but when you walk back to your car then it
comes on. How do we fix this? TIA


Stopped working when it got cold did it? Common problem many of them
become less sensitive when cold. You may be able to adjust it.


Well, actually, many sensors get less
sensitive when it gets hot outside. When
everything is near 100 degrees,
including your body, the sensor can't
tell the
difference.


I notice that with a motion-sensing switch in my garage. It becomes
less reliable in the summer.
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what
to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb
contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin

On Thu, 26 Jan 2006 21:51:18 GMT, "Dinah" wrote:

We had a security light installed for my mother at her back door which
worked fine for a couple months. Now when someone walks up to the door it
no longer comes on but when you walk back to your car then it comes on. How
do we fix this? TIA


Tell all your friends to walk backwards when they come to the door...
lol

It may have moved a little from winds. Adjust the angle, there is
usually a sensitivity control too.

Of course if you got a tree branch growing near it, or some other
change that can affect it too.