We have an IR detector light outside our front door. The
detector is angled so that it is not triggered by anybody
walking by and the light is angled so that it only illuminates
our front garden.

But ...

A week or so ago I walked out of the house via the back door,
as usual, down the drive and into the street. As I reached the
far boundary of our property, the light turned on! (The light
and detector focus on the area I'd already walked past,
essentially behind me!)

I looked back at the garden but no sight of a cat or squirrel,
so carried on. When I returned, I walked past the house slowly
and right next to the front wall. The light stayed off.

This was the beginning of the last spell of high winds, mainly
blowing directly at the front of the house, and there were
further instances of the light turning on unexpectedly. Had
the wind altered the position of the detector? I wondered.

Then the winds abated and the light has been working normally.

Today, the wind returned and the light started misbehaving
again. I went out early evening, leaving by the back door as
usual and walking down the drive. The light was already on. I
walked down the street and it stayed on.

A couple of hours later I returned. In the meantime there had
been a heavy downpour and the wind had dropped. I approached
the house - no light - walked close to the wall as I passed
the house - no light - walked down the drive and in the back
door as usual - no light.

Has anybody got any ideas why an IR detector should play up in
the presence of high winds and then work normally when they
drop?

--

Terry