Best place for motion sensor

[Luvien (LJ)]

Hello everyone,

I got 10 smartthings motion sensor and I’m wondering where is usually the best place to install them. They don’t come with a handle for the corner of the wall. Even if they did, I think it would be better to install them, on the wall, on top of the inside door so they fire only when I get in the room and not when I walk in the hallway.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

[johnconstantelo]

Hi @Luvien, I’ve got my ST motion sensors installed on top of door frames since they’re the same thickness as the wood frame. They point into the room so that motion in the hallway isn’t picked up.

I only have 3 ST motion sensors, with a much larger number of motion sensors being the Iris version because they provide for so many more mounting options, including in corners (my preference)

[diehllane (Brian Diehl)]

I have one in my laundry room under the shelf that detects me as I approach the washer/dryer.
I also have one in the hall linen closet which essentially acts like an open/close sensor as it won’t see anything as long as the door is closed.

You will want to set them up wherever they won’t get accidental triggers. Above the doorframe inside the room is a good place. Directly beside the lightswitch on the wall inside a room is also a good place, although it tends to stand out a bit more right there.

@JDRoberts uses one inside a box that he just waves his hand over to trigger actions.

There are places in rooms you can install them so they won’t trigger until you are well into the room so they won’t trigger just for quick trips in.

[ero4444 (Eric)]

You can mask the sensor with tape to limit its field of vision.

[lalo (larance)]

I have mine mounted in the corner of a “L” shaped hallway, one end of the hallway is 20 feet and the other is 10 feet and it picks up motion from both directions perfectly.

[JDRoberts]

The following should also be of interest (this is a clickable link):

Placing sensors

I am just starting my install and was wondering if anyone had any tips on placement of motion sensors specifically to trigger lights when entering a room. I have two doors on either wall of a corner, one is a bedroom and the other the washroom. I initially thought I could a sensor on the ceiling above each door, but I believe they would both trigger regardless which room I was entering. For the bedroom I only want it to trigger when entering, not for all movement. The door is open so I can’t choose a door sensor. The bathroom I’ll have on a 5 minute timer, but I still don’t want to trip it when I’m walking into the bedroom. Any ideas or suggestion are welcome. Thank you.