Is there a any documentation to the range and degree detection for the ST motion detector? I have 4 and cannot seem to find the max/degree.
2015 model
Communication Protocol: ZigBee
Range: 50-130 feet (depending on your home’s construction)
Field of View: 120 degrees
Model: F-CEN-IRM-1
Thanks for the info. I believe the 120 degrees but I do not think the 50-130 feet is the detection range. That may be the communication distance to the hub. I cannot get more than 20 feet of range.
The maximum IR Detection range should be from 15 to 30 feet depending on the exact model. ( usually, but not always, the smaller the lens the smaller the detection area.). ( these are white label products, the specs are based on the ones published on the original manufacturer site.)
As @anon36505037 mentioned, position will impact responsiveness. All of these PIR sensors are measuring heat changes across The field: if you are walking straight on to the sensor it will take the longest amount of time to recognize the event, and so it may seem like a much shorter Detection range. Where if the same sensor was ceilingmounted or mounted at a 90° angle to the traffic path, it might appear to have a much longer range just because it was detecting the change sooner.
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I just bought 5 smart things brand motion sensors (May 2017) that have a range of about 5 feet.
I am wondering if maybe they are defective or something.
Anyone else having this problem?
I don’t see a model number on the new ones but they run on a CR 2477 battery. The old ones are a bigger sensor and run on a 123A battery.
On a side note, in 2014 I bought 5 of the smart thing motion sensors. They work great and have a range of 15-30 feet. I wish the new ones worked the same way, but the new ones seem to be useless junk that fail to detect motion.
Anyone ever tried returning smart things products that seem to be defective? Will you get your money back?
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I returned most of my “new” ST motion sensors as they are slow compared to the “old” models and the Lowes Iris motion sensors. My “old” ST sensors I get 20-30 feet detection range in some cases.
I only buy the Iris Motion sensors now.
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It looks like those Iris Sensors aren’t available any longer. I’m also having trouble getting my sensor to detect motion in the shower (turning off the bathroom lights). My wife is going to kill me if I can’t get it working!
Any suggestions on what to buy now? I have the new ST sensor, and it’s pretty unreliable.
Check your local Lowes store.
That was a no-go too. Is there another make/model that you’d suggest?
Still available at my local Lowes, and online. You may need to check some other local stores.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Iris-Security-Motion-Detector/999925310
None at my store still, but I’m totally going to order one!! Thanks for your help.
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I have ST sensors but they are about a year old. They work ok but the IRIS sensors are better. My lowes still has several, so maybe other lowes in your area would have them. If not, try https://www.lowes.com/pd/Iris-Security-Motion-Detector/999925310
Duane, I live in Timbuktu, otherwise known as Bismarck, ND. I’m pretty sure the “other Lowes” in my area would be 200 miles away!
But I do see them on the site and I’m about to pick one up. Any word on these: https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=122&cp_id=12212&cs_id=1091804&p_id=15902&seq=1&format=2
I don’t know but I did find this.[RELEASE] Enhanced ZooZ 4 in 1 Sensor (ZSE40 v1/v2) Device Handler with Temperature, Humidity, Motion and Luminescence Sensor with Lux Reporting
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In general, inexpensive Z wave sensors will be less quick to respond than inexpensive zigbee sensors. This is because zigbee is better at power management, so they can be tuned to be a little more sensitive without eating up the batteries.
It doesn’t mean Z wave sensors are bad, but they might be more suited to applications where waiting two seconds until the lights turn on is OK.
If you have a set up where you want to catch people just as they walk into a room, typically an inexpensive zigbee sensor will give you faster response time.
Once you get to the more expensive, better engineered zwave sensors like Fibaro, then you typically won’t see a difference between the two protocols except the batteries may last a little longer in the zigbee devices.
Thank you very much for the explanation. My Iris sensor is on the way from Lowes, and now I’ll know what to be looking for in the future. I’m pretty new at this, so far I have 9 lights and two smart dimmer switches, so I’m sure I’ll be around asking more!
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Thanks so much!! That’s exactly the kind of info I was looking for!!!
I just purchased two new Samsung Motion Sensors and I experiencing the same issue. The detection range is about 5 foot when the specs say up to around 15ft. Has anyone tried talking to Samsung support? Could it be a fault bath or just a revised version with different specs?
Lowes is not supporting the Iris brand any longer. https://www.irisbylowes.com/?searchTerm=iris%20motion