Motion Sensor Light Cost – Installing motion sensor lights not only provide automatic illumination when you come home late, they can also help deter criminals with plans of breaking into your house. Motion sensor lights are quite valuable cheap, easy-to-install lights that provide you enhanced visibility when you have to navigate a dark, icy sidewalk or when you have to leave early for work.
The use of motion sensor lights is not restricted to outdoors only. These can be used indoors as well in storerooms, laundry rooms, ore anywhere you do not want fumble for a light switch. The installation of motion sensor lights is quite easy and can be done as a DIY job. Different types of motion sensor lights are available today that cast a focused beam or a bright floodlight when activated by motion.
How do Motion Sensor Lights Work?
Motion sensor lights have two basic parts – a lamp and a sensor. The lamp functions just like any other ordinary bulb and illuminates when switched on. The sensor is designed to detect infrared waves or heat waves.
When any object with a temperature higher than the room temperature crosses the sensor’s path, the sensor detects its waves and activates the light. The object doesn’t need to be a human being only. It can be anything like a car, cat, or any other object.
Motion sensor lights are adjustable, which means that the user can adjust the distance at which the sensor will detect the movement and set the length of time for which the light will remain on after activation.
Types of Motion Sensor Lights
Motion sensor lights can be categorized into different types depending on their intended use and the type of sensor used in them. On the basis of intended use, we can classify motion sensor lights into three main types – decorative, security, and flood lights.
On the basis of motion-sensing technology, motion sensor lights can be divided into two main categories – lights with active motion sensors and lights with passive motion sensors.
Lights with Active Motion Sensors
The working of active motion sensors is quite interesting. The transmit energy signals that bounce off objects, such as walls, and return to the sensor. When an object moves in front of the light, the signals transmitted by the sensor bounce off the object and return to the sensor in a shorter time than usual. Active motion sensors measure this time and activate the bulb.
Lights with Passive Motion Sensors
Unlike active motion sensors, passive motion sensors scan the surroundings for heat waves and switch the light one if heat signals are detected. These can be programmed to ignore body heat of small animals and other harmless objects.
Considerations of Buying a Motion Sensor Light
The choice of a motion sensor light depends on the location where the light is to be installed and degree of detection required. We are listing some factors that can influence your decision of buying a motion sensor light.
Type of Motion Sensor Light – The choice of a particular type of motion sensor light is dictated by the degree of detection an individual requires. For example, if you want to detect virtually everything, you should consider buying a motion light with an active motion sensor. On the other hand, if you want the bulb to illuminate only when a human being approaches, you should consider passive motion sensor lights.
Detection Zone – Different outdoor motion sensor lights have different detection zones, ranging from 90 degrees to 360 degrees. There are certain companies that manufacture lights with adjustable detection zone as well. A motion sensor light with a broader detection zone incurs more Motion Sensor Light Cost.
Range– Just like detection zone, a bigger range means a more expensive motion detector lights. However, a bigger range may also lead to false alarms.
Brightness – Brightness is another factor that determines the Motion Sensor Light Cost of a outdoor motion sensor light. 300 watts motion sensor lights used for top security purposes are more expensive than 150 watts lights used for normal to low grade visibility.
Installing a Motion Sensor Light Cost
As discussed, the Motion Sensor Light Cost depends on its sensor, detection zone, range, and brightness. The following table gives an estimate of different motion sensor lights with varying specifications.
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This is a general guide about the cost of installing a motion sensor. The exact cost depends on various factors, which should be carefully considered by a buyer.
