Any led sensor lights that do not detect through glass?

[Londmedman]

Recently fitted gamma led motion sensor ceiling lights outside my windowed front door in a shared hallway (4 flats) are being triggered from the flat inside. Are lights available that do not detect through glass (and also have emergency battery back-up)?

 

[davesparks]

Microwave sensors will detect through glass, thin partitions etc, PIR sensors will not.

It may be hard to find suitable lights with built in PIRs and you may need your electrician to install separate PIR sensors.

 

[Avo Mk8]

Could you put a very fine metal mesh (such as you see on the door of a microwave oven) over your windowed front door?
You would still have some visibility through it.
Might be worth trying with aluminium foil first
Or maybe you mean the problem is from the doors of the other flats?

 

[Londmedman]

Microwave sensors will detect through glass, thin partitions etc, PIR sensors will not.

It may be hard to find suitable lights with built in PIRs and you may need your electrician to install separate PIR sensors.

Thank you. How would this be set up? Would a PIR sensor be set next to a battery operated back--up?

If this is not possible, would a black-out blind be enough to prevent detection of inside movement.

These glaringly bright lights stay on for 15 minutes (I have been told this is an industry standard), so can stay on almost continuously all night as people move around inside. It is very annoying.

Are these lights expensive to run?

Could you put a very fine metal mesh (such as you see on the door of a microwave oven) over your windowed front door?
You would still have some visibility through it.
Might be worth trying with aluminium foil first
Or maybe you mean the problem is from the doors of the other flats?

Could you put a very fine metal mesh (such as you see on the door of a microwave oven) over your windowed front door?
You would still have some visibility through it.
Might be worth trying with aluminium foil first
Or maybe you mean the problem is from the doors of the other flats?

All four flats are setting these lights off internally and they stay on for a set 15 minutes, flooding the flats. This timing starts again if movement continues within each 15 minute period, so they tend to stay on much of the night.

It seems like these lights are not designed properly, although the managing agent tells us they are industry standard (Ansell Lighting, gamma mini led emergency). At least they do not come on in bright daylight

I will have to fit some sort of blind for night time. Do mesh / foil / black-out blinds exist for this purpose? What have others done?

 

[littlespark]

15 minutes sounds a little high, but maybe the time on this model is not adjustable?

For someone, maybe not steady on their feet, to make it up or down the stairs while the lights are on… don’t want the lights going off midway between. 15 minutes does seem reasonable.


LED lights are very cheap to run.

 

[brianmoooore]

Looks to me like microwave sensors have been used where not suitable for their operating conditions, and PIR should have been used instead.

 

[Londmedman1]

I suppose even a person moving slowly should be able to activate the lights constantly.

The managing agent of our four flats was advised by 'their' electrician to fit these lights (Ansell Lighting - gamma mini led emergency) as they are 'industry standard' and easy to maintain.

Although there are only three of these lights, it may be very difficult now to change them to PIR as they would each need to have separate battery back-up units, running on separate circuits.

I don't think a draw blind of aluminium foil is going to survive very long!

Any thoughts?

 

[Londmedman1]

15 minutes sounds a little high, but maybe the time on this model is not adjustable?

For someone, maybe not steady on their feet, to make it up or down the stairs while the lights are on… don’t want the lights going off midway between. 15 minutes does seem reasonable.


LED lights are very cheap to run.

I suppose even a person moving slowly should be able to activate the lights constantly.

The managing agent of our four flats was advised by 'their' electrician to fit these lights (Ansell Lighting - gamma mini led emergency) as they are 'industry standard' and easy to maintain.

Although there are only three of these lights, it may be very difficult now to change them to PIR as they would each need to have separate battery back-up units, running on separate circuits.

I don't think a draw blind of aluminium foil is going to survive very long!

Any thoughts?

 

[Avo Mk8]

I will have to fit some sort of blind for night time. Do mesh / foil / black-out blinds exist for this purpose? What have others done?

I don't know if anyone has done this before, I feel there must have been somewhere!

There are conductive fabrics made for electromagnetic shielding, but as yet I haven't seen anyone making blinds from it.

Technical Textiles - HITEK Electronic Materials LTD

Highly conductive fabrics metallised with combinations of nickel, copper and silver to give a tactile, conformable EMI shielding solution. Available in

www.hitek-ltd.co.uk

There are blackout blinds with reflective silver coating advertised, but I don't think those would work!

There's electromagnetic screening fabric advertised on eBay and Amazon, with a view to attracting buyers worried about the harmful effects of EM 'radiation', but the prices seem rather high to me

Any 'faraday cage', EMI or conductive fabric might do the job, and there are plenty of companies making bespoke blinds, so it might be possible to find a solution, but I don't have an example to offer at the moment.

 

[littlespark]

I take it the front doors have windows so the occupants can see who is.at the door?

If that doesn’t matter, then cover the windows with plywood and maybe fit a spy hole in the door… (I bet some might have a Ring camera doorbell already?)

 

[newfutile]

The sensitivity of the microwave sensor can usually be adjusted, most residents like the feature as it puts the lights on before they open the door,and saves power .