Top 5 Ideas for Using Motion Sensors Outdoors

When it comes to finding ways of using motion sensors in smart homes, your imagination really is the limit. In the summer months people tend to spend much more time outdoors enjoying the warm and sunny weather, making it important to extend the smart home functionality out of the house and into the garden. To make things a little easier for you, we’ve put together a list of our top 5 ideas for using motion sensors outdoors. 

First up is to install a motion sensor on the front porch and have it trigger lighting around the porch and over the front door. This way, as the homeowner approaches their door in the evening, the lights will automatically come on, making the process of approaching, unlocking the door and entering their home much easier. Few things are as frustrating as fumbling with keys and trying to unlock a door in the dark! An occupancy simulation could be added to this as an extra security feature. An indoor light can be programmed to turn on with a five second delay if the house alarm is set and the porch sensor is triggered. This is a great deterrent for any potential intruders as it would appear to the intruder that someone is indeed home and has noticed their approach. 

Another great outdoor use for motion sensors is pathway navigation. Whether this is a pathway around the garden, from the garage to the front door or elsewhere, walking in the dark can be a safety hazard. An example of this application would be having lights mounted on small posts lining the pathway, or set into the pathway itself, with a motion sensor at each end of the pathway to trigger the lights turning on. The lights could be set with an automatic timeout based on how long it takes to walk up the pathway.

The third idea is using motion sensors to better control garden sprinklers. Sprinklers are often set on timers to automatically turn on and off at certain times of day, however, a sudden shower of cold water is sure to disrupt any lovely garden parties or entertaining taking place in the area. A motion sensor could be strategically positioned to detect motion in a garden seating/entertainment area, and be programmed to override the sprinklers timers to ensure the sprinklers never turn on while people are present in that area.

Our fourth idea is especially relevant to the hotel and hospitality industry but could also be used in a residential setting, this is to use motion sensors to alert relevant people of a guest/person approach. A motion sensor could be positioned at a relevant entry point and programmed to send an alert to a concierge who could then make sure they were prepared to welcome the guest/person, open the door, prepare drinks, or do whatever else might be required.

The final idea in our top five is driveway automation. Many properties have long driveways that can be potentially hazardous without proper lighting. Motion sensors could be installed in 25 metre intervals. As each sensor is triggered it could have the lighting segment ahead and behind that sensor turn on, as the vehicle triggers the next motion sensor,  the next segment of lights would turn on etc. Further exciting functions could be added to this such as having custom lighting scenes, water fountains or other welcoming features turned on as you approach the home/building. 

So there you have it, five exciting and practical uses for motion sensors outdoors. There are so many potential uses for motion sensors, outdoors and indoor, practical and luxurious. Motion sensors are a key component to any smart home automation project and creativity really is the limit to what they can do.