Welcome to the world of motion sensors, or ‘smart sensors’.

In today’s blog our expert John will illuminate these underrated pieces of kit and how they can revolutionise your home. From enhancing daily life with automated lighting control to optimising security and energy consumption, smart sensors shouldn’t be forgotten as part of your smart home.

There are all kinds of smart sensors on the market today. Whether you’re looking to prioritise luxury or want to make your home safe for elderly relatives or disabled family members, there are sensors for every lifestyle and budget.

You can play life one of two ways: on hard mode or easy mode.

As John explains, smart technology automates daily tasks for smooth, seamless living.  Once you switch to easy mode there’s no going back!

So, without further ado let’s learn all about smart motion sensors and how they make life easier.

Types of Smart Sensors

First things first: what are the different types of smart sensor?

If you’re new to the magic of smart sensors the sheer amount of products on the market can feel overwhelming. Luckily, John is here to demystify things.

The following list are smart sensors you can incorporate into your smart home:

•  Motion Sensors. “If you get just one type of sensor, it’s these,” John advises. Motion sensors are the most important sensor you can install in your home. Able to detect movement and brightness, these sensors offer intuitive data to ensure your home is safe, comfortable, and energy efficient.
• Glass Break Sensor. Protect your home against burglars with sensors that link to your security system. If a glass door or window has been smashed the sensors will immediately alert you and the local authority to criminal activity. Plus, homes with smart security are less likely to be broken into in the first place.
• Door & Window Sensors. In addition to integrating with your smart security system, door and window sensors detect if a door or window has been left open when the heating is on. A great energy saving hack!
• Temperature and Humidity Sensors. If you want to minutely control the air quality in your home look no further than these sensors. Improving temperature and humidity in your home can have enormous health-boosting benefits; now you can do it at the press of a button.
• Water Sensors. Worried about  leaks? The recent wild weather in the UK might have you looking for a way to detect damage to your property before it gets worse. Water sensors can also be placed in bathrooms, kitchens, and utility rooms to alert homeowners to potential leaks from appliances.
• Smoke and CO Sensors. These sensors provide peace of mind, reliably detecting smoke and carbon monoxide (CO). In an emergency the sensor will trigger an alarm to warn the household.

Perhaps you’re starting to see the massive difference smart sensors can make to your life. Still on the fence? We asked John to tell us his favourite uses for smart sensors.

How smart sensors level-up your life

1. Boost quality of life

“Smart sensors improve people’s quality of life,” says John. “Particularly for elderly or disables relatives – smart technology can give them their autonomy back.”

Hands down the biggest pro for smart sensors! It’s easy to take switching off a floor lamp for granted, but for those with reduced mobility, “simple tasks” aren’t so simple. Smart sensors provide intuitive solutions like lights that brighten automatically to light the way to the loo at night, or blinds that open and close at the press of a button.

Read our blog to discover more empowering uses of smart technology.

2. Extra ease and comfort

No more fumbling around in a dark hallway with armfuls of shopping. Or getting woken up by the kids because they’re afraid to walk to the toilet in the dark.

Smart motion sensors detect slight movement to illuminate a path through your home. You can set the brightness settings too, so as not to disturb the people you live with.

The great news? Motion sensors can also be installed outdoors to illuminate paths and driveways.

“It’ll stop you worrying about the kids coming home from school in the dark,” says John.

3. Energy saving

Let’s be honest, we all want to save money on our energy bills.

Smart sensors help reduce energy consumption by automatically switching off lights. The sensor will accurately detect if someone has left a room so you’re only using energy when it’s needed.

Saving money and helping your lights last longer? Sounds like a win win to us.

4. Improved safety

Automatic lights connected to motion sensors help prevent slips and stumbles in poorly lit parts of your home. It’s also handy for visitors — icy paths in the depths of January can be lethal to vulnerable relatives, or even the delivery person!

It’s reassuring to know that smart sensors reliably detect slight movement up to 12 metres, so you can rest easy knowing that your loved ones aren’t in danger. “It’s peace of mind,” John says.

6. Tighter security

Burglars target empty homes. However, John advises that smart motion sensors installed inside and outside your property will get the better of any would-be intruders.

Motion sensors can also be linked to your smart security system, so you’ll get an immediate alert about suspicious activity. If someone comes too close to your home, being caught in the beam of automatic lights will scare them off.

Installing Motion Sensors

Hopefully John’s insider insights have opened your eyes to the brilliance of smart sensors. Motion sensors make life easier and more luxurious — but they also help to save you money and energy.

So, what’s the best way to install motion sensors? In our humble opinion hardwired is the only choice. If you’re installing motion sensors to help elderly or disabled relatives then this step is crucial.

“When you run everything off Wi-Fi the system becomes overloaded. It just doesn’t work,” says John. Instead he advises hardwiring smart security and sensors and only using Wi-Fi for mobile devices and laptops.

Hardwiring smart sensors means your lights and other smart automations won’t let you down when you need them most. Discreet wires are the unsung heroes of smart automation and the backbone of every smart home setup!

At John Ross Smart Living we’re cabling experts and passionate about improving your life with technology, so don’t hesitate to give us a bell on 01738 566 566. We’ll advise which smart sensors will suit your lifestyle best and how to integrate them with the rest of your smart home.

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