Hi everyone,
I have a couple Hawkeye motion sensors. I primarily use them outdoor (for the front entrance) and was working fine until now. Temperature goes down to -30C here and the Hawkeye won't handle that. I tried to relocate them to the inside just behind the windows, but it won't work behind the glass. Does anyone know how exactly the Hawkeye work? Has anybody come across a similar situation?
Thanks a lot tto you all in advnacce!!

Hawkeyes use heat sensing to detect people in their range. Basically they check their heat sensor every 10 seconds or so. If there is suddenly a difference in the reading they assume someone is present. People are normally hotter than their surroundings. Glass insulates the detector from the warm body. The cold temperature probably means people are wearing coats and thus "insulated" and appearing similar in temperature to the background. The cold may also affect the sensitivity of the detector.

Remember that hawkeyes are often given away "free" at X-10.com. That should be an indication of how high tech they really are. I'd be interested in knowing if you've tried an EAGLEeye, which was billed as an OUTDOOR motion detector. I know they have better seals against moisture, but I suspect they are identical circuitwise.

That's my 2 cents. Wait, Maybe it was a hawkeye's 2 senses (light and motion). ;-)


dave