Which factor can cause a false alarm on a motion sensor?

Which factor can cause a false alarm on a motion sensor?

• A. Water leaks
• B. Solar glare
• C. Pets
• D. Extreme cold

Answer: (C)

Motion sensors, especially passive infrared ones, respond to changes in infrared heat in their sensing area. When a warm body moves through, the sensor detects that change and triggers. Pets are a common source of false alarms because dogs or cats produce body heat and can move through the detector’s field, creating enough change to set it off. Many systems offer pet-immunity options or require adjusting sensitivity or sensor placement to mitigate this. By comparison, water leaks don’t involve moving warmth, solar glare affects visible-light cameras more than infrared-based sensors, and extreme cold doesn’t typically create the rapid infrared changes that trigger these detectors. So, pet movement inside the monitored zone best explains a false alarm on a motion sensor.

Motion sensors, especially passive infrared ones, respond to changes in infrared heat in their sensing area. When a warm body moves through, the sensor detects that change and triggers. Pets are a common source of false alarms because dogs or cats produce body heat and can move through the detector’s field, creating enough change to set it off. Many systems offer pet-immunity options or require adjusting sensitivity or sensor placement to mitigate this. By comparison, water leaks don’t involve moving warmth, solar glare affects visible-light cameras more than infrared-based sensors, and extreme cold doesn’t typically create the rapid infrared changes that trigger these detectors. So, pet movement inside the monitored zone best explains a false alarm on a motion sensor.