Noticed a huge shift in how homeowners react to motion detectors over the last 3 years

Been doing installs in the Denver area since 2015. Around 2021 I started seeing way more people asking to have motion sensors turned off or removed from their systems. At first I thought it was just privacy worries. But now I'm pretty sure it's because everyone has those pet cameras and ring doorbells. They get false alerts from their own cats and then assume our sensors are just as flaky. Had a customer last month ask me to disable the living room motion because their dog triggered it once. Has anyone else noticed customers getting more hesitant about basic motion coverage?

3 comments

3 Comments

hugos461mo ago

@martin.riley do you think people would be more willing to keep motion sensors if we offered a "learning mode" that adapts to their daily patterns and ignores the pets?

martin.riley1mo ago

Read an article in a home security magazine that said the same thing actually. They pointed out that people are getting overwhelmed by alerts from everything so they start distrusting all of them. Motion sensors are the first to go because they're the most basic trigger. Makes sense when you think about how many false alerts people get from their doorbell cameras every day. Not even counting the ones from their pet cams inside. Kinda wild how one bad experience with a cat triggering a sensor makes people want to rip the whole system out.

jamief671mo ago

It's a real shame because people install these systems to feel safer and then end up frustrated with them. You can't really blame someone for tuning out after the tenth false alarm in one week.