How to Reset Motion Sensor Light? – A Step by Step Guide

Every home requires motion sensor lights. That is why you first need to know how to reset motion sensor light. These detector lights turn on and produce light when they sense a trespasser. However, they do not need to detect every little movement. For instance, when pests are scavenging your trash bins, the motion sensor lights do not have to come on.

But, if there is a human being in your backyard, your detector lights should come on to alert you.

Also, you need to know how to reset motion lights to give them enough sensitivity to detect crucial things. Some issues may cause your home’s sensor light to stay on, fail to detect anything at all or catch things needlessly.

So, learning how to reset a security light is vital. It is not difficult to do that if you know the process. We will teach you how to reset motion detector light to protect your home.  

What are motion sensor lights and how do they function? 

Before we show you how to reset motion sensor flood lights, it is good to know what they are. Have you ever seen the lights that come on when you step onto a patio or inside a room?

These are motion sensor lights. They do not function like your typical light fixtures. Instead, these lights respond to movements around them. They use a motion sensor to work as they do.

A motion sensor or detector comes in various forms, including passive infrared (or PIR), photoelectric, active infrared or area reflective, duo technology, and microwave. When the sensor detects something, it turns on the light.

There are different types of detector lights for homes. The most prevalent ones are the light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, but they are expensive. Others are incandescent light bulbs that use a heated wire filament and fluorescent light bulbs that use a chemical reaction.

Most outdoor sensor lights come with a pre-installed bulb. When choosing the best motion sensor lights, consider the light pattern.

Do you want the light to fill the whole yard or just a small area of your property? Would you like a floodlight covering a wide area or a fixture that will illuminate just one object?

Once you choose the best, learn how to reset outside security light to keep your home secure. The motion-sensor-enabled outdoor floodlight is the best for ensuring home security. Even if they are automated, they require regular monitoring and resetting. We will talk about how to reset pir motion sensor below. 

When to reset your motion detector light? 

It is necessary to read the signs of a poorly working motion sensor light. Reset your motion sensor lights if you notice the following signs. These are:

• Your motion sensor light does not sense people or other big moving things. Therefore, it needs a reset, and you must know how to reset a motion sensor light that stays on. If you have noticed that the light does not go off even after the moving object gets away, it has an issue. A functioning motion sensor light should turn off soon after detecting motion.
• The detector lights are not as sensitive as before and have begun to detect motion at random.

Just like other household appliances, your sensor lights may become less responsive after running for a while. They can even fail to work altogether.

“Part of how to reset motion sensor light switch includes troubleshooting. You first troubleshoot an item to pinpoint the problem and where it is exactly. You need to do the same before resetting your sensor lights.”

What can cause the motion sensor light to fail? 

Before you find out how to reset motion lights, first troubleshoot the appliance. The most common issues with the security system include faulty sensors, faulty bulbs, power surges, and power outages.

“You may need tools for detecting electricity issues in devices to identify problems in your outdoor motion sensor lights. If not, you might need the assistance of an electrician”.

After a power surge or another electrical wiring problem at your home, reset motion sensor light. If you do that, you will continue to keep your residence safe. After such an event, check your motion light periodically.

Checking if you have installed the motion sensor light correctly is a step in how to reset a motion light switch. If these are not in the correct position, that can be the origin of the problem.

Have you pointed the lights towards a high traffic street or road? If yes, traffic can interrupt their functioning. Make sure you alter this positioning of the motion sensor light to stop the problem.

Secondly, their level of sensitivity should be optimal to ensure the lights turn on when necessary. Thirdly, motion sensor lights that stay on all the time can stop working well.

They may need regular troubleshooting and resetting to work. All modern detector lights have a duration setting. The duration varies between one and thirty minutes. It determines the period for which the light would stay on once activated.

“If you have noticed that yours stays on throughout, you need to tweak its duration settings. Turn them into the lowest possible settings. Call a technician if you cannot find these settings on the sensor head. Otherwise, take the time to learn how to reset outdoor motion lights and do the work yourself.”

How do you reset a motion sensor light? 

The motion detector light bulbs tend to have unique levels of sensitivity. Hence, you should check your motion sensor light bulb’s sensitivity setting to see if it is too high.

If the fixture is too high, it will sense the slightest movements and turn on. You do not want it to detect a leaf dropping from the tree or a bee flying away. Instead, make it sense more crucial movements from larger things.

Here is how to reset motion sensor fixtures at home.

Step 1:

Turn on the motion sensor light’s circuit breaker. Leave it that way for thirty seconds. 

Step 2: 

You need to know how to reset motion light switch if the motion sensor fixture has a switch. So, turn on the switch for two seconds. Then, turn the switch off for two seconds. Lastly, turn it back on.

Step 3: 

Again, if your appliance has a switch, swiftly switch it on and off repeatedly for about five times. Stop when you see the light coming on. 

Step 4: 

If the light stays on, shut down the switch for about five seconds and then switch it back on. 

Step 5: 

If you can change the sensitivity level of your fixture, do it. Adjust it to be less sensitive to movements. It will stop the bulb from sensing even the most negligible movements around your home. At the same time, it will warn you when there are big-bodied trespassers on your property.

Step 6:

Get a new motion sensor bulb for the light fixture with a problem.

“After finishing the steps shown above, you will know if your motion sensor light has a problem that resetting outside security light could not solve. If there is an issue, your only choice is to upgrade the whole system.”

How to reset my motion sensor light when it is stuck?

As hinted earlier, the motion sensor light is prone to power surges. It may blink severally when there is a problem. Still, a motion light may refuse to work when there is an electrical episode.

It is quite easy to think that the whole fixture has broken down. However, many times a stuck detector light needs only a reset. Often, sensors will get stuck after an electricity overload or surge.

The power surge may cause them to go off or stay on constantly. To avoid annoyance, troubleshoot your system after an abrupt power surge and do a motion sensor reset.

“So, take a few minutes of your time to reset the sensor light if it is stuck in the on or off position. We have explained the process of resetting the motion sensor light bulb above.”

Conclusion

It is necessary to install a motion sensor light in your home. Like CCTV, it is another surveillance device that can boost the security of your residence. These are some of the solutions you have for discouraging burglary.

Motion sensor lights should turn on whenever they sense movements. However, they can get stuck in an on or off position. If they remain on or off, they can confuse you. So, it is good to know how to reset motion lights at home. We have explained how to reset motion detector light in this article.

Follow this guide to troubleshoot and reset your device correctly. When there has been a power surge situation, make sure you reset your detector lights. They often go off or on or fail when there has been a power overload.

If some sensors have developed some defects or the bulbs have blown off, you need to replace them. We hope you now know how to reset security light after power cut and will try it out today. If the problem is too complex, get in touch with a professional technician.