Skip to content

Pet immunity is a stated weight limit, and it is measured at floor level

The best motion detectors for 2026

A passive infrared detector sees moving warmth against a cooler background, which explains both what it is good at and every false alarm it will ever give you. Movement across the beams triggers reliably; movement straight towards the sensor often does not. Heat sources move too: a radiator warming up, sunlight tracking across a floor, a cat on a windowsill. Pet immunity is a stated weight limit that assumes the animal stays on the floor, and a cat that climbs is outside the assumption. We compare detection range and angle, stated pet immunity, mounting height and battery life; no detector in this hub is dual-technology, whatever “dual PIR” may suggest.

By

The models we recommend

  1. BROJEN BJ-960 wired PIR motion sensor, 12 V DC, NC/NO dry contact

    32 ft (10 m) × 110° · pet immune to 55 lb (25 kg), the only stated weight limit on this shelf · voltage-free NC/NO dry contact for a wired panel · DC 9–16 V, 12 V recommended · J1 pulse count, J2 contact mode, J3 LED · mount at 7.2 ft, the only mounting height on this shelf · 2.1 × 4.1 × 1.4 in · −10 to +50 °C (122 °F) · automatic temperature compensation

    The only detector here that wires into an alarm panel — and the best-specified product on the shelf by a distance.

    Best for: A wired alarm panel, where a voltage-free contact and a jumper for pulse counting are the whole requirement

    ≈ $14

    Check price on Amazon Read the review

  2. Tapo T100

    PIR sensor · 7 m (23 ft) over 120° · adhesive or magnetic mounting · requires Tapo H100 hub

    TP-Link's motion sensor for the Tapo ecosystem: wide-area PIR detection, mounted with the supplied adhesive or by its built-in magnets, and requiring the Tapo H100 hub to work at all.

    Best for: A household already using Tapo cameras and plugs, adding motion to the same app.

    6.9/10

    Search Amazon for this model Read the review

  3. TECKNET TK-HA001

    125 dB · 120° detection · remote control · doorbell or alarm mode · battery or USB-C

    A standalone PIR alarm that needs no hub: 125 dB, a 120° detection field, a remote control, and a switch between doorbell mode and alarm mode. It runs on batteries or USB-C.

    Best for: A garage, a shed or a shop doorway where a whole system would be absurd.

    8.1/10

    Check price on Amazon Read the review

  4. BESTOONE MSA-21 motion sensor alarm, 2 sensors and 1 receiver

    Two sensors and one alarm unit · 300 ft radio to the receiver, detection about 20 ft — both published, and labeled · 38 ringtones with 3 volumes AND A SILENT LED-ONLY MODE, the only silent option on this shelf · 2 sets of mounting screws · AAA not included · not waterproof

    The only detector here with a silent mode — a light and no sound — and one of the few that separates its radio range from its detection range on the same page.

    Best for: A household with a sleeping baby or a shift worker, where the alert must be visible and not audible

    ≈ $25

    Check price on Amazon Read the review

  5. CPVAN CP2 Pro motion sensor alarm, 125 dB, 328 ft remote

    125 dB siren · detection up to 40 ft, with best performance stated at 10–26 ft — the only honest range qualification on this shelf · 2 modes with a 328 ft remote (that is the REMOTE range) · THE ONLY LISTING HERE THAT EXPLAINS THE PHYSICS: PIR does not detect through walls, windows or glass doors · 18-month warranty · no field of view angle

    The only listing on this shelf that tells you a PIR cannot see through glass — which is the commonest way these are installed wrongly.

    Best for: A shed, a boat or a van where the limitation matters more than the headline, and nothing needs an app

    ≈ $25

    Check price on Amazon Read the review

  6. eufy Security T8910021 motion sensor, 100° × 30 ft

    100° × 30 ft · battery included, up to 2 years stated — with no assumption published · adjustable sensitivity, stated to tell humans from a dog or cat, with NO weight limit · app alerts · optional 24/7 monitoring · explicitly not waterproof · no protocol, no mounting height

    Thirty feet over a hundred degrees with a two-year battery in the box — and sensitivity instead of a pet weight.

    Best for: A eufy HomeBase household wanting the longest range on this shelf among the app-based sensors

    ≈ $25

    Check price on Amazon Read the review

  7. Tapo T100 motion sensor, Sub-1G protocol, CR2450

    120° × 23 ft (7 m), with selectable 3 m (10 ft), 5 m (16 ft) or 7 m (23 ft) range · Sub-1G low-power radio, the only named protocol on this shelf · one CR2450 included, up to 2 years — stated at under 100 detections a day, the only published assumption here · REQUIRES a Tapo H100 hub, which holds 64 sensors and has a 90 dB ringer · 3M adhesive or magnetic base

    The only detector here that tells you what its two-year battery figure assumes — and the only one that lets you shorten its own range.

    Best for: A Tapo household, or any room where the detector needs to see three meters and not seven

    ≈ $18

    Check price on Amazon Read the review

  8. TECKNET HHA01001WA01 indoor motion sensor alarm, 125 dB, 328 ft remote

    125 dB with strobe, switchable to 80 or 100 dB · 16–26 ft × 120°, rotating 360° · AAA cells OR USB-C continuous power, and USB-C does NOT recharge the cells · 2-minute siren then standby, the only duration here · remote works to 328 ft — that is the REMOTE range, not detection · no Wi-Fi and no app

    The only detector here that runs on USB-C indefinitely, and the only one that says what it does after the alarm starts.

    Best for: A garage, a van or a storeroom with a USB socket, where a two-minute 125 dB siren is the whole plan

    ≈ $25

    Check price on Amazon Read the review

  9. CPVAN CP2

    Standalone PIR · 125 dB · remote control · low-battery warning · not compatible with the CP8

    A standalone PIR alarm with a remote, from a maker with a decade in detection. CPVAN states a low-battery warning that ticks periodically, and is explicit that the CP2 does not work with its Wi-Fi CP8.

    Best for: A shed, garage or storeroom where the alarm should warn you before its battery dies.

    8.1/10

    Search Amazon for this model Read the review

  10. BITIWEND B14-YB-EU

    4–5 m (13 to 16 ft) × 110° PIR · 110 dB · 58 melodies, 5 volumes · 20 sensors per receiver

    A driveway alarm expandable to twenty sensors on one receiver, with 58 melodies and five volume levels. BITIWEND states a 4 to 5 meter (13.1 to 16.4 ft) detection range across 110 degrees.

    Best for: A property with several entrances that should each announce themselves differently.

    7.5/10

    Search Amazon for this model Read the review

  11. TECKNET TK-WD010

    Split sensor and receiver · 32 tones · 8 m (26 ft) × 110° PIR · wireless chime alarm

    A two-part driveway alarm: a PIR sensor outside and a receiver indoors with 32 selectable tones. TECKNET states an 8 meter (26.2 ft) by 110 degree detection field.

    Best for: Knowing somebody has entered a driveway or a yard before they reach the door.

    7.5/10

    Search Amazon for this model Read the review

  12. Ring Alarm Motion Detector (2nd gen)

    Instant phone notification · compact · no tools to install · Ring Alarm system

    Ring's motion detector for its Alarm system: an instant notification to a phone when motion is detected, in a smaller housing than the previous generation and installable without tools.

    Best for: An existing Ring Alarm household adding a room.

    8.1/10

    ≈ $150

    Check price on Amazon Read the review

  13. seanme Long range wireless driveway alarm, 4 sensors and 1 receiver

    FOUR sensors and one plug-in receiver, the largest set on this shelf · 328 ft between sensor and receiver — a RADIO range, and NO DETECTION RANGE IS PUBLISHED ANYWHERE · 38 ringtones with an LED · delay between alerts configurable from 15 to 30 seconds · 3 AAA per sensor, not included · not waterproof

    Four sensors and a plug-in chime for thirty-five dollars — on the only listing here that publishes no detection range at all.

    Best for: A shop or a house where four doorways need to chime in one room, and the sensors sit close to what they watch

    ≈ $35

    Check price on Amazon Read the review

The need before the model, across motion detectors

Covering a large room

The range and angle of detection decide the area actually watched. Below that, part of the room stays blind.

TECKNET TK-HA001

Alerting on the spot

A detector with a built-in siren reacts immediately, without depending on a control panel or a network.

CPVAN CP2

Ignoring a pet

A detector that fires every time the cat walks past ends up disarmed. The Brojen states pet immunity up to 55 lb (25 kg), the only weight limit published in this hub; the others offer sensitivity settings at most.

BROJEN BJ-960 wired PIR motion sensor, 12 V DC, NC/NO dry contact

Who buys what, across motion detectors

Indoor volume
A well-placed detector covers a room everyone has to pass through. That is more effective than multiplying opening sensors.
A dog crossing the living room at night
Pet-immune detectors ignore a mass below a threshold. Without that function, false alarms are a daily event.
Outdoors
Outdoor detection is far more prone to false alarms: vegetation, animals, temperature variations. It calls for models designed for it.

Nothing is free: the trade-offs of motion detectors

Setting sensitivity as low as still detects
A sensitive detector sees everything, including what is of no interest. Placement corrects better than lowering the sensitivity, which creates blind spots.
Passive infrared against dual technology
Infrared alone is sensitive to heat variations; dual-technology detectors require two confirmations and sharply reduce false alarms.
Pet immunity against real detection
Immunity relies on a mass and height threshold. A large dog can trigger it, a small intruder low to the ground can get through.

Buyers’ questions on motion detectors

Where should a detector go?

High in a corner, aimed at a route everyone has to take, never facing a window, a radiator or a variable heat source.

Why does my detector go off for no reason?

Direct sun, a radiator, a warm draft or a pet. Placement corrects better than lowering the sensitivity.

Does pet immunity work?

It relies on a mass and detection-height threshold. A large animal can still trigger it.

Does the detector see through glass?

Passive infrared does not pass through glass. That is why an indoor detector does not see the garden behind a patio door.

Do I need one detector per room?

Covering the routes everyone has to take is more effective than covering every room. A well-covered hallway is worth several bedrooms.

How long does a motion detector's cell last?

Often several years, with a low-battery warning. A weak battery causes erratic behavior before it stops.

Is an outdoor detector reliable?

It is far more prone to false alarms. Dual-technology models with adjustable zones are markedly preferable there.

What to take away from motion detectors

Passive infrared does not pass through glass: an indoor detector sees nothing behind a patio door. Place it high and aimed at a compulsory route, never facing a variable heat source — correcting the placement beats lowering the sensitivity, which creates blind spots.

The gist of motion detectors, at a glance

  • Sound: 110 to 125 dB, on 3 of the 13 models.

Motion detectors, side by side

There is no table here, and the reason is in the listings. The figure published most often across these 13 products is detection, given by 9 of them — short of the four in five a column needs to compare rather than to display gaps. Each product page says what its own maker published.

What a given budget protects on this shelf

Lower range

$14 – $18

2 models

BROJEN BJ-960 wired PIR motion sensor, 12 V DC, NC/NO dry contact, Tapo T100 motion sensor, Sub-1G protocol, CR2450

Mid range

$25 – $25

2 models

BESTOONE MSA-21 motion sensor alarm, 2 sensors and 1 receiver, CPVAN CP2 Pro motion sensor alarm, 125 dB, 328 ft remote

Upper range

$25 – $150

4 models

eufy Security T8910021 motion sensor, 100° × 30 ft, TECKNET HHA01001WA01 indoor motion sensor alarm, 125 dB, 328 ft remote, seanme Long range wireless driveway alarm, 4 sensors and 1 receiver

The guides devoted to motion detectors

Sources, and how we judge

Specifications: manufacturer sheets for home security products and the matching Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa.

Most recent revision in this category: October 8, 2026.

What we look at on motion detectors

Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.