Customer Reviews

Skylink PS-434A Motion Sensor

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought this over two years ago and it is still working fine.
Easy to use. I tested it several times and the sensors each time worked. And the alarm sound is pretty loud as well.
We now feel much safer when sleeping, knowing that the alarm would alert us if anyone is down stairs.

Works with ALL THREE of the SkyLink alarms I have been forced to buy before I found one I THOUGHT worked (false alarms every day!!!). But this motion sensor works very well and I recommend you buy a couple extras if you can. I put one in my garage, one in my kitchen, one in my living room, and one in my hallway. This is one way to avoid buying so many expensive door/window triggers. SkyLink offers a gray one for more money but the cheaper white one works just fine, even with other SkyLink alarms.

The seven motion sensors that I have installed have worked without a problem. They have two sensitivity settings, and I have left that setting on the default (high).

I'll begin by letting you know I purchased this device in October 2008, & I don't have pets.

This device comes with & can be purchased separately to work with Skylink SC-1000 Complete Wireless Alarm System.

The Good:

It has good battery life.....(9V dc)... I haven't changed the original battery yet in the most used sensor (i.e. covering my front door)

I can tell you from personal experience that each one can be configured to simultaneously work with at least two Skylink SC-1000 control panels.


The Bad:

As with all battery operated equipment, even if it works fine you should really open the battery compartment & check for corrosion every quarter or at least half yearly. With this device you can easily forget to do so.

The control panel doesn't signal if a device's battery is low, you have to pay attention to the device itself.

The only way I have found to differentiate which sensor activated the siren was to place the ones I am least concerned about on the 1st two zones.

As stated in the documentation there is a fixed second delay....(i.e. after being activated)....before the sensor can detect motion again.


NOTE:
I purchased three (3) extra motion sensors along with the original Skylink SC-1000 Complete Wireless Alarm System.

I don't regret my purchase as they are all working fine up to today....which is more than can be said for the dialer that accompanies the Complete Wireless Alarm System.

For more on the entire system, see my opinion on the Skylink SC-1000 Complete Wireless Alarm System amazon.com product page.

The additional motion sensors are very easy to add to your Skylink Alarm system and they have a much greater range than the older models. Same batteries have lasted 6 months now and still working great.

Two false alarms in 2 months... Details below

I have a two-level house, the bedrooms upstairs, and I wanted the peace of mind of knowing no burglar is attempting entry while I am asleep upstairs. I installed the SC-1000 system, put the door sensors at the back door and the 3-season French doors. I put one motion sensor per room downstairs: kitchen, living room, kid's playroom, and one facing the front door in a small hallway.
I let the motions sensors initially on the default high-sensitivity setting. I installed the system about 1 month before Thanksgiving.
First false alarm: the Thanksgiving night, alarm went off. I woke up, disarmed and re-armed the system to see if it's a false alarm or really there is movement downstairs. Did not go off the 2nd time but then I heard a noise in the kitchen (like silverware on a plate) so I called 911. They came, checked the house...and nothing.
The next morning I set the motion sensors on the lower sensitivity setting thinking it might have been a mouse in the kitchen. I set traps, no mice since then...
Second false alarm tonight (Dec/28). I did the same thing, disarmed and re-armed the system, did not go off the 2nd time. I still called 911 for my peace of mind, they came, checked the house...and nothing again. They said usually the false alarms with motion sensors are set by heat or A/C coming on and moving curtains or other things.
After they left, we checked the house for what might have been setting the alarm off. The doors were locked, so it must have been the motion sensors. We checked for fallen Christmas tree ornaments...nothing. The only thing that could have set it off were some drawings of my two-year-old that we taped on a door in the kitchen and I realized tonight when the heat came on that they do move as the air blows through the vents. Not sure they move hard enough to set it off, but it's the only explanation we have. I now taped them all over, so they can't move any more when air blows. I'll be back with updates, it's very frustrating when you get these false alarms in the middle of the night.

My husband did the research on this product before purchasing it and has since installed a whole house system by Skylink, plus ordered two more motion detectors. This was his project, but he was quite happy with the ease of installation and the way it operates. Having once had a major alarm company do a hard-wire installation in a previous home, we did not want to go through that again, nor spend that much money. This is a good product for a very reasonable price and we would recommend it to anyone who wants a little extra security for their home.

I've purchased several PS-434A Motion Sensors to expand my SC-1000 system, but unfortunately I found that repeated false alarms made these sensors virtually useless. Doesn't matter where you put the sensors in your house (high or low sensitivity) sooner or later you'll get a false alarm. Currently I'm keeping them inside of closets. I guess if burglars get into my house the closets are the first places where they will be looking for valuables.

I also found that PS-434A Motion Sensors working as advertised only in "Delay Mode". When the sensors are in "Instant Mode" they are only able to set off audio alarm at Control Panel SC-001, but AD-433S Emergency Dialer is not dialing (!?!).

Just to be sure that nothing was wrong with my Control Panel or Emergency Dialer I also tested WT-433 Window/Door Sensors. They've worked in Delay and Instant Mode without any problems.

our two cats kept setting off the alarm because of this motion sensor. The skylink overall is nice if you don't have pets. If they add a better motion sensor that it an excellent alarm system.

This motion sensor works great. But there is one fault with it. They used cheap battery connectors and it is nearly impossible to change them without pulling the connector apart. I've had to re-wire two of these with replacement battery connectors from Radio Shack. Otherwise, no complaints.