Read the statement by Michael Teeuw here.
PIR sensor behind glass?
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Hey everyone, as I’d like my mirror to look as mirror-like and non-electronic as possible, I would like to hide the PIR sensor but after some initial tests it seems like putting it behind the mirror glass is not going to be an option. If you have managed to hide your PIR sensor, how did you go about it?
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it will not work behind glass but @alexyak wrote a module for webcams or pi cams to detect motion, which can be hidden behind glass https://forum.magicmirror.builders/topic/490/motion-detector
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Thanks man, I am aware of that module, but I’m reluctant to install a webcam in my home that is connected to the internet.
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well you could put your sensor outside of the mirror and hang it into a corner, so it’s not obvious that it belongs to the mirror itself
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@strawberry-3.141 As of now, that would probably be the best option. I’m curious as to what other mirror builders may have done to hide the sensor.
I’ve tried to find other sensors, such as radar motion detectors, but haven’t yet found one that I could easily attach to my Pi.If someone has a radar motion detector or a different way of detecting motion (other than using a webcam) already implemented into their Pi setup, I’d be very interested in finding out more about it.
Can a PIR sensor be covered by anything at all or does any kind of material automatically block motion detection?
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@yo-less said in PIR sensor behind glass?:
Can a PIR sensor be covered by anything at all or does any kind of material automatically block motion detection?
Technically the sensor is covered by something, but that thing is the focusing Fresnel lens. Depending on the PIR you got, you’ll notice the plastic domed lens does come off rather easily.
Now the issue is that most glass and metals reflect IR wavelengths extremely well. So depending what the film/mirror backing is made out of may make your efforts mute. Aluminum which is used in most standard mirrors reflects all of the Infrared light in the spectrum.
So mounting it behind the mirror just doesn’t seem practical due to the way light works. So what I’m thinking of for me, is to mount it in a light fixture above the mirror. Not sure on the details yet but that’s where I am right now.
However the Camera trick does function very well and will give you that clean look. -
@Knox Yeah, thanks, my Fresnel lens isn’t even fixed to the PIR sensor and comes off right away if you don’t find some way of keeping it there ;-). But you’re right, didn’t think of that, it’s actually covered by this plastic dome. Maybe if I install the PIR sensor in the frame of the mirror and cover that section of the frame with acrylic glass, such as Plexiglas, it might work and look alright. Will try and test if my sensor detects IR behind a sheet of acrylic glass.
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that would be a good test, but just note you’ll be lowering its effective area. Which for a mirror might be fine, as you normally stand directly infront of it.
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Sure, I guess I’d have to play around with its sensitivity, will keep you updated on the outcome of my tests
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Pir isn’t really an option behind glass. There’s a cam based solution which works through the mirror.
That said, my mirror is full sized and the pir peeks out the bottom… You’d never know it’s there unless you know where tot look…
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@RedNax Can you share a picture? 😊
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@Cato No problem… anyone care to donate to the WWF Panda?
There’s a PIR sensor on the bottom of the mirror, out of eyesight. It detects … well… hot legs :D
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@RedNax Your mirror looks really cool.
Our mirror will be mounted pretty much at eye level so having the sensor at the bottom of the frame won’t be an option for me, but I’m already experimenting with covering the sensor with plastic stuff ^^.
Is there an xkcd module I’m not aware of?
And may I ask where you got your glass? Some of the pictures I’ve seen look like you can still see the monitor behind the glass but with your mirror that doesn’t seem to be the case.
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@yo-less Thanks!
The mirror is from a dutch webshop… At night, when there’s no other illumination you do see the backlight of the screen shining through… In the daytime it looks like the picture.
I’ve been pondering altering the backlight/brightness of the screen according to ambiant lightlevels… unfortunately this is only controllable by navigating the screens menu as opposed to discrete buttons…Oh, and yes… there is: https://github.com/RedNax67/DailyXKCD
It’s forked from the original author… Ive added the random comic on non comic days…
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@RedNax Alright, is that the case with all types of glasses? I guess it would be?
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@yo-less It think all mirrors suffer from this… You need enough brightness to show things in the day… Which will be overkill at night…
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@RedNax Apparently some monitors seem to allow for external commands to change the light levels:
http://lifehacker.com/5985364/change-your-monitors-brightness-without-fiddling-with-its-buttonsThey seem to have to support DDC/CI and if there is a tool for Windows PCs there should be some way to get the same thing done on a Pi?
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@yo-less said in PIR sensor behind glass?:
Can a PIR sensor be covered by anything at all or does any kind of material automatically block motion detection?
You really can’t cover a PIR it just won’t work… BUT you can remove the ‘dome’ and incorporate into the frame a little better OR you can just put it into the frame with the ‘dome’ on it and make it decorative…
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@yo-less changing the brightness would be really nice… having it automatic would be better… you know at a certain time of night it dims automatically… but there is this…
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@cowboysdude Thanks for the link. Does f.lux have access to the monitor’s brightness settings? As this has nothing to do with my original question I will start a new topic concerning the brightness issue at night.
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