Garage doors are an essential part of any residential home or commercial facility, but manually activating them can be inconvenient. Motion Sensors solve this problem by sensing nearby movement and automatically opening the door in response. Action Industries carries top industry brands of Motion Sensors to ensure you always have the part best suited for your job. Whether you need a commercial door Motion Sensor that can be programmed to distinguish between passing pedestrians and oncoming vehicles, or one that acts as a safety sensor or can replace malfunctioning photo eyes in certain applications, you can find it here. Read on to learn more about Motion Sensors. and which type is best for you.  

What is a Motion Sensor? 

Motion Sensors (also called motion detectors) are electronic devices that use a sensor to detect nearby people or objects. Motion sensors use harmless radiation like a microwave or infrared beam for their detection.

What Applications Benefit from Motion Sensing Technology? 

Motion Sensors can benefit a wide array of applications, but especially garage door openers, automatic industrial doors, vehicle gates/barriers, vehicle detection, loading docks, and any other industrial application where motion detection is required. Commercial facilities can especially benefit from Motion Sensors designed for commercial doors, loading docks, high-performance doors, inventory rows, and areas with heavy forklift traffic.  

How do Motion Sensors Work

A motion sensor uses one or many sensor technologies to detect movement in an area. If a door’s Motion Sensor detects an object (like a person), it will prevent the door from automatically closing and reduce the cycle count of your operator. This is an important safety feature in the event a tow motor or person is in the way of a descending door. Many Motion Sensors can also have their sensitivity adjusted, enabling them to open the door for an oncoming truck but ignore a passing pedestrian.  

What are the Advantages of a Motion Sensor Door? 

The advantages of a motion-sensitive door extend beyond the convenience of ditching a handle:

1. Motion Sensors create a safety net in your facility a standard door cannot provide. If a valuable product is beneath a descending door, a Motion Sensor will detect its movement and stop the door before serious harm is caused. 
2. Motion Sensors save time during the workday. Employees carrying products on a tow motor will lose valuable time if they must stop the vehicle and manually walk over to open and shut the door. Motion Sensors allow employees to drive through a door threshold without pausing.
3. Motion Sensor doors can save on energy costs by minimizing the time a door is open. This means heating and cooling systems will not need to run for as long to maintain indoor temperatures—which saves energy.
4. Motion Sensors help people with disabilities travel. This is crucial for hospitals and other facilities where patients are being wheeled in on stretchers or wheelchairs. An automatic door eliminates the extra effort needed to pass the threshold.
5. Motion Sensors eliminate handles and other germ traps in your facility. This is essential for facilities where sanitation is a high priority, like food processing plants. Motion Sensor doors with an air-tight function can also stop dust and debris from infiltrating your facility, which further benefits food facilities and labs.   

Major Types of Motion Sensors

Not all Motion Sensors use the same technology for detection. Here are several types you will find on the market:  

Light Curtains 

Light Curtains use multiple thru-beam photo optic sensors to provide a dense barrier of protection that, when interrupted, signals a door operator to stop and/or reverse. This is a great safety feature in facilities with high traffic. 

Doppler Radar 

Doppler radar sends a beam of electromagnetic radiation waves from the transmitter at a moving object. Upon making contact with the object, the electromagnetic radiation waves change frequency and travel back toward the receiver. The receiver can use this change in frequency to calculate the velocity of the moving object. 

Microwave  

A microwave Motion Sensor emits frequencies which are then reflected back to the receiver. Similar to Doppler Radar, the receiver analyzes the returning waves for changes caused by a moving object and reacts accordingly. Microwave Sensors by nature can be either extremely sensitive or less sensitive. They can identify small changes in an empty room, or be calibrated to react to larger-scale movements like tow motors while pedestrians can pass by without issue. This is great for heavy-traffic facilities to help prevent the sensor from a false positive and needlessly activating the application.

Infrared

Infrared Sensors measure and detect infrared radiation in their environment. Infrared is invisible to the human eye due to its wavelength being longer than visible light. Anything that gives off heat (emits a temperature above -450.67 Fahrenheit) gives off infrared radiation—making it a valuable sensor technology.

What are the Best Motion Sensor Brands? 

The best motion sensor will vary from job to job depending on what the sensor’s purpose is. Three top brands that consistently churn out quality sensors are BEA, Miller Edge, and EMX.  

BEA 

BEA was founded in Liege, Belgium in 1965 and is a leading manufacturer of Motion Sensors for automatic door systems. BEA offers a complete line of access control, security, and safety solutions for security, industrial, and transportation-based applications. BEA’s Research and Development teams commit to integrating the latest technologies into a diverse variety of sensing solutions that surpass the needs of customers while streamlining activation, analysis, and safety across a broad range of segments.

BEA is always innovating its products with new Motion Sensor designs to provide the latest in vehicle and pedestrian sensing technology. BEA sensors like the 10FALCON feature multiple detection modes and extreme customization. Its sensors use technology like radar, infrared, lasers, and more to ensure your Motion Sensor is best suited for the objects you need it to register and ignore. Action Industries carries a wide variety of BEA products from vehicle and pedestrian Motion Sensors to touch plates for opening ADA-compliant automatic doors.  

Miller Edge 

Miller Edge is a privately held family business founded in 1936 in Philadelphia, PA. When asked to develop a safety product for use on hangar doors at Wright Patterson Air Base in Ohio, Miller Edge developed and patented the first Electrically Activated Safety Edge in 1957. Since then, Miller Edge’s product line has grown to include both non-contact and touch-sensitive devices. You can find an array of both Motion Sensors and Sensing Edges from Miller for your Sectional doors, Rolling doors, Hanging doors, BiFold doors, and Specialty doors. Action Industries is proud to offer Miller’s sensors for automated manufacturing, garage door and gate operator safety, mass transit vehicles, storefront grills, and more. 

Miller Edge Motion Sensors contain thru-beam safety eyes that utilize light beams to send a signal to the garage door operator when they are obstructed. Regardless of their style, all Miller Edge safety sensors increase safety, security, and productivity wherever they are installed.

EMX

EMX is an industry staple and has been designing, manufacturing, and supporting access control sensors for over 30 years and counting! Their products are specifically designed with installers in mind, making many of EMX’s vehicle detectors, photo eyes, and access controls the industry standard. EMX manufactures and engineers their products in Cleveland, Ohio, and is dedicated to providing cost-effective solutions to individual access control applications.

EMX's sensors are known for being versatile and customizable. Action Industries has EMX's full line of products, including photo eyes like the IRB-4X infrared sensor and their wireless edge link for residential doors. Their innovative sensors like the  EMX Owl and the EMX Raven can recognize and distinguish between pedestrian and vehicle traffic, in addition to their high customizability. EMX’s robust sensors lead the industry in quality, flexibility, and operability.

Motion Sensor Accessories 

Action Industries has a wide range of accessories to make installation, upkeep, and future use a convenient and easy feat!  

BEA 10Remote

The BEA Remote Control makes installation easy for BEA’s wide family of Motion Sensors like the Falcon, Eagle, Bodyguard, DK-12, Iris, and Wizard. Each compatible sensor can be controlled with the 10REMOTE to alter variables such as sensitivity, detection, auto-learn, and more. This is especially useful for adjusting your Motion Sensor’s settings after it is installed and mounted out of reach.  

MWave Intelligent Radar Sensor for Doors

Miller Edge’s optional MWAVE remote control for the MWave Intelligent Radar Sensor allows for custom programming to fit the specific needs of your installation. The MWAVE-REMOTE was designed to specifically work with the MWave radar sensor to make custom programming fast and easy. The MWave Motion Sensor comes with pre-configured options so the remote is not required for installation, but the MWave remote is necessary for the customization of operation and detection zones for the sensor.

EMX OWL RC Remote Control

The EMX OWL-RC is a required remote control for the EMX OWL vehicle motion and presence sensor and allows the OWL's infrared presence sensor to be customized to fit the needs of any installation and comes with 1-9, A-I durable programming buttons.

What are IP Ratings and Why do They Matter?

An important factor when looking at a Motion Sensor is its IP (Ingress Protection) rating. IP ratings are part of the International Electrical Code and measure a device’s protection against solid objects and liquids. Having a high IP rating is crucial to ensure that your outdoor Motion Sensors can withstand the weather and that indoor models can hold up in facilities with ample floating dust and debris. Each IP rating has a two-digit number, with each number representing a specific qualification. The first number identifies the Motion Sensors’ level of protection against solids, such as dirt, debris, and accidental contact. The second number measures the level of protection against liquids, like chemicals and water, within the Motion Sensor’s vicinity. Generally, the higher the number, the better the protection threshold. For example, a Motion Sensor rated IP67 will fare better in harsh environments compared to one labeled IP43.

What are the best Motion Sensors?

Doppler Radar 

Miller Edge Intelligent Radar Sensor

Miller Edge's MWave is a fully customizable, hands-free Doppler Radar Motion Sensor best suited for fast-paced commercial applications like high-speed or high-performance doors, first responder facilities, cold storage, auto dealerships, and warehouses. Its dual relay feature can differentiate between approaching versus cross-traffic along with pedestrian versus vehicular traffic. The MWave comes pre-configured for multiple vehicle and pedestrian sensing modes. When paired with the optional MWave Remote Control, you can program the sensor from the ground to make setup fast and easy. The sensor is ideal for both indoor and outdoor applications and features highly visible LED indicators. With a 3-year warranty and a response time of <100 milliseconds, this sensor has no shortage of features! It has an IP rating of IP67 to withstand wet, rain, snow, dust, and debris.

Relay Light Curtains  

Miller Edge Non-Monitored Relay Light Curtain

Miller Edge’s Relay Curtains are perfect for pre-2010 installations that do not require a monitored solution. They also function as a secondary detection devices on newer operators. Available in 36-inch and 72-inch models, Miller’s Relay Curtains are great for environments that require extended vertical protection for objects that wouldn’t be detected by a single-beam photo eye sensor. These long-range sensors allow a larger area to be monitored for obstructions. Relay Light Curtains are easy to install with simplified wiring and universal mounting brackets that mount near the tracks/guides of the door. Light Curtains are equipped with green and red LED indicators to enable easy alignment and troubleshooting. Its heavy-duty IP67 rating ensures the elements will not deter this sensor!

Microwave  

BEA Eagle Microwave Motion Detector

BEA’s 10EAGLE is ideal for large-format industrial doors, but is also a universally compatible Microwave Motion Sensor for all models of automatic swing doors, automatic sliding doors, and automatic revolving doors. The Eagle’s automatic door sensor uses unidirectional radar technology to detect pedestrian traffic while ignoring motion away from the door. It is equipped with narrow and wide detection options and immunity settings that can be adjusted to lessen unwanted detections caused by rain, snow, and head vibrations. Its compact, low-profile design allows the Eagle to be used with virtually any installation and can register pedestrian traffic moving as slow as two inches per second. IP54 is its rating.

Raven Microwave Pedestrian and Vehicle Motion Sensor

EMX's RAVEN is a vehicle microwave motion sensor that can distinguish between vehicles and pedestrians through its dual relay outputs. The RAVEN has multiple detection modes and sensors along with cross-traffic filtering to eliminate unnecessary door openings. Other settings on the RAVEN can be configured to adjust the sensitivity, responsiveness, and relay hold time. The RAVEN holds an IP67 rating and is durable in harsh environments. Programming can be done through the push buttons directly on the housing or by the optional Raven-RC remote. 

See how to install the RAVEN here:

BEA 10FALCON Garage Door Motion Sensor

The BEA Falcon Gate and Door Motion Detector 10FALCON is a part of BEA’s Falcon Family of sensors and is the top microwave sensor solution with an IP65 rating for indoor and outdoor applications. The 10FALCON’s active sensors allow for uni- or bi-directional sensing, as well as opening doors when traffic is moving away from the sensor. The BEA Falcon is best for automatic industrial doors, vehicle gates/barriers, vehicle detection, loading docks, or any other industrial application where motion detection is crucial. The 10FALCON can distinguish movement by a vehicle from that of a pedestrian in the detection area. Its mounting height ranges between 11.5 and 23 feet. 

BEA's Falcon XL Gate and Garage Door Motion Detector

The BEA Falcon XL is a gate and garage door Motion Detector designed for low-mounting installations. It is intended for use on smaller doors between 6.5 and 11.5 feet. The Falcon XL allows for uni or bi-directional sensing, along with the capability of opening a door when traffic moves away from the sensor. The Falcon is best suited for automatic industrial doors, vehicle gates/barriers, vehicle detection, and any industrial application where outdoor or indoor motion detection is desired. 
 

Infrared

BEA IS40 Dual Technology Motion and Presence Sensor for Industrial Doors

BEA’s 10IS40 is a dual-technology Infrared Sensor that provides motion and presence detection for Industrial Doors. The standard 10IS40 can be mounted anywhere from 8 feet to 16 feet to fit any industrial application. The sensor has nine unique infrared radiation patterns that are capable of highly flexible presence detection. This allows the sensor to be customized to work in any environment you need. The 10IS40 is housed in a rugged IP65-rated enclosure to ensure it is weatherproof and operates in harsh environments. It can withstand damage caused by wind-blown dust, condensation, and hose-directed water from any direction. In addition, it can be programmed from the ground with a remote (sold separately).  

Action Industries. EMX OWL Vehicle Detection and Presence Sensor

EMX’s OWL is a microwave and infrared Motion Sensor and Presence Sensor that uses both infrared and microwave technology. It can distinguish between vehicle detection, pedestrians, and cross traffic. It also contains a customizable infrared presence detection zone, which allows it to function as both an access control and a security system in a variety of applications. The infrared presence sensor is for detecting pedestrians and has a maximum detection area of 18 feet long by 26 feet wide at a mounting height of 21 feet. Its microwave motion sensors are for automotive motion detection and have a maximum detection area of 23 feet by 19 feet wide at a mounting height of 21 feet. The OWL-RC Remote Control is required for programming and for customizing detection zones. It is for indoor use only and has an IP65 rating.

Action Industries had every part for every door, and Motion Sensors are no exception! If you’re installing a Motion Sensor to increase energy savings and workplace safety, be sure to look into Action’s extensive line of hardware for your doors!