Programming Your Home

Unleashing the Dog

Consider where the PIR should be mounted. Placing it behind a glass windowpane to track outdoor movement will not work since the detector cannot analyze infrared signatures. Ideally, the PIR should be placed in the unobstructed line of sight of the area being monitored. If it’s just outside your front door, thread wiring from the PIR mounted above the door to the Arduino/wave shield mounted in an enclosure inside the house.

Play with the playback audio level. The small speaker that accompanies Adafruit’s music and sound add-on pack may be adequate for testing, but it’s hardly loud enough to get the attention of anyone in the next room (let alone someone who is outdoors). Use the wave shield’s headphone jack and connect it ...