How to Hook Up a Motion Detector to an Alarm System

Open the battery compartment lid on the back of the wireless motion detector -- if there is a screw, use a Phillips jeweler's screwdriver to remove the screw. Insert a compatible battery or batteries into the battery compartment. Close the lid and screw the screw back in, if one is attached.

Decide on the area that the wireless motion detector will protect. Place the detector on a table or bookcase, with the front of the sensor aimed at the area to be protected, for example, a window leading to the backyard or a door leading to a hallway for the front door. If you want to mount the wireless motion detector on the wall, use wood screws and a Phillips screwdriver.

Plug the power cord from the detector into a wall outlet to both power the detector as well as transmit its signal through the house wiring. An extension cord can be used if the cord cannot easily reach the wall outlet.

Place the detector's receiver unit next to the alarm system's control panel. Plug the receiver unit's power cord into an AC socket for power; for example, a wall outlet or an unswitched AC socket on the control panel, if one is present.

Press the "Sync" button on the receiver and then, within a couple of seconds time, press the "Sync" button on the detector to sync the two together.

Connect the receiver unit to the control panel so that the control panel can react if the detector detects motion -- the connection will vary, depending on the make of the control panel, but typically will consist of connecting a cable between an "Aux" output on the receiver and an "Aux" input on the control panel, or wiring electric wires from an "output" connector on the receiver unit to an "input" connector on the control panel. Adjust the control panel's menu settings to include the motion detector as part of its alarm system.