ESP32 WiFi RF interference causing false triggers on nearby PIR sensor?

I am using an ESP32 with a PIR motion sensor (HC-SR501 type). The PIR sensor is placed physically close to the ESP32 PCB antenna.

I noticed that when WiFi activity increases (MQTT publish, HTTP request, reconnect, etc.), the PIR sometimes triggers falsely even when there is no motion.

My questions are:

  1. Can the ESP32 WiFi antenna or RF transmission interfere with a nearby PIR sensor?
  2. Can RF noise couple into the PIR output or comparator circuit?
  3. What are the recommended hardware fixes for this issue?

Current setup:

  • ESP32 Dev Board
  • HC-SR501 PIR sensor
  • Shared power supply
  • PIR output connected directly to ESP32 GPIO
  • PIR located very close to ESP32 antenna

What are the best production-level solutions for preventing these false triggers?

Posted May 12, 2026, 6:21 AM UTC

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