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:
- Can the ESP32 WiFi antenna or RF transmission interfere with a nearby PIR sensor?
- Can RF noise couple into the PIR output or comparator circuit?
- 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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