We bought a new house but haven't moved in yet. The previous owners moved out months ago. What is this thing in the corner of the living room? They may have had a security system by ADT in the past. They have a Ring doorbell. I don't plan to sign a contract with ADT. Any ideas? Should I try to uninstall it or cover it in the meantime?
It's an infrared motion sensor. They're not like cameras -- they can only detect "movement" when something warm moves in front of them. It's probably part of the old security system, and if the system is disabled it's not "spying" on you. They're also used for automatic lights.
I thought it might be something like that. I may uninstall it anyway as it's not particularly attractive.
You can use it with a different security system/company if you want, rather than only ADT.
or you can use it just to turn the lights on. In the winter when it gets dark earlier, it would be useful