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Tuesday, October 18th, 2022 3:07 PM

Device Not Responding

Last week, we were on vacation and on our first day, I received an alert "Glass Break Device Not Responding".  About 30 minutes later, I received another "Glass Break Device Restored".  I tried searching the Community for this and found a post marked "Official Solution", but it's only the question with no replies.

So, my question is what causes this?  And what is the missing "Official Solution" in the other post?  My system is only a few months old. Do I already have a sensor going bad?  Pretty disconcerting while I'm on vacation with no way to check on the house.  

Official Solution

Community Admin

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2 years ago

@alan_380938 apologies, looks like we just missed this one.

Regarding the issue, a sensor might show a "Not Responding" for any reason where the sensor is not able to check in with the Base Station.


So it could be that the battery is getting low. Normally you would see a different Low Battery error. But if the sensor is far away, or if there's a lot of interference, it might have less power to transmit, and might show the Not Responding error instead.

Speaking of interference, that would be the most likely culprit. It could be caused by another wireless signal that is drowning out SimpliSafe communications. Or it could be dense physical objects (walls, metal shelving, heavy appliances) between the sensor and your Base Station, literally blocking the signal. We have some troubleshooting steps on our Help Center here that can help. But you can also contact our Support team for more in-depth troubleshooting.

31 Messages

@davey_d​ Any other thoughts on this?  Base station is 25 feet away from the sensor, open floor plan, so no walls between the base station and the offending sensor.  The issue has not happened again since I originally posted it.  Sensor is about four months old, so I would hope that SimpliSafe isn't selling me batteries that die that quickly.

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

Right now, I'm as much at a loss as you. If it happens again, that might give us more of a clue as to what's going on. For now we just want to keep in eye on it.

1 Message

2 years ago

Hey SimpliSafe support, do you guys read these posts? This post was made on the 18th and there’s no response from you. That’s not good support for your customers. I ah e the same problem with a door sensor that keeps “not responding” and then comes back on line. What’s the solution, new sensor? It’s only four or five months old .

2 Messages

2 years ago

I’ve also had the same issue with sensors and don’t know if it’s a battery or what it is. Could use some help! System is less than a year old.

1 Message

2 years ago

We also just had the same issue with our system.  Looks like still no response from them.

13 Messages

2 years ago

I keep having the same issue as well - devices drop out then back in randomly.  They talk about physical interference with the signal - but I have not moved my base station in a couple of years so nothing has changed there.  

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

I hear you on that, but the thing with wireless signals is that they're invisible, so troubleshooting will often involve some trial and error. I would still suggest moving the Base Station to a different spot just to try it out, in case that does help.

 

And don't forget that it's not just physical, but wireless interference that can be a problem too. The sensors use a low frequency range that is used by other simple devices, like remote controlled garage door openers, wireless weather stations, and some brands of smart gadgets (like plugs). If you're seeing your devices go in and out, it could match with when those devices are active and when they're not. So it might help to move the Base Station away from those transmitters, or at least shutting them off temporarily to eliminate them as a possible cause.

2 Messages

2 years ago

We have had the same issue. Changing the battery does not fix it. Spent a long time on the phone with a tech a while back and, long story short, removing the device and re-adding it fixes the problem; at least it did for us. I'm surprised a Simplisafe rep hasn't suggested to try this on this thread.

1 Message

This solved the problem for me as well.

2 years ago

Having the same issue with motion sensors.  This lead me to do some digging.  I found these white papers on how to add an external antenna to any of your sensors.  Real simple to do, if you can solder.  Check out these links.  You can utilize full, half or quarter wave antenna.  I would suggest using either a half or quarter wave.  Something called the "take off angle" is in play here and depending on your immediate surrounding would govern the use.  Quarter wave will have a higher take off angle than half wave.  Either will work and I am sure your mileage will vary.  But its worth a shot to improve the transmitted signal to your base station.

Entry Sensor Antenna Installation: https://www.dropbox.com/s/bg1loj7rieq04e2/Entry%20Sensor%20Antenna.pdf?dl=0

Motion Sensor Antenna Installation: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lusjnxvp057typc/Motion%20Sensor%20Antenna.pdf?dl=0 

13 Messages

2 years ago

anjo - 

That is a great fix - but does it permanently fix the problem or does it just reactivate the sensor at the moment?

Please keep up posted!

2 Messages

@john_2616​ 

So far so good here. The first time this happed to one of our sensors was about 8 months or so ago. That's when I called a tech, she walked me through a bunch of things that didn't work, then had me delete it and add it again. It's worked perfectly ever since. Last month, two different sensors did the same thing. I did change both batteries because I had some on hand and I had never changed the batteries since installing the system several years ago. The battery change itself does not fix the "not responding" problem. I then deleted both sensors and re-added them. They've been working fine ever since. Hope this helps!

2 years ago

My understanding is the sensors are always transmitting or at least transmitting intermittently to may contact with the base station to let it know it is still connected.  The problem of sensors loosing base connectivity and subsequently triggering a message from the base station that a sensor is not responding is due to lack of RF connectivity to the base.  Adding an antenna will provide more RF gain and a stronger/better signal for your base station to hear.  So it should be a permanent fix as long as nothing else in the chain is broken.

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

@aerialphotoplatform​ I think @john_2616 was responding to @anjo 's earlier comment.

But yes, the problem is with the radio signal being blocked by the environment. Adding an antenna might help solve that problem by extending range, though it's not always an accessible option for all users.

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