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False Alarm - Motion Sensor in Garage
We have a 2-car garage monitored by a motion sensor in one corner.
Twice in the last week, we've been woken up by a 2am alarm. The garage is accessed only by a deadbolt door, or the garage door. Both were closed each time. There are no cars in the garage, and we have no pets.
I had two thoughts, but neither seem likely.
1 - We definitely have mice here and there. Would a mouse set off a motion alarm?
2 - The door that leads to the garage has a window on the top. Would the motion sensor pick up anything through that window? (Say, someone scoping out the garage to see if anything was in it). I tested it tonight and couldn't get it to.
Twice in the last week, we've been woken up by a 2am alarm. The garage is accessed only by a deadbolt door, or the garage door. Both were closed each time. There are no cars in the garage, and we have no pets.
I had two thoughts, but neither seem likely.
1 - We definitely have mice here and there. Would a mouse set off a motion alarm?
2 - The door that leads to the garage has a window on the top. Would the motion sensor pick up anything through that window? (Say, someone scoping out the garage to see if anything was in it). I tested it tonight and couldn't get it to.
worthing
729 Messages
3 years ago
Long post, sorry. Summary at end if you want to skip to the meat of this post. :)
First, you should know that the SimpliSafe motion detectors are PIR (Passive InfraRed) sensors. What does this mean?
Second, you should know that a window could be a problem if a headlight comes comes through and hits the sensor:
Note: Light is tricky so even if the headlight isn't a straight shot to the sensor, it could reflect off of something and still hit the sensor.
Finally, there are a few other caveats that SimpliSafe lists as potential sources of false alerts:
also:
So would a mouse trigger the alarm? From afar, probably not. If it could somehow get up close to the motion sensor? Maybe.
My personal experience is that the motion detector in my garage does not pick up insects but the SimpliCam and WyzeCam in my garage definitely alert sometimes on moths and spiders and stuff. (I also have a creepy as hell video of a wood roach or something crawling across the video doorbell, pausing for a few seconds, then wandering off. :) ) That said, if something went right in front of the detector or landed on it, who knows what will happen.
In my personal experience across multiple systems (ADT (multiple generations of product), Frontpoint, SimpliSafe, etc.) the motion and glassbreak sensors are the most "finnicky" in any system. They work but they also generate the most false alarms versus an entry sensor. I'm not suggesting you don't use motion or glassbreak sensors (I have both) but wanted to give some additional feedback.
Finally, here are some other resources to look at:
https://support.simplisafe.com/hc/en-us/articles/360030162671-How-do-I-install-my-SimpliSafe-Motion-Sensor-
https://support.simplisafe.com/hc/en-us/articles/360029593952-Motion-Sensor-False-Alarms-Gen-3-SimpliSafe-
https://simplisafe.com/blog/motion-detector-guide
In summation:
- Make sure the sensor can't catch a headlight coming in (directly or reflected off of something in the garage) through the window you mentioned
- Is there anything in the garage that might generate heat quickly? It doesn't have to be an open flame or anything but any electronics that might be kicking in and generating heat? Any HVAC stuff?
- Is the sensor somewhere that a mouse could walk right in front of it like on a shelf? If so, you may want to move it.
Good luck!
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captain11
Captain
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6.1K Messages
3 years ago
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duffy_4
38 Messages
3 years ago
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hondaman88
113 Messages
3 years ago
If the sensors have been working fine, this is a recent issue and the batteries are old then try replacing them.
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worthing
729 Messages
3 years ago
FYI, Ring devices use PIR sensors but also camera/image based motion detection so they're not the same as the SimpliSafe motion detectors which only use PIR. It's possible that cameras are sometimes alerting on insects due to the camera/image detection and not the PIR.
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mikehamrock
1 Message
10 months ago
Two questions:
1 Will shadows and tree branches moving in the wind set off my Gen 2 motion sensor?
2 Can I attach a blinder on the sensor to limit its field of view?
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