‎Garage Door sensor stuck on Open | SimpliSafe Support Home
 
jsasson's profile

Saturday, January 21st, 2023 2:41 AM

Garage Door sensor stuck on Open

Hi - any idea why this stays on open even after my garage door closes? I successfully added it, verified the blue light blink when expected, it successfully recognizes when the garage door opens, but when I close the garage door the base station still thinks it is open. As you can see it is mounted on wood.

Captain

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6.2K Messages

2 years ago

@jsasson the short term solution: slide the sentry sensor casing off and then replace it to its base. Blue light should flash and you should be good to go.

Long term solution: go to Etsy and by a 3d printed nylon/plasic swing holder. I did to replace my Home Depot metal hindges and they work perfectly! Not expensive and a perfect solution. If and when SS does come out with an official garage door sentor that is integrated into the SS3 system, I hope they design it as well.

BTW, I have the two entry sensors on my garage doors to secret alert away and armed to alarm immediately in home mode.  (When we are asleep I don't expect or want anyone opening the doors). Obsioulsy a workaround until SS releases a formal solution. (Hint hint prod dev!!!)

4 Messages

2 years ago

Thanks for the tip. I’ve seen that item on Etsy, but do you know what it is exactly that is wrong with my setup? What prevents the base station from recognizing the garage door closed?

Captain

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6.2K Messages

2 years ago

Probably a week signal between your entry sensor in the garage and the base in the house.  Suggest you use the connection check tool in the phone app and try to move the base closer to that sensor or use a Wi-Fi extender or if using a mesh network, moving a point closer.  If you still need assistance, call simplisafe support for assistance.

Also, one final thought: your sensor is mounted all the way to the corner of the door, near large amounts of metal. Consider where your base is located and, if you can, move your entry sensor closer to the base on the door top, and at least, away from the metal components. That alone could weaken the signal besides distance. Good luck and post your outcome here if you get a chance.

(edited)

Community Admin

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3.4K Messages

2 years ago

Hi @jsasson,

Captain provides a lot of helpful tips, here! I agree, I would check the connection between your Base Station and WiFi in the mobile app. If the connection is weak, a WiFi extender would be a great solution. 

I would also check the distance between your Entry Sensors and make sure they are less than two inches apart when your garage door is closed. When the sensors are farther than two inches apart, it will read as "open".  

(edited)

4 Messages

2 years ago

Thanks for the tips. Can someone please explain where in the mobile app I should go to check the connection between an entry sensor and the base station? I can't seem to find it.

Also, they are definitely <2 in apart when the garage door is closed. Like I said, I can see that the blue light blinks to acknowledge they are close enough together again.

Community Admin

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3.4K Messages

Hi @jsasson​, 

To check the connection in the app, take the following steps:

  1. From the main menu, go to My System
  2. Go to Camera Settings and click on the camera you would like to test.
  3. Choose Connection Check. Once started, the connection check will take about 1–2 minutes.

You can also test the connection between your Base Station and its sensors by putting your system in Test Mode. We have a detailed video on how to use Test Mode in our Help Center.

If you're seeing that your Base Station and Entry Sensors are properly connected, I would consider moving your Entry Sensor to a different part of your garage door, if possible. It is currently surrounded by some metal, which can create a false “open” reading. If you can’t move the sensors, add an additional adhesive strip, a thin piece of cardboard, or some velcro beneath both of them as a “buffer”.

4 Messages

Ok thank you. I suspected the metal could be causing the issue, so I will try that.

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