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eamail2001's profile
eamail2001

98 Messages

Friday, May 13th, 2022 3:02 PM

Motion sensor plus cat

A few times now our cat has set off the alarm via motion sensor walk across the floor.

The sensor is high up in a corner about 7 feet.

What can we do?

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1 year ago

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davey_d

Community Admin

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5.6K Messages

2 years ago

Hi @eamail2001 ,

We do have a Help Center article about this topic, here.

This video in particular is useful to your case:

(edited)

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eamail2001

98 Messages

@davey_d​ I did what they video said for cats but it seems it's better to do the large dog option for any pet that walks around.

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2 years ago

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davey_d

Community Admin

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5.6K Messages

@eamail2001​ the main thing to keep in mind is that the Motion Sensor is really detecting heat, so it's really more about the amount of that heat that your pet generates, rather than just the size of your body. If you have a very active cat, or if they can get very close to the camera, it may appear like a larger animal. So yes, in that case, pointing the sensor away to that your cat is less likely to be in the field of view at all, would be the right call here.

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2 years ago

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captain11

Captain

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6K Messages

2 years ago

@eamail2001 The sensor's height sometimes cannot effect it covering the floor. I suggest you head over to the Help Center and read up on how and where the motion sensors cover. At about 5 to 5 1/2 feet with the motion sensors mounted upside down may (key word there) get you the coverage you need and minimize the chance of your cat setting off the alarm. This and other tips can be located there. Also, a long time customer, sevensiamesecats, has posted excellent tips over the years and you can find them using the search tool. You can call call support for more tips. Finally, you can use my daughter's method and rely on entry sensors and glass break sensors. She has two very active cats that love to climb.

Good luck and please post your outcome here if you get a chance.

(edited)

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eamail2001

98 Messages

@captain11​ This helped when I did my tests. We will see if the alarm triggers. The video on SS site should say that for any walking around pets the sensor should be 5-6' high and upside down.

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2 years ago

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eamail2001

98 Messages

So with sensor at 5'6" with botton on the bottom our cat set it off by being on a low coffee table. I will move it up to 6' tomorrow and see. 

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2 years ago

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captain11

Captain

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6K Messages

@eamail2001​ Have you considered going entry sensors and/or glass break sensors with no motions? Again, that is what my daughter and son-in-law did and no issues with their two cats.

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2 years ago

bkneipher

1 Message

1 year ago

I just switched to the latest version of the SS devices a few weeks ago after many years using the old version. This past weekend our cat caused a motion sensor alarm. She is well under 50 lbs. The only thing I can think of is that she jumped on/off the couch or some other table.

Is that a possibility? The sensor is about 6 feet off the ground.

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captain11

Captain

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6K Messages

@bkneipher Absolutely.  Dogs are one thing but cats are a whole different "animal" (sorry for the pun).  You may want to do a search for "sevensiamesecats" as he is a long time SS owner and, at one time, yes, owned seven cats and his posts may assist you.  As mentioned in previous posts in this thread, glass break and entry sensors may be better choices for you than motion sensors where the cat(s) have access.

You can also get a bit creative using entry sensors and make your system more effective without motions using a "layers of defense" approach. For example, in home mode, we have certain closet doors and drawers armed with entry sensors that are not used when the alarm is in this state. Same for others when the system is in away mode.

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1 year ago

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emily_s

Community Admin

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3.1K Messages

@bkneipher​ Yes, animals can trigger the Motion Sensor, especially if your cat jumped in front of the sensor. However, there are ways to set up your Motion Sensor to prevent these false alarms.

If you have a Gen 1 Motion Sensor, we recommend installing the Motion Sensor about 6-10 feet off the ground with the test button on top. 

If you have a Gen 2 Motion Sensor, we recommend installing it 6 feet off the ground and turning "Pet Mode" on for the sensor. You can do so in the SimpliSafe mobile app by navigating to the three bar menu in top left corner > My System > Device Settings > [your Motion Sensor] > toggle Pet Mode on. 

If you're unsure which version of the Motion Sensor you have, this article in our Help Center will help!

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1 year ago

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