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jonny_gogo's profile

Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 5:14 PM

Motion Sensor Went "offline" - Best Way to Fix?

We have had SS3 for about a year.  Sensors have all been in the same place for all that time, with no connection issues (except once, the keypad lost connection to the base station).

A day ago, the motion sensor upstairs went "offline".  All other alarm functions work.  I put the system into test mode, tested a few random sensors around the house as a control group, and they test function was working.  I then tested the problem motion sensor, and the base station didn't give any indication it received a signal from the sensor.  I then took the problem sensor downstairs in the same room as the base station and pressed the test button.  Again, the base station gave no indication it received the signal from the sensor.

I'm using the term "problem sensor" just to refer to the motion sensor that has gone offline, but it has never before had any issues, just this one time.  (If it matters, I actually test the entire system only a few days ago and all sensors worked. :/   )

Should I just go ahead and replace the battery?  I thought they were supposed to last 3-5 years, no?  We have an entry sensor upstairs near the problem motion sensor, and it has been working all this time, fwiw.

Or is there a way to turn the entire system on/off, without losing settings, to try and re-establish a connection to the problem sensor?

Official Solution

Community Admin

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5K Messages

2 years ago

Hi @jonny_gogo ,

Just to recap - a Sensor will be marked as 'offline' if it fails to check in with the Base Station. Since it's the only sensor that's having trouble, we can safely say that the issue is isolated to just that one sensor, and that's what we should be troubleshooting.

But it does sound like you've done quite a bit of troubleshooting already:

  • Since there's another sensor near where the problem Motion Sensor is normally set up, we know it's not an interference or signal issue.
  • When you moved the sensor to the same room as the Base Station, and still got no response from it, that confirms that the sensor might not even be powered at all.

So you're right that this might be a battery issue. You're right, that lithium battery should be lasting 3-5 years, so dying so soon is very unusual. Before going ahead and replacing, I would actually suggest the following, before testing (via Test Mode on your Keypad) again:

  1. Take out the battery and examine it for any signs of corrosion. Unlikely if it's been installed indoors this whole time, but worth a check!
  2. Reinsert the battery, and make sure that it's snug in the compartment. It might have just been too loose to make proper contact.
  3. Swap out the battery with another sensor (Motion and Glassbreak sensors use the same type)

If none of the above brings that sensor back to life, then we might actually want to replace the sensor itself entirely! Let me know and I can take care of that for you. Or you can give us a call at 800-548-9508 and our Support team can help.

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72 Messages

I have the problem of the "new" SimpliSafe motion sensors CONSTAN TLY losing connectivity.  I have 3 original motion sensors and two of the new version released a few months ago.  The old ones work great.  The two new ones are absolute garbage as they are constantly losing connection, and they stay disconnected for days to weeks.  What a waste of money on the two new sensors.  To all people wondering about the new version of motion sensor . . . do NOT buy it.  SimpliSafe KNOWS there are problems because I received a questionnaire on how well they are working.  They would not ask if they did not want to know how many of their new sensors are failing.  What a joke!

This reply has been converted into a comment

56 Messages

2 years ago

@davey_d Good idea to just swap batteries.

I swapped the batteries between the problem motion sensor and a motion sensor in the same room as the base station.  There was no sign of corrosion around the problem motion sensor's battery.  Then I put the system into Test Mode.

  • If the problem sensor still doesn't work, that tells me the sensor itself must be dead
  • If the problem sensor does now work, but now the other sensor doesn't , that tells me it's just a dead battery

But what happened, was that both sensors worked.  I immediately got an email telling me the problem motion sensor was back on-line.  Using the test buttons on top of both motion sensors caused the base station to announce each one correctly.

Weird. For some reason, it seems like turning the problem sensor off and on caused it to re-establish comms with the base station.

Good news, is that it's good to go!

72 Messages

Do you have these issues with the newly released "new and improved" motion sensor?  My three original motion sensors have never given me a problem.  I purchased two of the new version and they are constantly going offline and will stay that way for days and weeks (I know because I am often away for extended periods of time).  

72 Messages

2 months ago

I have the problem of the "new" SimpliSafe motion sensors CONSTAN TLY losing connectivity.  I have 3 original motion sensors and two of the new version released a few months ago.  The old ones work great.  The two new ones are absolute garbage as they are constantly losing connection, and they stay disconnected for days to weeks.  What a waste of money on the two new sensors.  To all people wondering about the new version of motion sensor . . . do NOT buy it.  SimpliSafe KNOWS there are problems because I received a questionnaire on how well they are working.  They would not ask if they did not want to know how many of their new sensors are failing.  What a joke!

This comment was created from this reply

Community Admin

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1.8K Messages

@sugakugaI'm sorry to her that you're two new Motion Sensors sometimes show as "Offline". We sent that questionnaire to you to see how you were enjoying this new product, not because there's a problem with it.

To troubleshoot your two Motion Sensors, I would first replace their batteries to ensure this isn't a battery issue. You can do this with new batteries, or swap out the batteries in your older Motion Sensors into your new ones.

If your Motion Sensors continue to go offline with new batteries in, we would then want to test their connection to the Base Station by putting your system into Test Mode. This article in our Help Center provides details on how you can test your system. If your Base Station does not recognize your Motion Sensors while in Test Mode, I would move the Base Station closer to your sensors.

1 Message

Ordered and received 3 motion sensors yesterday. One of them was not detecting motion and another one was working fine until going offline this afternoon. 

(edited)

Community Admin

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5K Messages

@harebro​ thanks for checking in. Have you had the chance the try the troubleshooting steps we have above? 

(edited)

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