Will pets set off motion sensors/camera?

I can only speak for the motion sensor - yes, they can.  To minimize this occurrence, mount the motion sensor upside down (test button towards the floor) about 4.5-5 above the floor.  The sensor monitors from the "top" of the sensor down at about a 45 degree-ish angle.  So, with the sensor inverted, it is actually monitoring up to the ceiling rather than down to the floor.  The motion sensor has three sensitivity settings (L, M, and H) that can be adjusted.  The switch is where the battery is.  After you get your sensors installed and sign up for the monitoring plan (if, even only for a month), set the motion sensor alarm to Silent Alert.  This will send a text message but not set the alarm off.  When you have sensitivity set where it needs to be, you can then set the motion sensor to alarm the system.

Related note, don't have a vent blowing on the sensor or directly in front of the sensor.  Also, if you have direct sunlight heating the room up quickly, it can generate a false alarm.

The Captain will update with more concise guidance and some other tricks, but this will get you started.

UPDATE: also, when you test the motion sensors, wait a couple of minutes after setting the system to test to allow the sensor to stabilize to the room temperature.  The sensor detects changes in temp to cause an alarm to sound.

If your cat likes  to climb it will trip a motion sensor. Your dog will probably not trip the sensor if the sensor is set to sweep the upper portion of the room.

We've had this system for several years.  We have two cats.  We tried every suggestion, upside down, high off the ground, lowered the sensitivity switch, but they always managed to set off a motion sensor when we were away.  Usually at the most inopportune times when we were out of cell phone range.  We were on the verge off getting charged by our local PD for coming out for too many false alarms when we decided to bag them. We have the entry sensors and glass sensors well covered.  We're not exactly defending Fort Knox here, so it's good enough, especially since we also have another vendors camera system, which is triggered by motion, but does not result in a call to the Police if we're not around.

I bought a motion sensor when I originally purchased the system, but since we had 3 dogs and 4 cats I never put it up and decided to return it.  As someone else said, we have entry sensors and glassbreak sensors and that works for us.

We have a middle aged cat that does normal climbing for a cat his age. We have 2 motion sensors installed at 7 feet. He has not set them off. I do set them off, though, so they are working.

I have a 60 lb Weimaraner and a housecat. My house has front and kitchen stairs to the second floor so I found that no matter which direction the motion sensors faced, one of them set it off with the stairs. The places the motion sensors needed to go to adequately cover the main floor had to include those areas. I was frustrated for sure. My final decision is that the motion sensors are on disabled for Off and Home and Secret Alert in the away mode. I feel that if the door and glass break sensors are armed, the motion sensor isn't really important. I may end up returning the sensors since the dog/cat issue was unresolveable for me.

Two 7 lb Chi's set it off.  

I have a motion detector in the master bedroom where I keep my two chihuahuas while I'm not home.  They usually sleep on my queen sized bed in the middle of the room, with an occasional jump off to go in the master bathroom for a bio-break.  Even though SimpliSafe says that it doesn't see animals under 25 lbs (my chi's are <7 lbs) it took only a week after I joined when they set off the motion detector which is mounted about 9.5 feet in the corner of a 24 x 24 room.

SimpliSafe suggests and instructs how to mount the motion detector half way down the wall and upside down so that it doesn't 'see' what's under it. Climbing cats can be a whole other picture.

I just had my second false alarm because my miniature poodle (10 lbs) set off the alarm.  They did suggest turning the sensor upside down as well.  

Their documentation states:
Your dogs and cats under 50 lbs won't trigger the alarm. We've designed the sensor to be less
sensitive to motion close to the ground.

Unless 10 pounds is larger than 50 pounds, their statement is simpli not accurate.  I will try flipping it upside down as well, but I'm pretty irritated because the police have been to my house twice.  Great monitoring, I'm still evaluating equipment.

@jeff.compton. SS2 pr SS3.  If SS2, recommend you return it, get your refund and get SS3.

My current system, SS3, works fine with our approx 10 pound miniature dachshund Stella, who visits often. Six motion sensors on the first floor and all is fine, except in the winter then at night our thermostat cranks down to 60 degrees. Then she sets it off when the sensitivity is set to high. Solution: Move sensitivity to medium, no issues.  You may want try adjusting the sensitivity before putting the motion sensors upside down, as I think that leaves too large a gap on the area below the sensor.

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

Our system is in our remote log cabin which, when we leave, is fully armed.  The motion sensor goes off at all times of the day and night.  There is nobody in the cabin, drapes are pulled, no heat vents, etc . . The cabin is totally empty.  
The only thing we can think of is the motion sensor is triggered by a mouse or a fly.  Not good.  It is 5 ft off the floor in the corner of the room.  We had the old system and upgraded to the new system and still have the issue with the motion sensor.  Will try and turn down the sensitivity but might just end up disabling it.  We do have the glass breakage and entry monitors.   It is annoying that we cannot use the sensor as advertised.

@jdtwig

You're on the right track that whatever is triggering your Motion Sensor, it would be some sort of heat signature. If you can imagine the heat vision from some action movies; the Motion Sensor would need to see a hotspot large enough to trigger. So it would be unlikely for a very small creature to trigger it, unless it crawled right over the lens.

Since you've actually upgraded to another model of Motion Sensor and still see the same issue, it's also unlikely that the unit itself would have been the problem. So there's definitely something in the room that's causing the trigger.
Hopefully decreasing the sensitivity does the trick. But if you have any more trouble, let us know in this thread and we'll have a Tech Manager reach out to see what else we can do.

Johnny M.
SimpliSafe Home Security

I've had Simplisafe for a couple of years and my dog has been here for 5 months.  She is here all day and has never set of the motion sensor alarm until today when I was trying to get my mom to the doctor's office. I had to turn around and come back home to just check that it was actually the dog.  When I commented to the Simplisafe rep that I thought it wouldn't set of with my dog, there was silence on the line.  If I can't keep the alarm on while I'm gone, it's useless.

@bonettles, temperature, motion sensor setting and other factors can all effect if you pet is going to set off the alarm. When Stella, our "grandpuppy" would visit, I would move the sensitivity setting from high to medium.  A few visits in I left on medium and no false alarms since.  BTW, was your heat on when the alarm tripped?

Following the advice of others with pets you can greatly minimize the possibility of a motion alarm set off by your dog.

But, pulling no punches, the only 100% guarantee is to not use a motion sensor.

If I point the motion sensor up because of my dogs & cat, will my ceiling fan set it off?