‎Do the cameras trigger the alarm or not? And will my cat trigger alarm? | SimpliSafe Support Home
 
O

Saturday, January 20th, 2018 12:14 AM

Do the cameras trigger the alarm or not? And will my cat trigger alarm?

Hey everyone, making a post because finding a clear answer to my specific question in the mess of forum posts has been quite the task! I'd call SS CS, but I don't have 45 minutes to wait on hold right now.

I'm a new customer to SS and now that I have the Verizon module in my base station, my system actually works! Yay for that.

I have 4 SS cameras that I am setting up to monitor the inside of my home while I'm away, primarily to check in on my cat and to monitor the friend we have coming by to watch our cat every other day. Set up has been smooth so far. My question is, if the security system is set to Away, will the motion sensor in the camera set off the siren/alarm? I've read that some people set the system to Home when their pet is there alone so the motion sensors and the motion sensors in the camera don't trigger the alarm. Is this what is suggested? Will setting the camera sensitive to Low prevent him from triggering the alarm or does it only send me motion notifications, or should I just leave those off the main focus is just to look in on him from time to time?  (SMS messages are fine, I don't mind knowing where he is!) I don't want the police called when my cat walks by a camera, though!

As you can probably tell, our primary reason for the cameras is to check in on our cat. We will be getting a second, separate camera system for just outdoor protection later on down the road. I just want to make sure that the kitty is safe and eating, and the person we're paying to watch him is doing what she should be. But I don't want alarms going off every time he walks by a sensor or a camera.

Thanks for your time.

This conversation is no longer open for comments or replies and is no longer visible to community members.

2.2K Messages

7 years ago

As far as I can tell, the motion sensors on the camera never set off the alarm.  They can be set up to send messages to you, and they record a short clip when set off.    

The regular motion sensors will be set off by the cat if he gets close enough.  If he is a climber/jumper, it will be harder to avoid false alarms.  Key is to mount it so the cat can't enter the field of detection.  Location, upside down or right side up, height, sources of heat and cooling in he room and sensitivity are all factors in a successful motion sensor mount.  If he is just to much, then yes, having the regular motion sensors only active when he is not loose.

53 Messages

7 years ago

The motion sensor on the cameras can be set to make the cameras record but not trigger an alarm. The motion detectors can detect a cat, even from a distance, depending on the setting. Mine was set on high sensitivity, so my mom's 6 lbs chihuahua triggered an alarm from 10-15 ft away when she jumped on my couch.
Now when you say "triggered an alarm" do you mean the camera notification? Or the actual security system itself? I have them in the "off" position right now on the app. I had them on Low and then realized that off was an option. Like I said, these are more for monitoring my cat and the person watching him while we're away. If anyone forces entry into the home, we'll be notified with the door or glass break sensors.
New to the Community? Get started by reading our Welcome Article and please be sure to review our Community Guidelines before posting.