Motion sensors not triggering alarm AGAIN

No solutions I can offer. If you feel like reading it, I can point at "possible causes".

I used to use two of the gen 1 motion sensors here in the US, they're now shelves for Zigbee motion sensors and a different DIY system I built mostly myself.

They seemed to function for what they were worth to me at the time. Not much.

Batteries now removed, same for the glass break sensors I bought, in a carboard box, batteries removed.

I still arm SS entry sensors, leak sensors, as a redundant backup, why not, they still work. In the cardboard box they if they fail.

5 Solar OD cameras and 2 doorbells never worked for adequate security. Never will here. Exterior wall decor now. Different cameras now that actually work.

My SS sensors have worked ok. Inside.

Might be my exterior brick walls,🤷 might be weak RF base station signals, for wake up signals to OD cameras. or both.

Doorbells just use wifi, but they're still outside with brick and steel doors nearby. All cameras slow as molasses for security. When they work.

For every wall the RF signal must pass through for any and all RF type sensors, bell box, motion, entry, leak etc etc etc. The signals weaken. Considerably.

Bell box usually means UK, & if so, & depending on your home construction.

Here's some Ai data, see below. May or may not apply to your home. You can search for your specific home type.

Trust Ai but verify. A lot of verify.😉

Cavity walls in UK homes can impact the performance of radio frequency (RF) sensors.

Like those sold by SimpliSafe & others by reducing signal strength, a phenomenon known as signal attenuation.

The extent of this impact depends on the wall materials and any insulation present.

• Signal Attenuation: While signals can pass through, each layer of material causes some signal weakening. The thicker and denser the material, the more the signal is attenuated. In a typical home setting, the impressive open-air range of SimpliSafe sensors (500ft+) is reduced in practice to a working distance of around 250ft or less, depending on the number and type of walls the signal must penetrate.

• Insulation: The type of cavity wall insulation can also affect signal penetration.
  • Mineral wool/foam: Most common insulation materials like mineral wool or foam typically do not severely block RF signals, though they may reduce strength slightly.
  • Metallic elements: Problems arise with insulation that incorporates metallic foil or a vapor barrier with a metal layer, which can act as an effective RF shield and cause significant signal degradation.
• Metal Obstructions: The biggest challenge for RF sensors is metal. Or practically for any brand of sensor.

Hi @nickh82, 

Thanks for raising this. Three rounds of Motion Sensors dropping out is a headache and absolutely not normal behaviour. 

A few things are worth digging into since you have mentioned doing full system resets twice already. 

1. Intermittent communication with the Base Station
When they stop triggering, it’s usually because:

• Range or obstruction changed (new furniture, thick walls, metal appliances, pipes, boiler cupboards)

• Interference from nearby electronics (Wi-Fi boosters, smart meters, cordless phones, baby monitors, etc.).
  Even small changes can cause the Base Station to stop receiving events. It might be best to try a couple different placement options during test mode to see which responds the best. 

2. Batteries
A weak battery can keep the sensor connected but fail to send events reliably.
It’s worth putting in a fresh CR123A just to rule this out, especially if the failures happen to the same sensors each time. 

3. Check Base Station firmware
Please make sure your Base Station is fully updated. Recent releases included fixes for some niche communication dropouts that could cause sensors to stay connected but ignore motion. Latest update available is 2.23

4. Sensor placement really matters
If the sensor is:

• too close to a radiator or vent,

• facing a window with heat changes,

• or mounted slightly rotated away from the room’s traffic pattern, it can appear “dead” when it’s actually just not seeing motion the way PIR detection works. A small angle change or moving it a few inches can make a huge difference.
  

You shouldn’t be resetting your entire system every few weeks to keep Motion Sensors alive, so please take these steps and let us know if this has improved their responsiveness.