I had my one image sensor in my kitchen trigger the alarm today twice. At first, I thought something fell off a counter or it was wind blowing something across the back window, but after the second time it triggered (with the blinds closed), I think I have an issue.
I did get a low battery alert on the sensor the other day I replaced them with non lithium batteries until I get the new ones this weekend. Could that be causing the problem? Any ideas on what could just make that image sensor just trip without any actual motion?
At first, I thought something fell off a counter or it was wind blowing something across the back window, but after the second time it triggered (with the blinds closed), I think I have an issue
The Image Sensor is a passive infrared motion detector, which means it is detecting abrupt changes in heat signature. PIR detectors do not function through glass as heat signature is not visible, only that of the glass.
That said, sunlight can cause issues, and is typically why you should not have PIRs facing windows with direct sunlight. However if it occurred around midday with the blinds closed, probably not the issue.
Do you have any pets? Cats in particular tend to cause trouble.
Did you see any indication in the images themselves? There should be uploaded images corresponding to the events.
Was the detector replaced facing a bit different direction than previously or is it catching an air vent nearby?
It does face a sliding door. That’s what I thought was the issue so I closed the blinds. Then it went off again after the blinds were closed. The sun does not shine directly into the window, but it’s a windy day so maybe the sun going in an out tripped it the first time.
I do have a dog, but he was locked in a crate in another room.
Images that were uploaded during both events show no signs of anything.
There are air vents, but are not in the direct path of the sensor. The kitchen table blocks one and the countertop blocks the other.
It is possible the sensor was replaced back on the post facing a slightly different direction, but only by maybe one notch difference.
I guess I’ll have to face the sensor in another direction. It’s just odd that it decided to do it today after being up for a while with no problem. Only change was the batteries and possibly moved a notch or two.
It may indeed be a battery issue, but it would be a strange presentation of it. Looking at the details though, we requested updated info but the sensor is not showing its latest battery replacement date, and the voltage looks a little off for non-lithium, so there are inconsistencies.
Try replacing with the recommended lithium batteries and secure the sensor to the mount, maybe twist a couple notches to avoid the sunlight. Do you notice any further false alerts? Make sure to test the sensor after replacing the batteries.
Just curious - can I set the image sensor as a non-reporting sensor but still have it take images when an alarm is triggered? The motion sensors I have would capture enough movement to trip the alarm.
If you set the Image Sensor to 23-No Response Type, the first motion it “sees” after an alarm occurs will result in images being uploaded. However, using No Response Type would mean that the Image Sensor can’t create an alarm, so another sensor would have to trigger the alarm before the Image Sensor would capture images based off of motion.