New Motion Sensor False Triggered This Morning

[braddg]

Hello everyone,

I have been installing an M1Gold system over the last couple weeks. So far I have had quite a blast installing the system. I installed two keypads, three motion sensors and a number of door contacts to test until I had additional $$$ to install more. Even with two cats, none of the first three motion sensors detected the pets over the first couple weeks. I leave it armed at night and when I am at work. Just last night I installed a fourth motion sensor in the living room. Well, this morning it tripped the alarm.

I am using Optex MI-40PI (Pet Immune) motion sensors. This latest motion sensor is attached to a mounting bracket in the corner of the room. Across from the room is a big window.

At this point I am a little torn as to what to do. I didn't think pointing at a window was going to cause any problems. Am I wrong? Should I move the sensor? Or should I continue to arm the system and test for false detections?

One thing to note is that the alarm triggered at the time when my wife and I rise in the morning. The cats go nuts when they hear us shuffling around in the bedroom. They are both less than a year old and only about 8lbs. They have complete access to the house except for the bedroom. The sensor is 8ft off the floor and there is nothing below the sensor for the cats to climb on. Well.. except for the couch about 5 feet away.

Not sure what to do. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Brad

 

[phenix]

You could set the logic so that it would take the motion sensor in question plus another zone to trip an alarm. I'm an HAI guy so I don't know the details on how but should be very easy.

 

[sic0048]

Could the sun have been shining in the window and directly into the PIR sensor at that time of day? If so, I suspect that is your issue. The PIR directions probably said not to mount it where it would face directly at a window. If the sun could not have come in the window at that time, then I'd lean towards the cats setting it off.

As suggested, one fix (for the sun at least) would be to mount a 2nd PIR in the room, but pointed in a different direction - perhaps on the opposite wall pointed at the original PIR. Then program the panel to only set the alarm off when both PIRs sense motion at the same time. If the PIRs are pointed at windows on different sides of the house, the odds of getting false alarms on both due to sunlight are extremely low. The cats may be a different story, but hopefully the dual PIR detection requirement would stop that type of false alarm too since you've already had good luck with the other PIRs and the cats.

I'm sure the ELK can be set up for this type setup, but I'm not the expert to ask how

 

[Digger]

My opinion would be to move the detector if you can run the wire. To add another detector would require a new wire run anyway and woudl be more expensive.

To have two detectors trip within a certian time to cause an alarm is called "crosszoning". Detector A trips and within the time window detector B must trip to cause an alarm (or vice versa). While the crosszoning feature is designed for this situation I would move the detector first if possible.

 

[IVB]

Clearly the first step is to buy $2000 worth of Elk stuff, some CCTV stuff, and a new whole-house-audio system. Well, that's what I'd tell my wife

(BTW, i seriously doubt this is the issue, but i had a problem where adding a motion sensor exceeded power supply abilities of the Elk board. You sound like you're far from that, but a good thing to keep tabs on anyhow).

 

[tmbrown97]

Well, you covered a few of the things I would mention... but are these Dual Technology sensors? As in Microwave AND Infrared - meaning they only trip if both are triggered? I use a few Rokonet 100lb pet immune sensors dual-technology sensors with the microwave turned all the way down, and if the cats climb more than 4ft. high, they set off the alarm. Also be sure to check the mounting height in the instructions - my pet immune ones had an odd (low) mounting height.

I've heard a lot about windows/sunlight causing issues. Not really an issue with dual-technology, which is why most of my motions are actually pointed directly at the window. I broadcast from the inner corner out of the room - picking up someone the second they open the window and offering the intimidating look.

 

[SnyperBob]

My guess is that you shouldn't use the mounting bracket. Just mount it flat so it's not angled down. I'm thinking it's picking up your cats because it's aiming down. Easy fix


edit: just did a search and checked out your Optex MI-40PI. I don't know, maybe you can mask the lower detector range or something. Make it so it will only detect motion like 3-4 feet off the ground

 

[Digger]

Well, you covered a few of the things I would mention... but are these Dual Technology sensors? As in Microwave AND Infrared - meaning they only trip if both are triggered? I use a few Rokonet 100lb pet immune sensors dual-technology sensors with the microwave turned all the way down, and if the cats climb more than 4ft. high, they set off the alarm. Also be sure to check the mounting height in the instructions - my pet immune ones had an odd (low) mounting height.

I've heard a lot about windows/sunlight causing issues. Not really an issue with dual-technology, which is why most of my motions are actually pointed directly at the window. I broadcast from the inner corner out of the room - picking up someone the second they open the window and offering the intimidating look.

Dual Tech's can still trip if aimed at a window. The sunlight combned with motion outside of the window (tree branch, someone walking by etc) can trip it. The microwaves can actually penetrate the window or even a wall sometimes. Turning the microwave down is a good idea to minimize this.

I have walk tested and conducted stability tests on many PIR's and Dual techs and some of them detect well beyond their specified range.

 

[wuench]

The steps I would use to troubleshoot this are (try each step and see if it happens again):

1.) Modify any false response features in the PIR (up the pulse count, etc).
2.) Remount the PIR, angle it higher, lose the bracket, move it higher on the wall, etc.
3.) Buy a different brand/model PIR for that area and use this one somewhere else.
4.) Mount in a different location.
5.) Apply the magic formula (2 parts cat, 1 part garbage bag, 1 part fast moving creek, mix throughly). And adopt a dog. (Just kidding ;-)

 

[felixrosbergen]

I use the Bosh BlueLine PIR, pet imune. All are pointed AWAY from the window.

In 5 months i've had 1 unexplaned false alarm. My suspicison is sun glare/reflect of throught window bounced of somethign in house. The cats (heavy suckers too) sit on top of the cough that the PIR is looking at all the time and don't cause any alarm.

I'd vote to relocate the PIR if you can and have it point away from the window. IOr you can consider this a fluke and just see if it happens again before you take any action. For my unexplaned false alarm is was never able to figure out what it was and it hasnt happened again in 5 months so i'm not worried about it.

 

[braddg]

I appreciate all of the responses!

I'm not sure sunlight caused the issue because is was poring raining that morning. Although, I do have a glass cocktail table directly inline between the window and the sensor. I could see where glare off that table could be an issue.

The bracket is not pointing the sensor down. I used it in the corner of the room and pointed it diagonally into the room.

The sensor is dual tech. There are two settings on the sensor. Range and pulse count. The instructions say the other range setting is for very small rooms. Should I try upping the pulse count then (4 instead of 2)?

The only other thing I've noticed is that this sensor appears to trigger much sooner than the other sensors I've installed. I think I should pull the circuit board back out and make sure it truly is a MX-40PI and not a standard sensor.

Again, Thank you all for the great info!
Brad