DSC PG9307 Recessed contact sensor in the IQ2+

Installed 2 of these recessed sensors for improved aesthetics. They work, but they are occasionally “lazy” in reporting open/closed to the panel compared to the more traditional PG9303 contact sensors. Signal strength is excellent.
Curious if anyone else has experienced anything similar?
According to a bulletin, a batch of the 9303 sensors manufacturered before a certain date (2018ish I think) had issues with delayed reporting to the qolsys panel, and I’m curious if this might have been true with the recessed sensor as well.

I’m not aware of that but I’m happy to check with Qolsys and let you know what they say. I’ll follow up when I hear from them.

Qolsys isn’t aware of a slowness/laziness issue with the PG9307. Can you upload a pic of the PowerG sensor test page for these sensors on the IQ Panel?

Thank you, I’m going to send this to Qolsys and see if they have any recommendation.

Just to be sure, these are installed into the handle side of the door, right? Not the hinge side?

Yes, handle side, in good alignment (sensor/magnet).
Issue is very intermittent. I typically see issues with closure of the sensor moreso than opening. That is, if I’m watching the panel, it occasionally takes up to 20-30s after the door closes for the panel to update (and that sensor finally disappears from the open sensor list).

I haven’t heard back again from Qolsys yet, but they are trying to replicate using a system with your firmware version. Will follow up ASAP

Do you notice any improvement shortly after rebooting the panel?

One other thing that might be occurring is a delay due to the sheer volume of PowerG devices on the panel, looks like there are a lot. Are you noticing any slowdown at all from other PowerG sensors?

The slowness is very inconsistent, so it’s difficult to tell if there’s improvement after a reboot. Honestly, things seem to be fine since I made this post. :roll_eyes:. Would it ever take time for a new sensor to “stabilize”? Most of the issues were seen very early on after installation. I do not see this delay in any other sensor, even the other recessed contact sensor.

Interesting thought about the number of PowerG sensors. I do infact almost exclusively use PowerG. Do these sensors place a higher “load” on the panel? Is there an official recommendation from Qolsys on device limit for PowerG sensors?

PowerG is a two way communication method, so it does involve panel processing that S-Line does not. In the absence of other potential causes, that is something to consider.

Are the doors made of metal?

I don’t know of any separate limit for PowerG, but there is a total of 128 combined RF zones supported.

This is separate from Z-wave.

Both doors are made of wood.

Have you noticed this issue again or is it still working normally at this time?

Seems to be working just fine at the moment.

Ok. If you would like to test again, try adding a PowerG device and see if there is any period of time where it is sluggish and if that levels off after a while.

I wouldn’t expect it, but it wouldn’t be hard to test for again.

Please let us know if you notice this happening further with that sensor.

Sensor is again slow to respond. Is there any way to trouble shoot this? I wonder if there is an issue with the sensor itself.

Considering they are recessed sensors I am not sure how easy this would be, but in a situation like this I would recommend trying to swap the positions of the malfunctioning sensor with a known working one.

If the working sensor starts showing the same error, it is pretty definitively an error related to the location/environment, if the currently malfunctioning sensor starts malfunctioning in the new spot, it is pretty clearly the sensor itself failing.

Ok I’ll try it. It actually would be pretty easy as the outer casing is fixed in the doorframe, but the actual sensor component slides out (like if you had to change a battery).
I’ll swap the two sensors and see what happens.

Swapped the sensor internals with a known good unit. Same issue, which points to an install location issue.
On the install in question, I was forced to mount the sensor vertically, with the magnet mounted on the top of the door and the sensor mounted into the top of the door frame (header) which is several 2x4s.
The thick wood immediately surrounding the sensor must be impeding signal to the panel. What’s interesting is that despite a delay to the panel (and corresponding chime), the signal does eventually get to the panel, albeit slower or occasion.
I believe that since the signal of the opening of the sensor does get to the panel, I do not need do anything further to correct the issue.
My concern was the possibility of someone opening the door, entering the home, and quickly closing the door prior to the chime. It appears however, that the signal of the sensor opening will get to the panel and trigger an alarm.

Jason, any thoughts? Do you believe it is worth trying to mount the sensor in a different location (or reinstalling the PG9303 surface mount sensor that had no issues)?

Interesting addendum: after reinstalling the sensors to their original locations, both are behaving in a “lazy” way in that they have a delayed chime at the panel. Perhaps there is something to the “stabilization” theory.

Addendum 2: everything is working perfectly. You would think a location/signal issue would be constant and not intermittent, but here we are. Considering it seems that signals are reaching the panel regardless of 20sec delay (or closing the door prior to a chime) I think there is no corrective action needed. It just doesn’t instill confidence when a sensor chimes well after a door is opened and closed.

This is extremely strange. I don’t know of any specific lethargy to expect from the recessed sensor, and Qolsys doesn’t think there should be either.

Recessed sensors are the most likely type to be affected by the immediate environment as far as attenuation goes, but that is usually specific to metal doors. Other issues can be intermittent.

One thing that may be relevant based on your description, PowerG sensors have an adaptive power feature meant to extend battery life which uses only as much power as is necessary for communication with the panel. It may actually be that those sensors are taking longer to set that properly.

Old post, but I am just circling back, curious if you experienced any more of this issue.

Were all affected sensors in zones 1, 2, or 3?

There was a previously resolved issue with delayed activation on those zones but the PowerG radio version you already have resolved that.