Description of sensor statuses
| Status | Description | Sensor Types That Show This Status |
|---|---|---|
| OK | No alarm, error, or problem has been reported. If it is a door or window, it is closed. If it is a motion sensor, it has not been activated within the last 60 minutes. | All Sensors |
| Open | The door or window is currently open. Door/Window contact sensors will only display one open/close event every 3 minutes in Alarm.com history for activity monitoring. Repeatedly opening the door will not repeatedly display open status in the app or website. This does not apply to alarms from those sensors. | Door/Window Contacts |
| Activated | The motion sensor has detected activity within the last 60 minutes. | Motion Sensors |
| Idle | A motion sensor becomes idle when motion has not been detected for 60 minutes. The time shown is the time the motion last reported activity. | Motion Sensors |
| Alarm! | The sensor has been tripped and has set off an alarm. | |
| Bypassed | A door/window sensor will be bypassed if it was open while the system was being armed (indirect bypass; usually occurs 4 minutes after the system arms). A user can directly bypass a sensor after the system is armed through the control panel. Refer to control panel operating instructions for information about bypassing sensors. When a sensor is bypassed either directly or indirectly, it is not active and therefore will not trigger an alarm even though the system is armed. To remove the Bypassed status, close the sensor and re-arm the system. | All sensors except Fire and CO |
| Low Battery | The sensor is reporting a low battery. Carefully open the sensor cover, check the type of battery it uses, and replace the battery. | All Sensors |
| Tamper | This means that the sensor’s tamper switch is not closed. The sensor may have been tampered with, or the cover is loose. | All Sensors |
| Malfunction | The panel has not received recent supervision heartbeat signals from that sensor. There are many possible causes. See this page. | All Sensors |
| N/A | The current state of the sensor is unknown. This is normal to see for a while after adding a new device. | All Sensors |
Why are some sensors, such as smoke detectors, not eligible for Sensor Activity Monitoring?
Sensor Activity Monitoring (SAM) allows your to see the current status (i.e., open, closed, idle, activated, etc.) of sensors enrolled in the system. This feature does not affect reporting to monitoring stations.
Sensor Activity Monitoring is not supported for sensor IDs greater than 120.
The following types of sensors are ineligible for SAM:
-
Sensors in a sensor group that always send an alarm signal when tripped.
- Smoke detectors, fire detectors, glassbreak sensors, and carbon monoxide detectors put a panel into alarm regardless of the panel’s current arming state (e.g., the alarm sends even if disarmed). Since Alarm.com always notifies the customer during alarm events, SAM is not necessary.
-
Sensors that have life safety features (i.e., flood and freeze sensors).