IQ Door sensor is not always registering closed

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I have a weird one and hoping someone has run into it. I have IQ Panel on 1.5.3. I have IQ Remotes, so the wall mount version of the IQ2, so I can’t upgrade to 1.6.

After months of reliable operation one of my GE mini door sensors started acting up at random. It always registers when I open the door, but sometimes does not register when I close it, meaning panel thinks door is still open. If I open the door a second time (no chime with open this time) and then close it, the panel registers closed afterwards. If I reboot the panel this also clears up the issue until it happens again. This results in alerts that front door was left open and/or where system is alarmed in bypass for that sensor so it’s not doing any good

I replaced the GE sensor with an IQ Door sensor. The exact same problem happens. Deleting and re-adding sensor clears issue but then it happens again at random. The sensor is only 30’ from panel and sensors further away have no issue. The two parts of the sensor are aligned and less than 1/8" apart. Door is fiberglass.

I suspect software issue on the IQ Panel, particularly because reboot of panel clears the issue even though the door hasn’t moved.

Anyone run into this?

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I suspect software issue on the IQ Panel, particularly because reboot of panel clears the issue even though the door hasn’t moved.

That’s not necessarily true. When a panel first boots up it assumes all sensors are closed until a supervision check or other signal is received from the sensor. Rebooting will make it look like the problem is solved, but it might not be.

Have you switched the position of a working sensor with the problem sensor? If you move the problem sensor to a different location, does it still exhibit the problem? If you move a working sensor to the door where the problem is occurring, does it now exhibit the same issues?

If the above is correct you are almost certainly looking at an environmental cause.

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you are almost certainly looking at an environmental cause.

Except that the last sensor worked great for months in that same location and nothing has changed. All the problems started in the last couple of weeks out of the blue. Also, the new IQ Door sensor has exactly the same issue as the GE mini door sensor… exactly. That being the case I have a hard time seeing how swapping sensors again is going to do anything. Swapping those sensors is not easy, each time I have to touch up paint or the finish on the door. I have several sensors that are further away from the panel that have no issue, and the wireless range of this door sensor is like 600’, obviously open air and no walls, but c’mon… 2 walls and 30’ shouldn’t throw this thing.

If you move a working sensor to the door where the problem is occurring, does it now exhibit the same issues?

A new sensor (even a different brand of one) now exhibits the same issue as the last one. So in that regard this statement is true.

That’s not necessarily true. When a panel first boots up it assumes all sensors are closed until a supervision check or other signal is received from the sensor. Rebooting will make it look like the problem is solved, but it might not be.

Point taken about rebooting the panel not really clearing the problem.

Are there any diagnostics on the panel that can shed light on why the signal isn’t being received from the sensor well? I’ve gotten alerts that RF supervisory signal was lost, and I’ve had the behavior described above where it alerts on door open but not on door close, and thinks the sensor is still open when it’s not. I cannot easily move the panel because it was installed to the wall with wiring run thru the walls, and swapping sensors all willy nilly to try to solve this only means I damage the door finish and paint on the frame of the door. According to the panel this sensor has “Excellent” signal. It’s frustrating that I keep hearing the only means of troubleshooting is “trial and error” when I am well within specs and it worked reliably for 8 months prior to the problem starting.

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and swapping sensors all willy nilly to try to solve this only means I damage the door finish and paint on the frame of the door.

I understand that there are downsides to having to test. Resolving sensor RF issues is definitely frustrating, but what is being suggested is not willy nilly. It is very much the opposite.

Introducing a new sensor to the system is a different test than introducing a proven working one. In these situations the best thing to do when testing is to eliminate variables and test to prove or disprove the most likely circumstance first.

Supervision errors and intermittent signal loss almost always point to one of two things: sensor battery power is too low to send the same quality signal, or the environment is deteriorating the signal from that sensor. (often both of these combined have an effect)

Swapping a working sensor’s location with the malfunctioning one is the most definitive test in this circumstance.

I’ve gotten alerts that RF supervisory signal was lost, and I’ve had the behavior described above where it alerts on door open but not on door close, and thinks the sensor is still open when it’s not.

Supervision checks failing are a key indicator of environmental signal loss as well. Low battery, general sensor malfunction or antenna damage are also possible. In some cases, an extremely large number of wireless sensors can cause supervision issues due to so many sensors reporting at once, but that would not affect individual open/close signal performance.

Do you have any other sensors reporting supervision loss?

It’s frustrating that I keep hearing the only means of troubleshooting is “trial and error” when I am well within specs and it worked reliably for 8 months prior to the problem starting.

I understand. Wireless issues can be frustrating to test given the brevity of feedback from the systems.

One thing to keep in mind is that the sensors are extraordinarily simple.

Advanced diagnostics and complicated signaling doesn’t lend itself to 2-3 year battery life (typically) from a 3v battery. Or a $20-$30 cost.

Supervision is the additional diagnostic tool to use in these scenarios.

The panel cannot see why a signal is degraded or not received. It can report when a sensor is having trouble communicating via supervision checks, and operational differences will often alert you to an issue.

Another option (although a more expensive one to jump to) is to use a signal repeater. Repeaters will listen for the RF frequency of the sensor, and re-broadcast the signal at full power from its position. In general a repeater will greatly boost the signal quality of all sensors.

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No other sensors reporting an issue.

I removed the door sensors from front door and back door, touched up paint and finishes. Turns out that the back door sensor had an issue on the front door as well. So although these were new sensors, not known good ones, I seem to be able to reproduce the issue.

Instead of having the sensor on the very top right corner of the door (right hand inswing), moving the sensor down a couple of inches on the door seems to help, tentatively seems to have fixed the issue. It is quite frustrating really. If I could remove these sensors without damage it wouldn’t be that big a deal. From Dr. Google, it seems sometimes moving from vertical position to horizontal improves the range a bit on these door sensors so maybe that would help others as well.

So to anyone else that faces this I would say try new positions on the door as well as swapping sensors around, and try horizontal where possible, and try to have the large part of the sensor on the frame and not on the door.

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Instead of having the sensor on the very top right corner of the door (right hand inswing), moving the sensor down a couple of inches on the door seems to help, tentatively seems to have fixed the issue. It is quite frustrating really.

If the issue is environmental, moving a little away from the problem area is often enough. Very often we will see this with sensors on fire doors or metal framed doorways. Just moving the sensor away from the corner can have an effect.

it seems sometimes moving from vertical position to horizontal improves the range a bit on these door sensors so maybe that would help others as well.

Changing the orientation of the antenna is also often useful in these cases. I’m glad to hear you’ve got it working!