The initial sensor that failed was replaced with a new sensor and has been working fine.
This sensor issue is a different sensor purchased around the same time as the initial sensor that failed.
Installed on a window instead of a door.
The missing heartbeats make sense but I’m surprised the unit stayed offline for 5-6 hours.
Does the sensor know if the message was received at the panel?
Does the sensor know if the message was received at the panel?
No, the sensor is a one way communication device which broadcasts its status to the panel. The panel decides when it is offline by whether or not the panel receives the heartbeat status.
When you send a signal from that zone manually, either by tampering or just opening/closing the window, the offline status will resolve if the panel gets the signal.
Usually the underlying trouble is a combination of environment and battery level. I would recommend trying the sensor swap test above to help determine what is going on.
A battery seems to have fixed it. but another one in a different room dropped off today.
I guess the battery only last about a year on these sensors? any idea why low battery messages are not emitted?
Battery levels sufficient for typical use will last longer than that, but a combination of factors can make it so borderline low battery, without actually reaching the threshold for reporting “low,” might impact signaling. Distance and environmental materials will impact that signal.
If you have a lot of sensors which start experiencing offline malfunctions I would investigate the panel location instead. If the panel is mounted to or near metal or masonry it can affect the overall RF signaling. I’ve seen a bundle of high voltage wiring directly behind the panel cause similar issues. Mounting in the kitchen or on the other side of a kitchen wall, etc.
the panel is located in the center of the house, all sensors that have malfunctioned are within 20-30 ft of the panel, the latest malfunction being in direct line of sight. i checked the sensor RSSI and it looks good on all of them.
Its not anywhere near anything that i would suspect would cause interference.
Keep an eye out for repeated offline events on the same sensor after replacing the battery. That would suggest something more specific to the sensor or panel location, or interference from other wireless bands.
We’ve had odd reports previously that Google mesh routers have comparatively extreme impacts on other RF signals for example.
Interesting I do have a google mesh router
If the panel is anywhere near the Google router, try separating those. A couple prior reports suggested the panel being nearby that model router was actually impacting RF unrelated to wifi, oddly.
I have the exact same sensor and it also now only works about 25% of the time. After a long break, it’s pretty much guaranteed not to work. It is on a door which is literally next to the panel. Has never had an issue until now. It is less than one year old.
I have the exact same sensor and it also now only works about 25% of the time. After a long break, it’s pretty much guaranteed not to work. It is on a door which is literally next to the panel. Has never had an issue until now. It is less than one year old.
This is a thread regarding Offline malfunctions on sensors, triggered by the heartbeat supervision signals from sensors.
Looking at your account, the only malfunctions I see occurring recently are Sonos devices.
So that we can be of assistance, can you describe the exact behavior you are seeing out of the sensor?
Are you saying when you open the door the sensor zone does not open on the panel? If so, can you post a photo of that sensor where it is installed in a closed position?
If you are checking based on Alarm.com status, be aware that there is a 3 minute delay between the same signal registering again for the same sensor for activity monitoring purposes. For example, if you open the door 20 times in 3 minutes, the first open event will show in history, followed by one additional event 3 minutes later.
The first sensor I had was doing exactly that. Battery did not resolve its issue I had to replace the sensor.
When I open the door, the panel doesn’t change to show the door opened. It still reports that the door is closed. When I do it again, it sometimes then shows open on the panel. Closing always seems to work. If I wait a bit longer, it normally never shows open after the first opening. Subsequent openings seem to trigger it. Maybe a different issue, but I just replaced the battery.
Ok, yes if the sensor is not actually opening on the panel when physically opened on the door, try removing that sensor from the door. Does it open and close reliably just like a foot away from the door when held?
If it does not work when held away from the door but you do not see supervision loss (I’m not seeing any that would apply in your history), then the issue would certainly be internal and you should replace the sensor. If purchased from Surety, check with our team via PM to see if it is under warranty.
Replacing the battery seems to have fixed it for now. Just never received any type of battery warning. It is a door we use A LOT as it goes between the house and the attached garage (which also can go to our backyard. Maybe a year is all we will get. Thanks.
Another Sensor dropped offline today. Different Room this time. I suspect all 20 of my sensors will fail in the next couple months because of low battery. this is going to be expensive if the batteries only last 1 year.
Its not anywhere near anything that i would suspect would cause interference.
Mind sending a photo in a PM of the panel’s general area? We can help identify potential concerns. You may also want to update firmware to test:
Another one dropped off again today.
I’ve now had 5 sensors go offline and stay offline. All have been the IQ Mini sensors. purchased about a year ago.
Is it possible that the IQ minis have a defect?
In my experience it is extremely unlikely to have multiple defective sensors like that, so I would usually exhaust unlikely issues related to the panel/location first, but if it is just the one sensor model having a problem and you have other sensor models which aren’t affected at all, it may be an issue with a particular batch during manufacture. They may be using more battery power than expected or have an antenna fault impacting signaling.
Another one dropped off today. same model. purchased at the same time as the others.
It is possible the batteries included were older or otherwise had lower charge. Do you have any issues after the battery replacement from them?