Two of my IQ mini sensors keep going offline during hours and then back online for no apparent reason.
The strange part is that if I open the sensor case to remove the battery, the panel detects that the sensor is open and that it has been tampered with right away, and it goes back online instantly.
Batteries have been replaced recently, and I’ve never had issues before, it only started after a routine battery replacement. Sensor is about 3 yers old, is it due for replacement?
Devices reporting offline or malfunction are having issues communicating with the panel.
How far from the panel are the sensors and what type of material are they mounted on?
Do the sensors report open/close status to the panel correctly?
Typical steps on how to resolve a malfunction can be found here To test, delete one of the sensors from programming, then re-add and test. Does the offline error return?
They’re roughly 55-60ft away from the panel, and they’re mounted in the window frame which is made out of a hard plastic.
They do report open/close status correctly, and even when offline, as soon as I open the window they go back online right away to report that the window is now open.
I removed and re-added the two troubling sensors to the panel, and it was fine for a few hours, but one of them just went offline a couple of mines ago.
I haven’t moved them in 3 years and they’ve been working flawlessly until very recently which is what makes me think they might be due for replacement.
One of them started having issues after a battery replacement which makes me think that maybe I damaged something or touched something I wasn’t supposed to.
I have a question, do they work together as a network? Meaning, if there’s a sensor close to them that is low on battery, could that affect the network quality and cause issues with nearby sensors?
I have a question, do they work together as a network? Meaning, if there’s a sensor close to them that is low on battery, could that affect the network quality and cause issues with nearby sensors?
No. Z-wave automation devices use a mesh network. Sensors broadcast direct to the panel.
They do report open/close status correctly, and even when offline, as soon as I open the window they go back online right away to report that the window is now open.
This is normal to experience. Offline is a common status and it is usually the first indication that signaling strength is borderline. Supervision is a heartbeat signal the sensors transmit and the panel looks for periodically. It usually occurs way more often than normal open close activity on most sensor types other than entry doors or motion detectors.
As soon as the panel gets a successful signal from the sensor the status resolves.
How old were those replacement batteries? One thing you can try which is a good test is to swap the location of two similar sensors. Take a known working sensor (A) and put it in the spot where the malfunctioning one is (B).
Move the malfunctioning one to the other location. Does B continue malfunctioning in the new spot or does A start malfunctioning after being moved?
This can tell you if the issue is more related to the sensor/battery or the location of the sensor.