IQ smoke offline

I just received an ADC alert/notification saying my IQ smoke detector has gone offline. The detector is a new unit that was installed about a week ago.
What might cause a malfunction or for it to go offline? Not sure if there is an issue with the smoke detector or if it is a range issue (although the smoke and main IQ2 panel are fairly close to each other).

Offline is referring to sensor supervision, so the heartbeat signal from that sensor to your panel failed.

Generally this is due to one of the following:

  1. Range
  2. Low Battery
  3. Environmental Interference

In some cases unique conditions apply. In the case of the IQ Smoke a loss of supervision error will also occur if the detector element is dirty or when it experiences a general internal fault.

The LED will flash in a specific timing which lets you know if one of these is the case.

If the LED blinks yellow once every 4 seconds, it is a general fault in the device. If the LED blinks yellow once every 8 seconds, this indicates the detector is dirty. Do either of these apply?

The smoke came back online after about 90min without any intervention from me. Unfortunately I wasn’t home during the offline period so I wasn’t able to look at the LEDs.
The panel reports a good (-76) signal and “perfect” in the packets column.
It’s also a new unit, so I would t expect it to be dirty but I suppose anything is possible.
I guess I’ll keep an eye on it.

Addendum- I went and looked at the signal graph on the panel and saw that indeed the signal dipped very low right at the time the smoke went offline.
Any ideas why the signal would randomly drop and then come back up?!

319.5 rf signals are all one way, from the sensor to the panel. The graph is showing the strength of individual signals.

A drop on a single signal is more likely temporary interference or environmental attenuation, or perhaps the sensor radio got a large number of signals hitting it then. I haven’t seen it on Qolsys yet but on 2GIG it is pretty easy to replicate an issue where supervision loss is due to just the sheer number of wireless sensors (usually more than 50).

Good to know. I have a relatively large number of sensors, but they are almost exclusively PowerG. The only 319 sensors are the S line keyfob and the smoke.

Sorry to pull this from the archives, but I started seeing this same issue. I have a Qolsys smoke detector that keeps going “offline” and returns with no interaction.

If this is a low battery issue, shouldn’t the sensor have at least sent 1 notification to the panel for low battery? Shouldn’t there be a single indicator that the battery is low, such as the detector beeping like any other smoke detector does for low battery?

The smoke detector is located ~50’ from the panel, hasn’t had any issues until after updating my IQ2+ to 2.5.3 firmware…though that could be entirely coincidental.

There is a threshold for reporting low battery and often if the signal is borderline already you might see impact to supervision signals before a low battery would be reported, but it is still a result of lower battery levels. We’ve seen this often with many sensors, usually in conjunction with a range issue or metal/brick attenuation.

Especially if the detector has been operating for a couple years or so, I would try battery replacement first if the issue is with a single sensor.

I put 3 brand new batteries into this IQ Smoke yesterday, the IQ smoke reports as “offline” or “failure” today again. This IQ smoke has worked fine since installation, and now it doesn’t work reliably at all. I am pretty darn glad this is the only IQ life safety sensor that I have at this point.

Looking at the equipment list, I just noticed the name of what appears to be the malfunctioning sensor in question. Is this IQ smoke detector installed in a garage?

Generally smoke detectors shouldn’t be installed in a garage. Heat detectors can be used effectively there, but there are some dangers when installing a smoke detector there.

A big issue is that nuisance false alarms are more likely. Possibly relevant here is that condensing humidity can potentially damage the detector.

I am fully aware of the potential issues with nuisance alarms, however that is somewhat mitigated as that isn’t coded as a life safety zone.

The specs for the IQ Smoke seem to suggest your concerns over humidity aren’t valid. https://qolsys.com/iq-smoke/

  • Operating Temperature: 40°F - 100°F (4.4°C - 37.8°C)
  • Relative Humidity: 15 - -90% Non-Condensing

Can we keep on the subject of why the sensor would fail and not debate the merits of placement of a smoke detector in a garage? I don’t understand why this detector (along with all of my Zwave devices in the other thread) have all worked perfectly fine since install and then coincidentally with software updates have all become unreliable. No new devices have been added on my side to the alarm system, I have not added any new RF devices (e.g. WiFi), no new LED bulbs (cheap ones can lead RF), etc. Nothing has changed within my house that should impact this IQ Smoke or the failing Zwave bulbs.

Can we keep on the subject of why the sensor would fail and not debate the merits of placement of a smoke detector in a garage?

I understand the concern, and the timing is suggestive, but I must point out that the relative humidity range does not suggest the concern isn’t valid.

Condensation in a garage is not uncommon. Combined with the potential for dust build-up, drafts, and/or sustained freezing winter temperatures, it is not a recommended location for the IQ Smoke Detector. Issues can certainly arise over time. The smoke detector is meant specifically for indoor use.

We can assume it is fine and continue troubleshooting, but I am not debating merits with the recommendation. The environment it is in can directly contribute reasons why the sensor might fail.

Now, assuming all else is ok, the Z-wave radio and sensor supervision/offline messages are not related. Is this the only 319.5 alarm sensor reporting offline errors?

If so, do you have any other IQ Smoke detectors? Or is this the only one of that model?

If you have another IQ Smoke which is not showing this issue, and no other sensors do, it is a fair deduction that the sensor itself is the weak point in the chain so to speak.

With batteries replaced, as long as they were brand new batteries, you can try testing range or interference by swapping its location with another smoke detector. This is easiest if you have two of the same model.

Does the malfunctioning one stop malfunctioning in the new location, or does it continue?