Qolsys IQ Panel 2 - intermittent sensor response

I have an IQ Panel 2.
It has recently started an odd behavior.
At least two door and window devices don’t respond consistently. One of the doors is opened frequently during the day. Usually the panel will announce door open instantly but sometimes it can be 2 -5 minutes later. I replaced the battery and it didn’t help so I replaced the sensor with another one, a different brand and it still happens. The one device is less than 15’ away with line of site to the panel. The other device is almost 100’ away. It could be more devices than these two, they are just the ones that get opened and closed frequently so we noticed it.

I recently updated the firmware and it seems to have started after the firmware update.

Which sensors are the ones you are referencing? What are the names of them in your device list?

Typically this would suggest signaling issues at the sensor, but if multiple sensors just started showing this symptom at one time, it is more likely a problem near or with the panel.

The first thing I would try is a reboot of the panel. Settings > Advanced Settings > Reboot Panel.

Second, there is actually a newer firmware that was just released which addresses a few separate issues that arose in 2.7.0. Try updating to 2.7.2 per the steps below. Any change?

I have restarted the panel and updated the firmware. The issue is still intermittent. The sensors that we have noticed the issue with are labeled Bay Door and Back Door.

They both get used frequently during the day, especially the bay door, so we notice when it indicates door open, but no one has used the door in the last couple minutes.

However, sometimes it works perfectly fine, instant response when door is opened.

Are these recessed sensors? And/or are the doors metal?

A similar thread was posted here a while back where the user resolved the issue by moving the sensor installation spot. Ultimately something was hindering signaling in the door header.

They worked perfectly for a couple years. They are on a metal door frame, it is a commercial storefront type door. They are not recessed. One of them is in line of sight, about 10’ from the IQ panel. No physical changes have been made.
It triggered an alarm last night because we turned the alarm on, left through the door but the signal that the door was opened didn’t activate until after the alarm was armed and the countdown timer had expired.

The only changes we have made in the last two months: added additional sensors, added an IQ remote and added a range extender. To use the IQ remote we had to update the firmware on the IQ panel, that seems to be when the problem started.

It is not consistent, it often works perfectly but sometimes it doesn’t.

I think it may be happening on more than just these two sensors but we go in and out of these doors frequently so we notice when the chime/alert is delayed.

David

You can run some tests locally to determine signal strength of the individual sensor.

Sensor Test (319.5MHz) and PowerG Test: Both of these test signal strength from the sensor. Do you see either the Bay Door or Back Door displaying low/weak signal strength?

Daughter Card Test This test can be run to confirm that both the 319.5 radio and PowerG radio are working correctly.

All of the tests above can be found in the System Tests section in panel programming under Settings > Advanced Settings > System Tests.

I replaced the battery and it didn’t help so I replaced the sensor with another one, a different brand and it still happens.

Which sensor was this, what was the original sensor type, and what was it replaced with, do you recall?

It triggered an alarm last night because we turned the alarm on, left through the door but the signal that the door was opened didn’t activate until after the alarm was armed and the countdown timer had expired.

Looks like this was the Bay Door that triggered first during the alarm event. Is this the same sensor you replaced?

Sensor test strength = Strong
319.5 and Power G radios pass the daughtercard test

Bay Door is the one that was replaced. The original sensor was a PG9945 and the replacement is a PG9303

Yes, bay door has the new sensor. Back door still has the PG9945 that occasionally delays as well.

319.5 and Power G radios pass the daughtercard test
Good this indicates that the radios themselves are working correctly.

As a test, take a known working sensor and move it to the location(s) with the issue (back and bay area) and test to see if you have issues there. If the issue shows up, its possibly someting environmental at the sensors installation location

I have thoroughly tested with multiple sensors, new and known working. No change, still occasional delays.
I mentioned before that I wasn’t sure how many sensors have issues, we noticed the issue because it is on doors that we open frequently. I have now noticed the issue with more door sensors.
I also noticed that if you open and close the door a few times over several minutes with no response, when the panel does respond, all notifications come back to back. For example door opens at 8:00, 8:02, 8:03 and gives no alert. At 8:05, we get 3 alerts in a row.

This system worked flawlessly for a couple years. We added a remote panel, and some new devices and updated the firmware with the last 2 months. The issue appears to start with the firmware update.

Aside from the IQ Remote, what additional devices were added to the system, are you referencing PowerG sensors?

added a range extender

Is this a PowerG PG9920? What was the reason for adding the extender (was there a specific sensor/sensors) that necessitated its inclusion? Did this resolve range issues on that device(s)?

Try powering this down, then testing the system. Do you notice the same delay with bay/back sensors?

Similarly, power off the IQ Remote and test for resolution.

Additionally, has the system been power cycled? If not you will want to try this as well:

  • Settings > Advanced Settings > Power Down
  • Disconnect the power supply from the wall
  • Open the panel and disconnect the Internal battery
  • Wait about 2 minutes, then power back up, battery first, then power supply
  • Once rebooted, test for resolution.

I added an IQ remote and a PowerG PG9920. They were added to extend the system to a secondary building on our property. The remote allows us to disarm the system from either entry door and the PG9920 gave us enough range to get a strong signal from those devices.

As requested, I powered down the system fully, removing the power supply and battery. I also removed the range extender and the IQ remote. The issue did not go away.
This morning two doors opened and closed a couple times with no response. Then about 2 minutes later, the panel announced all 4 events at the same time.

David

Thank you for following up with that information. This may be related to a rare issue affecting a small number of older IQ Panel 2+ units, with v80.17 PowerG modem firmware experiencing delayed transmission on PowerG sensors.

What does the panel show as its PowerG Firmware? To find this:

1- Swipe down from the top of the screen and touch “Settings".
2- Touch “Advanced Settings”.
3- Enter a valid installer code (default is 1111).
4- Touch “About”.
5- Touch “PowerG”.

If it is 80.17 try the following patch update:

  1. Swipe down from the top of the screen and touch “Settings".
  2. Touch “Advanced Settings”.
  3. Enter a valid installer code (default is 1111).
  4. Touch “Upgrade Software”.
  5. Touch “Patch Tag” and enter the patch v3cardfix1 then touch OK.
  6. Touch “Upgrade Using Network” (panel must be connected to Wi-Fi). Update will download and install.
    • Note that the progress bar may pause ¼ of the way through the upgrade, and then jump to the end once the upgrade is complete. This is expected behavior for this upgrade, and does not signify a problem with the installation of the upgrade.
  7. Once the panel has completed its reboot, it may take up to 20 minutes before the PowerG sensors re-sync with the panel. During this time, you may experience delayed open/close reports from some sensors. Once the devices have all checked in, there will be no delay.

The PowerG modem firmware version is 2.42. Should i go ahead and update it?

Im checking with qolsys to see if that patch tag can still be sent to the panel even though the powerG fw is different from the one called out;. As soon as I have heard back, I will follow up here.

Hi Tyler,
I am trying to remain patient through this process but we need to get it resolved. At this point, I can’t trust the alarm. We arm it and leave and it goes off or we arrive in the morning and it goes off. Your monitoring service is going to start ignoring our alerts, I feel like the boy who cried wolf.

I think we have shown that it is not an installation issue. Can we move this to a resolution?

Currently we are working with Qolsys to determine if there are any other fixes for the issue you have encountered and we are waiting on a follow up from them.

It does not appear that the firmware patch mentioned previously is necessary given your panel’s current PowerG firmware.

While we have not seen this type of behavior from the newest panel firmware version we have also brought this up with Qolsys as well.

Once we have more information, we will follow up here.

Should replacement of the alarm panel be necessary, Qolsys’ warranty period is 1-year from the purchase date.

When troubleshooting, you may want to place your 24/7 professional monitoring account on Test Mode during troubleshooting to avoid any false dispatches.

You can do this by calling monitoring operators directly at 855-348-0367 or from the Professional Monitoring tab in the System Manager section of your Surety account. When calling, you can place individual zones on test mode.

Additionally, DW and Motion zones can be programmed as Group 25 Safety Sensor. This group will not trigger an alarm, but will trigger status at the panel and notifications will still be sent when the sensor is set up for activity monitoring in Alarm.com.

Any word from Qolsys? Is it time to upgrade to the IQ Panel 4 and give up on this one?

David

Still have not heard back from their support team, I have reached back out to see what the hold up is and I will follow up as soon as I have something.

Qolsys representatives would like to have their engineers take a look at the issue you are describing. You will need to upload logs for this.

To do so, at the panel navigate to settings > advanced settings > enter your dealer code (default is 2222) > installation > system logs and then touch checkbox auto upload logs.

Once this has been done, please let us know.