Last night while we were away from home, the security alarm went off in one room of our home. The alarm company said motion was detected in a room - but not at the doors, windows etc. When we returned this morning, nothing was disturbed and there was no evidence anyone had been in the room or anyplace else in the house. Does anyone out there have any ideas what could have caused this? I am a little spooked and would like to know if anyone else has had a similar experience. Any professionals out there with any ideas? Please no jokes about ghosts etc. - serious answers only. Thanks!
2007-07-05 02:46:30 · 5 answers · asked by arkiemom 6 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
False alarms can be caused by any of these items: user error, environmental, faulty installation, or faulty equipment.
With the weather being as hot as it is, my first question would be was a window in the area of the motion detector open? As mentioned in a previous post, drafts can set them off, as can fly's, spiders and anything else that can crawl across the lens. As for regular pets, "pet proof" motion detectors are an industry scam that rarely work effectively.
Motion detectors detect infra-red energy (Just like on the weather maps on TV) They cannot see through glass, but sometimes a hot spot of sun right on the lens can cause them to go wonky. Always a good idea to avoid aiming them at a window with direct sunlight.
Could be a faulty motion detector, rule out the cabling by checking the loop resistance to see if there is a bad connection somewhere down the line. Depending on how the system was installed, some installers are lazy and splice wires and these splices end up going bad over time, especially if they are loose and not soldered. Although less likely, creatures could also chew wires in the attic.
If the system is wireless, then you are opening yourself up to a whole world of unknowns and start by replacing the motion, if all else fails, a garbage can works great.
I have written an article on the various causes of false alarms, it can be found on my website at http://www.keepsafesystems.ca
Since you are monitored, you should probably call the service department, every company has a different service policy, I can only speak for myself in saying I would not charge a monitored customer to come out and look at it. False alarms make the whole industry look bad, it is best to deal with them.
Good Luck
2007-07-05 03:41:41 · answer #1 · answered by www.keepsafesystems.ca 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It may be your motion detector is set to high for that room. Believe it or not but it could be that when your house AC turns on the curtains or something else could be blowing oh so slightly. For instance, many years ago I worked Security for Tiffany's. One night after closing the store I got paged that the motion alarm was tripped in an office section of the store. Myself and the Manager entered the office area. I searched top to bottom and no one was found. We closed up again and were just about to leave when the alarm went off again. I went back to the offices and was standing there looking around. The ac kicked in and I noticed a birthday balloon tied to a chair began fluttering around. That was the culprit. If it happens again or you want an answer sooner, contact your alarm company for service.
2007-07-05 04:55:01 · answer #2 · answered by D squared 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What they really mean is that the motion sensor in the bedroom set the alarm off. It's not unusual for a motion sensor, or indeed an alarm system as a whole, to have a slight glitch now and again. Thunderstorms are a likely cause if your weather is anything like ours at the moment. If it does it again get it checked out.
2007-07-05 02:57:38 · answer #3 · answered by Severance 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
without asking for all particulars, what kind of motion sensing do you use? Microwave, passive IR, Doppler...?
I had one system trip often [passive infra-red], so I [ as a service tech] stayed in the area when the alarm was set. It went off about 4 hours later- I looked at the detectors in time to see a ginormous rat walking right in front of a unit. Mr. Orkin man was called- no more alarms.
2007-07-05 07:32:33 · answer #4 · answered by sirbobby98121 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would consider any ceiling fans causing movement or an airconditioner vent blowing on a bedspread, etc.
There is also the consideration of any household pet or uninvited guest such as a mouse!
Best wishes.
2007-07-05 02:54:43 · answer #5 · answered by KC V ™ 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
This happened to us before. It turned out that our motion detection camera just caught the sight of a lizard. I'd say don't be too worried.
- http://www.doorbellhome.org/honeywell-wireless-doorbells/
2015-09-14 22:39:03 · answer #6 · answered by Doorbell 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋