How To Prevent Pets From Setting Off Security Motion Alarm

Pets can be a great addition to any home, but they can be frustrating when it comes to motion detectors and your security system. Cats can be especially problematic because they are more likely to climb to higher places than dogs or other household pets, which could lead to your alarm frequently going off unnecessarily. While a monitor can be programmed to detect any movement below a certain level, this won’t help if your cat is at a high point.

An ideal way to reduce false positives on your motion detector is to train your cat not to jump up on things. However, anyone who has owned a cat knows that they’re stubborn and tend to do what they want, when they want. However, you do have options.

How Do Pet-Friendly Motion Sensors Work?

A solution to curbing false alarms is by getting a pet-friendly motion sensor. IR motion detectors pick up body heat instead of actual movement. Plus, many modern IR motion sensors are designed to ignore the heat signature of pets below a certain weight–typically 40 pounds or so. Many pet-friendly motion sensors have customizable sensitivity settings to prevent smaller pets from triggering an alarm—all while securing your home from larger sources of heat, such as a person.

Do Motion Detectors and Pets Mix?

Motion detectors and pets can get along, but only if you have the right equipment. What’s more, that equipment needs to be installed correctly for it to work, which is why we recommend using a professional installation technician. Otherwise, the cats will continue to trigger motion detectors around the house. Frustrated with that problem, you might just want to turn off the detectors. That may solve the problems with the cats, but it renders the security system less effective and could make your home less safe.

Instead of taking that risk, it’s much better for you to focus on how to make sure that the sensors aren’t being triggered by your cats when you’re away. One way to solve this problem is by setting up security zones for your home and creating a tripwire rule for when an object passes a particular point in that zone. You can have notifications sent to your mobile device when a specific movement is detected—whether that be a person, car, or pet. If you don’t want to be alerted when your cat triggers your sensors, all you have to do is configure your settings.

Here are a few more tricks to help reduce the number of false alarms from your motion detectors:

Adjusting a Motion Detector Where Cats Are Present

With many security systems, motion detectors can be adjusted. They can also be mounted in ways that reduce false alarms. Try to mount your detectors in areas where there are fewer things for cats to jump onto. Again, this would be a great opportunity to utilize a professional, to ensure the detectors are where and how you want them.

It’s common for motion detectors to be used in rooms with entryways that can’t be efficiently covered with corresponding sensors. If you can’t make your motion detectors and your cats coexist, consider picking the sensors necessary to cover all your entryways. A glass break sensor, for example, can sometimes be triggered when a sound like breaking glass is made. And a door or window sensor can be used to secure an area of your home that you want to be off limits. Cameras that send live video footage to your mobile device can also ensure you’re able to keep an eye on your furry friends at all times. Alternatively, you can always place the motion detector in a place that leads away from the problem area, so you can instead set up the sensor in a cat-friendly way.

How Brinks Home™ Uses Best-in-Class Technology to Avoid False Alarms and Keep You Safe

Brinks Home offers 24/7 monitoring with excellent response times, top-quality security equipment, pet-friendly motion detectors, and professional installation. Beyond these features, Brinks Home offers everything from monitored smoke detectors to indoor cameras with video analytics to help keep you and your family—including your pets—safe around the clock, even when you’re away from home.