How To Prevent Pets From Setting Off Security Motion Alarm

Pets and Motion Detectors: Enhancing Your Home Security

Pets make wonderful companions, but when it comes to home security, they can sometimes cause unexpected challenges. Let's discuss how your furry friends might interact with motion detectors and your home security system.

Cats and Motion Detectors:

Cats are agile climbers and love exploring high places. Unfortunately, this behavior can trigger motion detectors, leading to false alarms. To address this, consider adjusting the motion detector settings to exclude movement below a certain size. This way, your cat’s playful antics won’t set off the alarm.

Dogs and Size Considerations:

Dogs come in various sizes, and their relative bulk can impact motion detectors. Larger dogs might trigger alarms more easily due to their size and movement patterns. Motion sensors with pet-immunity tend to disregard animal movement below 40 lbs. but factors that affect this include model of sensor and placement of sensor. To optimize your security system, explore features that exclude movement for heights smaller than a person.

Remember, finding the right balance ensures that your security system effectively protects your home without unnecessary disruptions. Working with a professional security monitoring company can help you find that balance.

How do pet-friendly motion sensors work?

When it comes to preventing false alarms, selecting the right motion sensor is crucial, especially if you have pets. Here’s how to optimize your security system:

Pet-Suitable Motion Sensors:

Look for infrared (IR) motion detectors specifically designed for homes with pets. These sensors detect body heat rather than mere movement. Pet-immunity includes programming that ignores a heat signature below 40 pounds on average.

These pet-immune motion detectors are often advertised as ideal for households with furry companions.

Size Differences:

Different brands and models may claim varying levels of pet-immunity. They take into account the size of animals, from small 15-pound cats to hefty 80-pound dogs.

Some pet-friendly sensors allow changes to sensitivity settings, meaning you can turn down how sensitive the sensor is to smaller heat sources. This ensures that smaller pets won’t trigger false alarms while still detecting larger sources of heat, such as a person.

Remember, proper setup is essential. Failure to configure a security system correctly can lead to an excess of false alarms. Based on where you live, this could lead to fines or being placed on a “do not respond” list by authorities.

Do motion detectors and pets mix?

Motion detectors and pets can get along, but only if you have the right equipment, properly installed to work correctly with your home’s particular setup. This is why we recommend using a professional installation technician.

If not installed correctly, cats and dogs will continue to trigger motion detectors around the house. Frustrated with that problem, you might want to turn off the detectors. That may solve the problems with your pets, but it renders the security system less effective and could make your home less safe.

Shutting off your security system to avoid false alarms caused by pets isn't worth the risk. At Brinks Home™, we offer a solution by utilizing security zones for your home. Using tripwire rules, a specialized feature available with advanced video analytics that triggers when objects pass, will alert you to activity in that security zone. Set up your notifications on your mobile device in response to movement—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 adjust your settings.

Adjusting a Motion Detector Where Pets 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. This is another reason to utilize a professional installer who can ensure the detectors are where they work best.

A few other tips for preventing motion sensor false alarms with pets:

• Closing off rooms that the animals don’t need and putting motion detectors in those rooms.

• Put sensors and high visibility security cameras outside of your home.

• Install sensors at doorways, windows, and other entryways.

Commonly, you want to use a motion detector in rooms that can’t be efficiently covered with other sensors. If you decide that motion detectors work poorly with your pets, there are plenty of alternatives.

One alternative may be a glassbreak sensor, which is triggered by the sound of breaking glass. Door and window sensors can secure areas of your home that you want to keep off limits.

Security cameras make an excellent alternative to motion detectors. Many modern ones come complete with advanced analytics that distinguish between a person and a pet. This means you do not have to omit any specific areas where your pets might wander, and it means you can use your mobile device to view a live video feed, allowing you to keep an eye on your furry friends at all times.

Using Best-in-Class Technology to Avoid False Alarms and Keep You Safe

Brinks Home provides round-the-clock professional monitoring with excellent response times, high-quality security equipment, and pet-friendly motion detectors. Other featured equipment includes monitored smoke detectors and indoor cameras with video analytics. Contact Brinks Home today to ensure the safety of your family, pets included.