Ring Alarm
Advice - Motion Detector vs Contact Sensors
Hello. I recently moved into a new house, where the living room has 5 windows. Rather than buying 5 additional Contact Sensors, I opted to place a Motion Detector in the corner of the room, about 8 feet off the ground. There are, however, a couple of issues with this: 1. If I have the motion detector set to trigger alarm when in "Home" mode, it will also go off if I go downstairs for any reason (the stairwell is visible to the motion detector). 2. If I don't monitor the motion detector in "Home" mode, if someone breaks in through the windows in that room, it won't trigger the alarm. I'm stuck and don't really know what options I have, other than just buying a bunch of contact sensors. Even so, that then begs the question as to what usefulness the motion detectors actually have. The only other option I considered was moving the motion detector to a position directly opposite where it is (i.e., facing the windows while having its "back" to the stairwell, kitchen, and family room). Is there anything I'm missing or not considering here? Thank you in advance.
572 •
0 •
2 •
02-10-2023 05:26:32
Responses (3)
- D
Thank you for the responses, even if they did confirm my worst fear. I will buy additional contact sensors. Now I'm only left wondering in what situation(s) the motion detector is most useful. From what I can gather, it's just a second layer of defense to contact sensors in Away mode.
•0
04-10-2023 02:44:58
•
- S
This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.
•0
03-11-2023 09:19:55
•
Didn't find an answer ?
Log in or create your Ring account to post a question and join in the on the conversation.
Community Resources
©2024 Ring LLC or its affiliates
Caitlyn_Ring
Hi @Drerunsit. As @user51307 suggested, it would likely be best to fit all of your windows with Contact Sensors. By default, the Contact Sensors will be armed in Home Mode and your Motion Detectors will not. This will allow you to freely move around your home while the perimeter is still secured. It's not recommended to have the Motion Detector face the windows directly, as this could cause false alarms. In the meantime, you could also set your living room Motion Detector as an Entryway sensor, which will give you the [Entry and Exit Delay](https://support.ring.com/hc/en-us/articles/360030784072-Turn-On-Ring-Alarm-Entry-and-Exit-Delays) before the alarm goes off when it's triggered. This gives you a bit of extra time to disarm it, and could be a temporary solution while you decide if you want to fit your windows with Contact Sensors. I hope this helps!
0
03-10-2023 06:23:13
•