Things you DIDN’T WANT TO KNOW about Motion Detectors!

Why did I use this topic title? Well, after you read this post you’ll probably think, “You did all that minutia? Too much stuff. I didn’t need to know all that. All I need to know is do they work or not!” To those of you that feel that way, I apologize. But I think it’s cool and I wanted to share. I am not a professional researcher/scientist, but I’m definitely a very curious Nerd. Due to the Covid-19, this occupied my time. Yeah, I know . . . get a life . . . but I wanted to confirm & verify things for myself, especially before posting online in this forum. After doing online research, I decided to conducted some experiments on my own. Here are some things I learned: 1. Ring Motions Detectors have a "Dwell-time" (reset-time) after detecting motion. From a Ring Support Center article (for Generation 1), "Motion Detectors have a built-in function called "dwell time." Dwell time means that after a Motion Detector is tripped it will need a three-minute period in which it detects no motion in order to "reset" back to its default detection mode. This prevents the sensor from sending out multiple alerts for the same motion.” https://support.ring.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001133103-Re-setting-Your-Motion-Detector-1st-gen-After-it-Triggers 2. The Ring Motion Detector (Generation 2) apparently has a Dwell-time too. I was unsuccessful finding any online information about the 2nd generation detectors. But my experiments found that Generation 2 has a shorter Dwell-time of under 30 seconds! (more details below) 3. Some people think it is necessary wait until the Dwell-time is finished, to successfully Arm your Ring Alarm system … and that is not correct. The answer from Ring was, "If you arm your Ring Alarm before the Motion Detector has cleared . . . the Motion Detector will be armed and will not be bypassed. Ring Alarm is smart enough to know that as you exit your home you may trigger the Motion Detector . . . After you leave your home and movement stops, the Motion Detector will clear as expected and be ready to detect movement. Any motion that is detected at that point will trigger the Alarm." https://community.ring.com/t5/Ring-Alarm/Motion-Detector-Question/m-p/10685#M1506 4. My experimentation Confirmed that Motion Detectors, even armed while still in the Dwell-time, ALWAYS sounded the alarm afterwards in both in “Home” or “Away” Modes. The maximum time (between tapping the “Home” Mode to the siren screaming) was 45 seconds! (more details below) Details of my experiments with the Ring Motion Detectors (Generation 2): My entire Ring Alarm system is comprised all of Generation 2 devices (Base station, motion detectors, keypads, etc.) Dwell-time (in “Disarmed” Alarm Mode): I used three of my Motion Detectors. Completed 10 tests on each, for a total of 30 tests. Started timing when the Motion Detector’s LED flashed, indicating activation. Timing was stopped when the Ring App displayed the “No Motion Detected” notification. There was a lag-time, between when the LED flashed and the “Motion Detected” Notification arrived on my smartphone app. Therefore, I assume that this lag is also present when the “No Motion Detected” notification arrives too. But it was always under 2 seconds. I probably should subtract this lag, but I’m not a super geek. For me, it was too complicated to accurately measure, and determine factors that cause the lag (phone model, router, internet speed, etc.). Recorded Dwell Time (in seconds) Detector # Time Average Longest Period Shortest Period #1 25.0s 30s 20s #2 20.4s 26s 17s #3 25.3s 31s 21s The average of all three detectors is: 23.6 seconds. So, I believe it’s safe to say the Generation 2 Motion Detectors have an approximate 25 second dwell time. Completed all Alarm Tests after switching Main Menu > Settings > Monitoring > and changing from “Professional-Monitoring” to “Self-Monitoring.” I wanted to avoid driving Ring employees crazy, or having the police show up! Completed all Alarm Tests after switching Main Menu > Settings > Modes > “Home” (repeated with “Away”) > Exit Delay > 30 seconds. First, I would tap the “Home” Mode, listen for the countdown to start. Then about 15 seconds into the countdown, I began moving non-stop and visually confirmed the Motion Detector’s LED flashed. I never stopped moving throughout the entire countdown. And I still kept moving until the alarm blared. Conducted this experiment 5 times in “Home” mode, and then again 5 times in the “Away” Mode, for a total of 10 times. Every time the countdown finished, approximately 15 seconds later the alarm went off. Maximum time (from tapping “Home” Mode to the siren going off) was 45 seconds. When measuring the Gen 2 “Dwell” time, and then doing the alarm experiment, this whole thing turned out to be quite an aerobic exercise for me! Too much information? Well, for those that read this whole post, I hope you find it useful. ?