Hi neighbors!
We want to thank you for bringing up this important topic, and giving us the opportunity to explain how Ring Alarm Motion Detectors are designed to work.
Ring Alarm Motion Detectors are designed to be smart. They detect movement through rooms and hallways which an intruder would be likely to pass through, while allowing you and your family to move freely through your home.
When your Ring Alarm is disarmed, your sensor detects motion constantly, but will only notify you to the first detection. After three minutes of no activity, it will be “cleared” and ready to notify you again. The system is designed with this feature to greatly reduce the number of notifications when your Motion Detector is disarmed and reduce the drain on your battery. Rest assured, even though you’re not getting a constant stream of motion detection notifications, all movement is being detected.
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, and you should not be confused with an intruder. 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.
We recommend using both Contact Sensors and Motion Detectors to create a ring of security around your home. By using Contact Sensors at every entry point around your home, any intruder would be detected and set off the Alarm after your customizable Entry Delay.
If you’re still concerned, you can set your Entry and Exit Delays to 0 seconds, and only arm and disarm your Ring Alarm using only the app from outside your home. This would sound the alarm as soon as a door or window is opened, before an intruder has the chance to even enter your home. While we don’t recommend this option as it might increase the chances of a false alarm, you can configure these settings to give yourself peace of mind.
Note: Ring Motion Detectors also have a Test Mode, in which your sensor detects motion constantly and will notify you about every 15 seconds. This is designed to help you test for blind spots, pets, and other environmental triggers.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any further questions or concerns. Thank you!