Viasonic PIR false alarm

[bstrand]

Hi!

 

I purchased an alarm system, a Viasonic Powermax+, from you in september 2009. Since we have 3 cats (weight 4,2 4,2 and 3,5 kg) I got the pet tolerant PIR:s.

 

Tha alarm has been working perfectly until last night when we all woke up from the sounding alarm. When you wake up at 4 AM from a deep sleep and realize that the alarm you have come to rely on not giving false alarms, is sounding, you get up really quick, I promise.

 

Armed with a knife and a steel pipe I searched the house but found nothing. Since we have a lot of snow I could also check for tracks outside the windows and back door, but nothing. I am 100% sure it was a false alarm and it was a PIR in the livingroom that triggered it.

 

I checked the PIR and the jumper is set to "high false alarm protection", or whatever it says..

 

Q: Is it normal to have a certain amount of false alarms? If that is the case I think you will not react properly since you will always belive it

[accounts3]

Hi Magnus

 

The detectors are pet tolerant not pet proof, and cats are very mobile, not just staying on the floor, but on the backs of chairs etc.,  so some false alarms may be caused. However at this time of year a lot of false alarms are caused by Christmas decorations, hopefully this will give you some ideas to work with.

 

Happy New Year

 

Anne

[bstrand]

Ok, thanks. I guess we will continue using the alarm and see if it was a one time thing or if it happens again. In that case we might have to reconsider our placing of the PIR:s and other detectors and perhaps get som more pet proof detectors on the doors and windows instead.

[bstrand]

Happened again last night, and I turned off all lamps and decorations that are in line of sight of the PIR, so they aren

[FastCar]

Cold temperature can have the effect of making the pir seem more sensitive , as it looks for the difference between the background and an object emitting IR energy.But the object must be moving.If you have 2 or more pirs , I would swap their locations and see if the FA moves with it, this would point to the pir being faulty.If not , then slightly change the field of view , point away from heat sources ( radiator) , or lock the cats out of that particular room for a few nights.

My moneys on the cats.

[bstrand]

Yea..but the thing is we have been using the alarm every night for 3 months without a single false alarm, and now it has happened two times on three nights. So I don

[Secware_Tech6]

Good actions so far.

Is it always the same pir?

If so what room is it and do you have any stairs etc in view. The biggest problem with cars and pet pirs is them getting close to the sensor ie within 6ft or so. Is that possible?

 

The cold can and does affect pir's but im assuming your house is heated so the temp will be pretty constant. Also with temp compensating pir's they would get less sensitive in a cold environment not more (its easier for the sensor to see body heat when its colder)

[bstrand]

Yes it has been the same PIR both times. It is in the livingroom and no, no stairs. Cats could not come within 6 ft of it where it used to be. Now when I have moved it, it might be possible, but it would be directly under it, as there is a chair below where it is now. If I recall correctly the PIR doesn

[Secware_Tech6]

AGreed, i would swap the sensor with another room to see if the fault moves.

If it did then i would assume the unit was faulty. Another test after that is to mask the unit completly.