Simplisafe Motion Sensor Not Responding: How to Fix

The Simplisafe Motion Sensor is a great tool for securing lives and property. When active, this device uses infrared technology to detect if someone has entered your room.

Although the brand ensures that its products are high-end, some units might not perform as expected. According to some users, the motion sensors might not respond. With this problem, the device cannot detect any unwanted presence in your home.

Before calling the customer care service,  you can use a few tips to solve this problem. To make this article easier to understand, we will be showing the causes of a non-responding motion sensor. Furthermore, we will show solutions to each of these problems.

Simplisafe Motion Sensor Not Responding: How to Fix

Below are various reasons why your motion sensor might not work. Instead of focusing on a single model of the motion sensor, we will have been looking at the Original Simplisafe Motion Sensor and the Gen 3 Simplisafe.

(A) How to Fix a Non-Responding Original Simplisafe Motion Sensor

The Original Simplisafe motion sensor is one of the earliest products from the brand. Although it’s an older model, it has enough features for securing your home. If this motion sensor does not respond, it can be traced to the following reasons:

1. The Base Station is Wrongly Positioned

The Original Simplisafe motion sensor consists of separate sensors and a base station. Before the motion sensor can respond, these devices should be close to each other. If you set them apart by a great distance, the base station will not receive the signals needed to power the motion sensor.

If you want to solve this problem, you will have to confirm if the base station is far from the sensor. For this task, use the following steps:

• Hit the “Menu” button on the Keypad and type in your master PIN
• Press “5” on the keypad to display “5. Test” on the screen
• Select the “5. Test” by pressing the “Away” button
• Wait for the Base Station to announce it in Test mode.
• Confirm that the Base Station is in Test Mode and hit the test button on the sensors.

Wait for the Station to announce the tested sensor. For instance, if you press the Motion Sensor, the Base Station will announce ” Motion Sensor. If you don’t hear any announcements, then the base station is far from the sensor.

To make the sensor respond, reduce the distance between it and the base station. You can start by placing the base station at a central position. Then repeat the test to check if you have gotten the right distance.

2. The Batteries are Weak or Dead

As with most electronics, the Original Simplisafe sensor runs on batteries. After some time, these power sources lose their charge and die. At this point, the motion detector will not work as expected.

Solving this problem is as easy as changing the batteries on the device. As you change these items, choose a brand that offers decent service life. If you are unsure of the right battery for your sensor, contact Simplisafe customer care for advice.

3. There are Too Many Devices Around

Electronics tend to produce various types of signals. If you have a sensor close to these devices, it might not respond properly. To avoid this problem, you should set up the sensor and base station in another room.

4. The Sensor is Defective

It is possible that your device got damaged during delivery or while using the product. In this condition, our recommended steps might not offer the expected results. With this in mind, you should contact the Simplisafe customer service center to help with the repairs. Also, you might even ask them for a replacement.

(B) How to Fix a Non-Responding Gen 3 Simplisafe Motion Sensor

Since 2018, Simplisafe has sold the Gen 3 Simplisafe Motion Sensor to many users. Like its predecessor, this product can keep your home safe. Now here are possible reasons why this device might not work as expected.

1. You Have Weak Batteries

If your Gen 3 Simplisafe motion sensor does not have strong batteries, it cannot send or receive signals needed to send alerts. To solve this problem, you should install a new pair of batteries in the sensor and base station.

2. The Base Station is Too Far from the Sensors

If there is too much space between the base station and sensors, you might not get the best results from the Gen 3 model. To solve this issue, you will have to perform a test on the device with the following steps.

• Press the “Menu” button on the Keypad and type in your master PIN
• Hit “5” on the keypad to display “5. Test” on the screen
• Select the “5. Test” by pressing the “Away” button
• Wait for the Base Station to announce it in Test mode.
• Confirm that the Base Station is in Test Mode and hit the test button on the sensors.
• Wait for the Base Station to announce the tested sensor. For instance, if you press the Motion Sensor, the Base Station will announce ” Motion Sensor. If you don’t hear any announcements, then the base station is far from the sensor.

To make the sensor perform better, reduce the distance between it and the base station. You can start by placing the latter device in a central position. Then repeat the above steps to confirm if you have gotten the right distance.

3. The Device was Programmed before Installation

If you have uninstalled sensors that might have been programmed, they will not respond to any movement. Instead of leaving these devices hanging around, you can remove the settings by using the Device menu.

4. You Have a Faulty Device

If the earlier mentioned tips do not solve the problem, then you might have a defective motion sensor. With this issue, you should ring up the Simplisafe customer service center for a replacement or repair.