Pet-Friendly Motion Sensors Protect Your Home and Its Inhabitants

One fear many people have when they start researching home security is “What about my pets?” Well, worry no more. You can protect your home (and pets!) with motion sensors and not worry about false alarms. SimpliSafe is pet-friendly, so there’s no fear!

SimpliSafe’s motion sensors are infrared heat sensors and won’t detect small pets, typically up to 50 lbs. This way, your pets can freely roam around your house and the motion sensors will not detect them. Any person who walks by will still trip the alarm. If you get a motion alarm, you can act confidently, knowing it’s not your pets.

Still worried about your pets and motion sensors?

Mount your motion sensors about 5 feet off the ground. Make sure to wall mount your sensors, rather than placing them on a shelf, if you have cats. Cats are known climbers and shelves are no exception. If your cat walks directly in front of your motion sensor (or cuddles up to it), your motion sensor will think a large, warm, creature has suddenly entered your home! With cats, wall mounting a sensor is your best bet.

If you’re concerned about false alarms, you can also reduce the sensitivity of your motion sensor. You can locate the sensitivity switch in the battery compartment of the motion sensor. To increase the sensitivity, raise the switch up. To lower it, push it down! High sensitivity increases the range of the motion sensor to 35 feet and above. Low sensitivity reduces the range to roughly within 15 feet!

Do you have larger pets? Take these steps:

If you have larger pets, you can still use your motion sensors to protect your home! The motion sensors typically see out straight, and then down at a 45-degree angle. The best thing to do, if you have a larger pet, is to flip the motion sensor upside down and mount it slightly lower, but still above your pet’s maximum height. When doing this "trick", we typically recommend mounting the sensor 4-5 feet off the ground. Consider your pet’s height not only when they are standing, but also when they are on furniture and on their hind legs. This way the motion sensor will see straight and up, rather than down. It will miss your pet completely, but still detect any person who walks by it.

Now you are all set to leave your motion sensors armed and your pets out without fear. Any questions? Give our customer service team a call and we’d be happy to work with you to find the best way to use your motion sensors with your pets in mind!