Warning: That cheap wireless contact sensor from Amazon is garbage

I put one of those $12 wireless contact sensors on a back door at a house in Austin last month. Everything tested fine during install, but 3 days later the homeowner calls me saying the alarm went off for no reason. Turns out the battery compartment had a loose terminal that would disconnect when the door slammed. I spent 2 hours troubleshooting before I figured it out. Anyone else had cheap sensors fail on them like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

river_adams2518d ago

Man that exact same thing happened to me with one of those cheapo sensors. I got one for a basement door and it kept false alarming every time the wind blew. I spent like an hour checking the magnet alignment and the gap only to find the battery terminal was barely making contact. It's infuriating because you think you're saving money but then you end up wasting way more time troubleshooting junk hardware. I finally gave up and threw it in the trash. Not worth the headache for saving a few bucks.

drew79118d ago

@river_adams25 I think I've got a few of those cheap sensors buried in my trash can too.