Will A Robot Vacuum Set off Your House Alarm?
Yes, your robot vacuum could potentially set off your house alarm, depending on what type of alarm system you are using.
It really depends very much on what type of alarm system you are using. Is it electric, wired, wireless, monitored, or unmonitored alarm system? What type of sensors is the alarm system using and how intelligent is it?
So it’s hard to give a solid answer without knowing the type of alarm system you are using at the moment, so I’ll answer from another angle; what alarm system you should buy if you own a robot vacuum.
TLDR; If you have a pet-friendly house alarm system your robot vacuum should not trigger the alarm. So also, if you are looking for what house alarm system to buy, look for a pet-friendly alarm system. Read on to get my deeper insights…
Alarm systems that your robot vacuum could potentially set off.
There are several types of alarm systems, here is a quick overview:
- Wired Alarm System
- Wireless Home Alarm System
- Unmonitored Home Alarm System
- Monitored Home Alarm System
- Electric Current Alarm System
1. Wired Alarm System
A wired alarm system is a hardwired system that is connected to a control point. Usually, this control point is a keypad.
Most often, wired alarm systems are only triggered when doors or windows are broken or unlocked while the alarm is active. This is also why it might be perfect for you if you already have a robot vacuum or consider getting one. There are no sensors or anything that a robot vacuum can trigger.
When a wired alarm system is triggered it’ll send a signal through your landline to a wired hub that is also installed in your home. From here the alarm can be triggered to notify the alarm company, alarm central, and/or yourself.
2. Wireless Home Alarm System
A wireless alarm system is relying on radio frequencies to transmit signals from sensors to the monitoring center or hub.
Wireless Alarm systems are often the most popular ones for smart homeowners because of the often seamless integration with smart hubs like Google Nest or Amazon Alexa.
Today, many wireless alarm systems also come with an app for your smartphone for easy configuration and monitoring.
However, this system can cause some trouble with your robot vacuum cleaner because wireless alarm systems often use webcams or infrared cameras to detect motion or heat. So without any intelligence associated with the system, you’ll run into issues with your robot cleaner triggering the alarm.
However, a lot of these systems actually come with pet-friendly motion sensors. So all you have to do is actually pretend that your cute little robot vacuum is a pet and make sure the alarm system you install is pet-friendly.
3. Unmonitored Home Alarm System
An unmonitored or local alarm system uses the same technology as a wired alarm system but without the hub. This makes the unmonitored alarm system very unintelligent compared to the others, but also the cheapest option.
When an unmonitored or local alarm is triggered it’ll not send any alarm to any emergency response units. It’ll no call 911 for you either. So this alarm system relies on someone being close to react to the alarm. However, you actually can get local alarm systems that offer apps or other integrations which can send notifications to your phone.
For this reason, it might actually be a great choice if you own a robot vacuum or a pet. You’ll have the protection benefit of an alarm, but it won’t send any alarms to 911 if you start the robot vacuum when you leave the house.
4. Monitored Home Alarm System
There are many types of monitored alarm systems. But most use the same technology as local alarms. However, monitored alarms have the benefit of being connected to an alarm service, where people will actually respond to any alarms coming in from your house.
This has a huge security benefit but can be annoying if your robot vacuum keeps running into the alarm and you have to call it in.
5. Electric Current Alarm System
These are the most basic monitoring systems on the marking. They only monitor entry points like windows and doors. They often get installed as the house is being built. It works by connecting all doors and windows into a closed circuit, if the circuit breaks in any way the alarm will be triggered.
This alarm system also holds a very good potential when you have pets and robot vacuums. Because no sensors or cameras are involved. It’s a 100% analog solution that is very stable and secure.
To conclude
From the 5 above-mentioned alarm systems, you actually have some good choices to choose from. Only one solution could have a potential bad impact when having a robot vacuum and that is the wireless option.
When you choose house alarms that use sensors like infrared, light, sound, or image you should be really careful in the product you choose. I can warmly recommend Google Nest Secure.
The benefit of using Nest products is their approach to intelligent software like machine learning, item and people recognition, etc. Nest Cameras are “pet friendly” as they say. It will recognize any pets and robot vacuums that are allowed to freely roam your house and not trigger the alarm.
As a tech enthusiast and creative individual, my blog Living Smarter offers tips on tech, name ideas, and gaming. I collaborate with companies and individuals to share expertise in various genres and platforms.
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