Schlage Tamper Alarm Tripped without Reason

A couple months ago, Schalge lock alarms on my front door was going off at random hours several times a week. I don’t remember exactly how I got to this situation, except that somehow the lock broke (I think due to different mechanical issues), and I got a new updated lock.

And when I finally got everything set (Schlage lock configured, smart apps and home network perfected), this alarm situation reappears.

No one’s outside. No knock. Nothing.

What could be going on?

I think the most common reason for a tamper alarm going off repeatedly is architectural: too much vibration on the door. I knew one situation where an apartment’s door lock vibration alarm went off every time the door to the apartment one floor below it was slammed. Another where closing the garage door would set off the interior door tamper alarm. Still another on a house where a heavy truck driving by could set it off.

The first thing to check is whether the tamper alert has a configurable sensitivity.

Second, look at the door itself. Is it seated well? Slightly warped? Try knocking on the door and see if that sets off the alert.

Sometimes the easiest fix is new weatherstripping on the door, which will usually reduce the vibration.

You can also temporarily put a vibration sensor on the door for more diagnostics.

In a few cases it’s the fit of the lock against the door that’s the issue, particularly on a warped door. If there are any gaps, that can cause vibration in the lock itself. Sometimes this can be fixed with caulking to seat the lock more firmly.

It usually just takes detective work to find the source of the vibration. :thinking:

1 Like

Pets can trigger it. I had to set my tamper sensitivity to only beep because my cat kept bumping the blinds hanging from the back door. (The door has a huge window and the cat likes to look through the blinds after midnight.)

I have another door that will occasionally “pop” because it heats up in the sun. (Or cools down.) That pop will also cause the tamper alert to beep.

2 Likes

Got no pets. But doorbell cam shows strays crossing pass at night.

1 Like

Haha. And I live in California!

But point well taken, thank you.

Hbs

1 Like

I also live in California, but we use weatherstripping just to give the door a softer close because I use a wheelchair and the door is often shut by either me or my service dog pulling on a tug rope. That can slam it pretty hard. :sunglasses:

image

This is a very sensitive lock. We’ve often seen wind trigger the alarm. You can however adjust the sensitivity of the alarm using this device handler (which I think you’re using) and this [smart app] ([RELEASE] Schlage Connect Lock Alarm Mode and Sensitivity Change and Monitor (BE469)) to schedule changes based on triggers, e.g. during the day reduce the sensitivity and during the night increase the sensitivity or change the tamper mode (or do it manually on the lock itself as a one time adjustment).

I would recommend reducing the sensitivity one level at a time until you find the sweet spot. Keep in mind that the Alert mode doesn’t trigger an alarm over Z-Wave but it does beep to let you know someone’s at the door (like someone is knocking), Tamper level has a higher overall threshold (and can trigger tamper alerts over z-wave) but the threshold can be adjusted to make it more or less sensitive.

3 Likes

another more labor intensive test would be to take the look off the door and reassemble it as if it were installed on a door (but not). then sit it on the floor or somewhere quiet and vibration free to see if the tamper triggers.

Earlier this evening the tamper alarm went off. An hour later, while the sun was still out, I took a look at the door.

I stood outside, door shut and locked. I knock on the door. Nothing. I try to make the slightest disturbance. Nothing. An attempt on the knob-- an alert, after a try or two.

Finally, a soft kick at the lower corner beneath the knob-- Tamper alarm.

I’m not so sure about the weather stripping theory anymore.

I’m not sure what you mean by “the weatherstripping theory“.

If you bang on the door or the lock itself, you will undeniably create vibration and that may very well set off the alert.

The purpose of weatherstripping in the case of false tamper alerts is to help keep the door from vibrating in response to nearby events like a truck passing by or a door slamming elsewhere in the House. Or, of course, wind rattling the door.

It won’t instantly solve all problems for all people, but it can help in some cases. :wind_face:

1 Like

Sorry. I didn’t mention before that I checked my door and the door was sealed with weather strips or rubber gasket or whatever the real term is.

The door is a conventional wooden door for one of those McDonald houses-- not super solid. I also have the door hinges reinforced years ago. And the door strikes reinforced with longer screws.

Sorry, I was just frustrated earlier at that moment.

1 Like

So this past week, I started noticing a pattern. Most evenings between 6pm and 9pm, my Schlage lock goes off. In the app history, it shows “Tampered” and then “Not tampered”.

Due to the nature of timing, I’m wondering if this has become a glitch.

EDIT: I had also disabled the Audio on the ST app device button and switched most settings on Rboy Schlage app (except Away) to lowest sensitivity.

Call Schlage if you suspect so - their support is pretty good and those locks have a lifetime warranty. Youll need some codes off the lock body - its in the original manual if you still have it, if not it’s easy to see on a label on the lock – if you take the lock off the door…

Depending on where you live, I’d be more likely to suspect a sunset-related physical event. Some possibilities:

  1. Neighbors arriving home or going out again generate street traffic or street traffic from specific vehicles.

  2. Outside temperatures dropping after sunset resulting in a “pop“ in the door itself as the temperatures drop.

  3. Family members turning up the music or gaming, generating bass output that vibrates the door.

Lots of possibilities. Very few electronics failures are time-based, usually when something starts to fail it will start failing randomly. But you never know.

Temporarily putting a second vibration sensor on the door, particularly on the exterior, would probably tell you whether there is a physical environmental component or not. :thinking:

2 Likes

sigh…

I had it replaced earlier this year. It was exhausting to figure out how to do install it all over again. And then, to connect it to the smart hub.

For some reason, that event set forth a number of things I had to do with networking… including, fresh install on smart devices and apps, reset my router, etc.