Difference between revisions of "Door Sensors"

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=== Overview ===
<!-- Sometimes it's useful to know whether doors or windows have been opened or not. When a door opens unexpectedly in your loved one's home. They can tell you when someone has arrived, or if someone is leaving at an unexpected time. -->


<!-- A
__NOTOC__ [[File:InovonicsDoorSensor.png|right|frame|Inovonics Door Sensor]]
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<tr><td valign="top">[[File:ActivityIcon.png|left|Activity Monitoring]]</td>
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didn't arrive, didn't leave when supposed to
You can place sensors on doors, windows, cabinets, or refrigerators, to detect when they've been opened or closed. They can help you see if a caregiver or service provider has arrived when they were expected, or if someone is leaving at an unexpected time, such as the middle of the night. You can make sure a pill cabinet has been opened at the proper time, or whether a pantry door or refrigerator has been opened at meal times.</td></tr>
</table><br />


Motion sensors are useful for assuring that your loved one is OK and moving around as you would expect. Checking in to see that your loved one is getting up at the usual time, and moving around in a normal, predictable way, can provide peace of mind. Changes in routine can let you know that something might be different. The sensors can be placed to help you answer questions, if you have specific concerns. Rules can be set to turn on lights, or to alert caregivers by phone, text, or email, if something isn't quite right.<br /><br /> -->
===How a Door Sensor Works===
Door sensors have 2 magnets that send one type of signal when the magnets are in contact with each other (which means the door is closed) and another kind of signal when the magnets are apart (which means the door is open.) These sensors can be mounted on any door or window, so that the two magnets are touching, or very nearly touching when the door is closed. It is important to mount the sensor parts in such a way that they won't easily become detached, for example using screws or strong adhesive.<br /><br />
 
[[File:Doorrules.png|thumb|right]]
===Checking the Door Activity Graphs===
* [[Logging In|Log in to the Online Care Portal]]
* Open the [[Care Menu|Care Menu]]
* Click the "Activity" button - this displays a list of the door and window sensors
* Click the "Show Door Graph" icon for the sensor you want to check
Each vertical bar on the graph represents a 15-minute period. The higher the bar, the more door activity detected in that 15-minute time slot. Note that there is a short bar, even when the door has not been used in that time period. If there is no bar at all for a time period that has passed, that is an indication that there is a problem with the sensor. In many cases, it indicates that the batteries need to be replaced on the sensor, something that is easily checked on the [[Battery Report|Battery Report]]. For more serious issues, you can call your installer or support specialist.<br /><br />
 
===Setting Rules===
You can set up rules to alert caregivers when something occurs. To add a rule:
* [[Logging In|Log in to the Online Care Portal]]
* Open the [[Care Menu|Care Menu]]
* Click the "Activity" button
* In the Door Rules section, click the "Add New Rule" button<br /><br />
 
There are two parts to each rule, a condition and an action. On the first screen, define the condition. Your rule can be triggered when a door is:
* Opened
* Opened the next time
* Left open
* Closed<br /><br />
 
Depending on the condition, the rule can be set to detect door activity at a particular sensor, or at any single sensor.<br /><br />
You can choose a time period during which the rule would execute, for example for a time period at night, for a time period around lunchtime, etc. You can also specify how frequently to check the condition, or in some cases how long the condition must continue before an alert is triggered.<br /><br />
 
Examples of conditions might be:
* If the back door opens after dark, turn on the back yard light.
* If any door opens in the middle of the night, phone the next door neighbor to intervene.
* If the front door opens in the middle of the morning, then send an email to a caregiver because a service provider has arrived.<br /><br />
 
Once you have defined the condition, you need to set the action. Possible actions include turning on a light, showing an on-screen [[Acknowledgments|Acknowledgment]] to the resident, or contacting a single caregiver, all caregivers, or a [[Call Lists|Call List]]. The types of contact include:
* Email
* Text message
* Turn on a light
* Phone call to home, work or cell phone
* Phone call to a [[Call Lists|Call List]]<br /><br />
 
Multiple rules can be triggered for any event, so that multiple types of alerts can be sent out, for example both phone calls and emails.<br /><br />
 
A checkbox next to the rule lets you set whether the rule is enabled or disabled. It might make sense to turn off a rule while your loved one is on vacation, so that alerts won't be sent out during that time. You can disable a rule by unchecking the box. When you're ready for the rule to be active again, just check the Enabled checkbox again, and then save the rule settings.<br /><br />
 
<br />

Latest revision as of 20:16, 24 August 2017

Inovonics Door Sensor
Activity Monitoring
You can place sensors on doors, windows, cabinets, or refrigerators, to detect when they've been opened or closed. They can help you see if a caregiver or service provider has arrived when they were expected, or if someone is leaving at an unexpected time, such as the middle of the night. You can make sure a pill cabinet has been opened at the proper time, or whether a pantry door or refrigerator has been opened at meal times.


How a Door Sensor Works

Door sensors have 2 magnets that send one type of signal when the magnets are in contact with each other (which means the door is closed) and another kind of signal when the magnets are apart (which means the door is open.) These sensors can be mounted on any door or window, so that the two magnets are touching, or very nearly touching when the door is closed. It is important to mount the sensor parts in such a way that they won't easily become detached, for example using screws or strong adhesive.

Doorrules.png

Checking the Door Activity Graphs

Each vertical bar on the graph represents a 15-minute period. The higher the bar, the more door activity detected in that 15-minute time slot. Note that there is a short bar, even when the door has not been used in that time period. If there is no bar at all for a time period that has passed, that is an indication that there is a problem with the sensor. In many cases, it indicates that the batteries need to be replaced on the sensor, something that is easily checked on the Battery Report. For more serious issues, you can call your installer or support specialist.

Setting Rules

You can set up rules to alert caregivers when something occurs. To add a rule:

There are two parts to each rule, a condition and an action. On the first screen, define the condition. Your rule can be triggered when a door is:

  • Opened
  • Opened the next time
  • Left open
  • Closed

Depending on the condition, the rule can be set to detect door activity at a particular sensor, or at any single sensor.

You can choose a time period during which the rule would execute, for example for a time period at night, for a time period around lunchtime, etc. You can also specify how frequently to check the condition, or in some cases how long the condition must continue before an alert is triggered.

Examples of conditions might be:

  • If the back door opens after dark, turn on the back yard light.
  • If any door opens in the middle of the night, phone the next door neighbor to intervene.
  • If the front door opens in the middle of the morning, then send an email to a caregiver because a service provider has arrived.

Once you have defined the condition, you need to set the action. Possible actions include turning on a light, showing an on-screen Acknowledgment to the resident, or contacting a single caregiver, all caregivers, or a Call List. The types of contact include:

  • Email
  • Text message
  • Turn on a light
  • Phone call to home, work or cell phone
  • Phone call to a Call List

Multiple rules can be triggered for any event, so that multiple types of alerts can be sent out, for example both phone calls and emails.

A checkbox next to the rule lets you set whether the rule is enabled or disabled. It might make sense to turn off a rule while your loved one is on vacation, so that alerts won't be sent out during that time. You can disable a rule by unchecking the box. When you're ready for the rule to be active again, just check the Enabled checkbox again, and then save the rule settings.