Car alarms affected by WiFi or video doorbells?

[kc]

This last week my car alarm has gone off every night in the driveway late at night for no reason.    My local Toyota dealer doesnt want to replace the alarm unit under warranty and says the problem is likely caused by a Ring video doorbell or similar in the vicinity!   Any body else had this happen?   Should I believe this excuse or not?

I hope some of you technical types can give advice on this.

 

[EarlyBird]

Only late at night then there could be a thief in the area trying to get you to turn the alarm off for obvious reasons.

[Dale Bradly]

What EarlyBird said!

[Don Fry]

Your dealer is the bloke who sold something with inadequate shielding from external radio sources, according to his story as to why it’s broken. His problem even according to his assumption of reality.

[kc]

the question is whether it's likely that a Ring doorbell would affect a car alarm.  

[Andy Stephenson]

These things AFAIK are all encoded spread spectrum or should be which would eliminate these problems. The scenario of the crook in the area is more likely. Do you have or can you borrow a GoPro camera and set it up to capture an image every second then set it record activity in your driveway overnight this might supply all the proof you need.

[kc]

Thanks for your comments.   I don't actually think anyone is prowling around the car because the first thing I did after the alarm went off a few times was  I fitted a PIR security light and that didn't light up on any occasion the alarm went off.    Immediate visual observation also showed nobody around.

So it's either a fault with the car or it's electronic interference from other peoples equipment.

 

Prime suspect for interference is next door's electric remote control  sliding gate = I supect they may lock it by WiFi late at night and that's the most likely signal that triggers my alarm.   

[Rich Griff]

Read somewhere WiFi uses 2.4ghz ?

[Dickw]

I once found myself in a situation where I could not operate my remote car door locking/unlocking while a nearby mobile crane on a lorry was being operated by the driver via a remote control unit. I believe both may operate on 433MHz.

 

Dick

[kc]

Thanks for that Dick that's interesting but I don't have any problem with the remote key fob.    It's something happening after it's locked properly.

Just for an experiment I tried rocking the car to see if it started the alarm but it didn't.    Also i tried  a Futaba 2.4 Tx extremely close to the car but no effect.  

[MattyB]

3 hours ago, kc said:

This last week my car alarm has gone off every night in the driveway late at night for no reason.    My local Toyota dealer doesnt want to replace the alarm unit under warranty and says the problem is likely caused by a Ring video doorbell or similar in the vicinity!   Any body else had this happen?   Should I believe this excuse or not?

I hope some of you technical types can give advice on this.

 

 

There are loads of reasons an alarm can trigger without warning; I think his assumption is probably an unlikely root cause at best. Case in point - my Passat had exactly this issue which was eventually tracked down to a leak from the rear wash wipe. The water was going down onto a computer unit by the rear wheel well which controlled (amongst other things) central locking; it in turn was falsly reporting the boot was open at random moments, triggering the alarm. My view would be he should plug it into hsi fault checker and see if it reports anything, or at least reports what has triggered the alarm (boot sensor, internal IR sensor etc). After that it's time to go hunting the electircal gremlins one by one...

Edited July 6, 2021 by MattyB

[Andy Stephenson]

On one occasion my car alarm kept going off at night but was tracked down to a large moth which had got trapped and was fluttering around setting off the untrasonic system.

[kc]

Andy, I had thought of that too but I have not got my wallet out recently!

 

Does anybody here think that a Ring doorbell or anything similar could trigger a car alarm?

 

 

 

[Rich Griff]

Ask your niebour and do a test to rule that cause in/out.

[Nigel R]

28 minutes ago, kc said:

Ring doorbell or anything similar could trigger a car alarm?

 

I'd bet not.

 

Much more likely to be a minor electrical fault of the type MattyB describes.

 

Or a nefarious night visitor.

 

I agree that Toyota are fobbing you off. They should run a fault diagnosis and see if anything is amiss with the electrics. Especially if you are under warrantee. Maybe some vague suggestion about going to local press or similar might hurry them up?

[Don Fry]

2 hours ago, Rich Griff said:

Read somewhere WiFi uses 2.4ghz ?

And 5 ghz on extenders. 
 

kc, as I said before, it should be shielded, if not, why not, not your problem. I suspect, that no major manufacturer fails to design this in, so that leaves us with a conclusion that the dealer can’t be bothered to investigate. Late at night, wet box, dew point?

This is not a new issue, 40 odd years ago, when ABS brakes were in their infancy, there were problems with them failing, off. Radio interference (from commercial radio stations?, memory).  Not your problem unless they agree to pay your consultancy rates.

[PatMc]

Best speak to your neighbour first, I would think it's also in their interest as well as yours.

If it does seem to be interference, whether the source is identified or not, it should be reported to Ofcom for their investigation.   

[kc]

As aeromodellers we know the problems of tracing intermittent faults!   So getting a manufacturer to act on such a fault is difficult.    The fact that none of this forum's knowledgeable members think that doorbell or similar equipment is the likely fault encourages me to challenge the dealers excuse.

The plausible reasons for the problem like weather/dew point and fluttering moths are more difficult to dispel!

Regretably the problem has just got significantly worse as the local council has written and threatened me with action under the Environmental Protection Act!     Car thieves abound in the area

and the authorities harrass the innocent car owners!    Thats life in 2021 - aid the criminals!

[PatMc]

Write to the Toyota dealer reminding them of the warranty, tell them of the council's letter (and/or enclose a copy) demand that they investigate the problem or to state in writing why they won't. If they come up with the Ring video doorbell excuse ask for evidence. If they say the have evidence of this as a reason ask if they have pursued it through Ofcom & if not why not.

Send a copy of each of your correspondences with the dealer (at the same time as you send it to the dealer) to the council in order to show that you are taking action. Also send any response from the dealer to the council.

Meanwhile, contact Ofcom via the link in my previous post & also send a note to the council of this action.

[kc]

Thanks for your comments Pat - sound advice as always.    I  had already decided that I will use the councils letter to try to persuade them to change the alarm unit under warranty.    ( I bet it's expensive!)     The idea of reporting to Ofcom hadn't occurred to me and should make them back down on the doorbell excuse.

[PatMc]

For your own protection (from council action) it's important to get everything you are doing recorded & everything the dealer has agreed or refused to do writing.

Edited July 6, 2021 by PatMc

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Is it weather related?  Some years ago, my alarm was going off intermittently - I suspected kids…

 

I disconnected the sounder and fitted my old single channel transmitter to the output via a relay - when it sounded a buzzer connected to a receiver indoors I quickly checked and there was nobody around. 
 

I eventually found the cause - a whisker of corrosion had formed from the diode pack in the alternator to the casing - when damp there was a sufficient current flow to drop the voltage enough to trigger the alarm. 

[Gary Manuel]

45 minutes ago, Martin Harris - Moderator said:

Is it weather related?  Some years ago, my alarm was going off intermittently - I suspected kids…

 

I disconnected the sounder and fitted my old single channel transmitter to the output via a relay - when it sounded a buzzer connected to a receiver indoors I quickly checked and there was nobody around. 
 

I eventually found the cause - a whisker of corrosion had formed from the diode pack in the alternator to the casing - when damp there was a sufficient current flow to drop the voltage enough to trigger the alarm. 

Bet that took some finding.

[kc]

Once again the forum members have provided useful advice on a non aeromodelling topic - thanks chaps and also to the Moderators for allowing non aero stuff.   It's amazing how this forum has so many sensible and knowledgable people who comment on any subject.  

I will see what the dealership says on Friday when they service the car. 

 

 

[PatMc]

Martin, I don't think that's up to KC to actually look for the fault. Let the dealership do their job, even if it is weather related it should come under the warranty. You never know he might end up with a new alarm unit & that will re-start the warranty on that device.