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Set Up and Install Wireless Sensors
Set Up and Install Wireless Sensors

Learn the best practices to set up and install wireless sensors

Updated over a week ago

Building materials, obstructions, distance, and general radio frequency (RF) interference are highly variable across different environments and from time of day. As a result, we highly suggest you adhere to the following guidelines to ensure that your wireless system operates to the best of its ability.

Add your wireless hub to Verkada Command

  1. Remove the cover from your alarm hub and plug the device into a Power over Ethernet (PoE) switch.

  2. In Verkada Command, go to All Products > Device. Alternatively, you can go to All Products > Add Devices (and skip step 3).

  3. Select your wireless hub.

  4. At the top, click Add Devices. Enter the 12-character serial number located on the sensor or on the box that was provided. Alternatively, you can scan the QR code.

  5. Once you add your wireless hub, it is assigned to the Unassigned Devices site. Follow the setup flow to configure your device name, site, and location.

  6. Go to the Alarms Devices tab and verify that your wireless hub is reporting online and the LED on the hub is solid blue.

Add your wireless sensors to Verkada Command

Place your wireless sensors right next to the wireless hub. At Verkada, we verify that all of your sensors are properly communicating with your hub and reporting events to Command before installing the sensors in their final locations.

  1. In Verkada Command, go to All Products > Device > Add Devices. Alternatively, you can go to All Products > Add Devices.

  2. Enter the 12-character serial number located on the sensor or on the box that was provided and select Add Device.
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  3. Once you add your wireless hub, it is assigned to the Unassigned Devices site. Follow the setup flow to configure your device name, site, and location.
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Power on your wireless sensors

When the sensors are first powered on, they automatically try to join the closest hub.

  1. Pull the battery tabs from your sensor(s) to power on the device. The sensors should automatically connect to the closest hub and appear online in Command. If not, show that they are connected to a hub; perform these steps:

    1. Power cycle the sensor by completely removing the batteries and re-adding the batteries to the sensor.

    2. Initiate trigger event(s) as detailed in the Wireless Deep Dive guide above for your particular sensor (door open/close, motion detected, button press, tamper, and so on.)

  2. Once the sensor(s) have communicated with a hub, the sensors show under their respective hub that they are connected to. From there, you can get/set the following information:

    • Set the name of the sensor

    • Display the sensor type

    • Display the last event

    • Sensor serial number

    • Battery level

    • Signal strength

    • Attaching nearby camera(s) to the sensor

    • Configure the sensor
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Validate wireless sensor coverage

You should place the hub as close to the desired location as possible, such as the center of the floor/building for maximum coverage.

  • The most recent sensor events are time-stamped in the Alarms site > Devices tab. You can monitor this page to ensure that sensor events are being reported to Command and the sensor's current signal strength.

  • Relocate your wireless sensors to their desired install locations and send several trigger events (door open/close, motion detected, panic button press, glass break tester, and shorting the metal contacts on the water sensor).

  • Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) values should be greater than –80 (for example, –75, –70, and so on) to account for variability in each environment as well as ensure there are no offline events for your devices once fully installed. When signal strength is confirmed, you can install the sensor in its final location and send one more event for good measure, otherwise:

    • If no events are being received, move closer to the hub to determine if the issue is related to signal coverage.

    • If you find that events are being received when you move closer to the hub, perform a site walk to determine if any obstructions could be dampening the signal. (walls, metal frames, windows, and so on).

    • You can also choose to reposition the hub for better coverage and restart the testing.

    • If the above fails, you may want to consider purchasing an additional hub to fully cover your floor/building.

Need more help? Contact Verkada Support

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