Why Is My Qolsys IQ Panel 4 Always Not Ready To Arm?

The most likely cause of a "Not Ready" condition is a faulted zone. If the Auto Bypass feature is enabled, even this won't cause the system to show "Not Ready." Other issues such as low-battery and tamper may also cause the system to show "Not Ready." Check zone status from the panel screen.

In the image above you can see the envelope icon in the upper right corner of the Qolsys IQ Panel 4. The red circle with a 1 inside indicates there is one notification that you haven't seen or acknowledged. This is where alarms, tampers, low batteries, and other system or sensor messages appear. If your system is not ready, check here to see if you have unacknowledged messages.

Below the envelope is the zone status display area. Currently, you can see that "ACTIVE" is selected. That means you will only see zones that are currently in an "off-normal" state. They may be faulted, tampered, or unreachable. If you want to see a list of all zones, toggle the view to "ALL" and all zones will be displayed with the current status of each. Below, taken from the User Guide, is a list of the various zone status possibilities, and the icon for each:

To check to see whether your system has the auto-bypass feature enabled or disabled, you can tap the gray bar at the top of the main screen, then Settings > Advanced Settings > Enter Installer or Dealer Code (1111 or 2222 by default) > Installation > Security and Arming. You can search at the top of the screen, just type in "Auto" and you should be taken directly to this setting. The "Auto Bypass" feature is enabled, by default.

If a particular zone is consistently staying Open (door and window) or Active (motion and glass break) this could mean there is a problem with the sensor itself, or the way it is installed. For doors and windows, check the sensor to be sure the magnet is still in place, and that it's not too far away from the sensor to show that the door or window is closed when it is.

Check the documentation for the sensor, there should be information on what the acceptable gap spacing is between the sensor and the magnet. If everything appears normal with the sensor but it's still constantly showing "Open", contact your alarm dealer for further troubleshooting. Alarm Grid customers can reach out to support@alarmgrid.com for assistance.

If a motion detector is constantly showing "Active" it could be a problem with sensor placement. A big factor in this is whether the motion is wired or wireless. Wired motions can be added using a Qolsys Hardwire 16-F or a DSC PG9WLSHW8 or PG9HRDW8. Wired motions have no inhibition when displaying an "Active" status. A wired motion is capable of showing a constantly faulted state.

This can be caused by a power issue, where the motion is not getting enough power to keep its relay in the normal state. It can also be caused by an installation issue, where the motion detector is mounted facing a source of constant motion, such as moving drapes or decorations. Incorrect wiring on the zone or incorrect resistor placement can also be the issue. Consult the installation instructions, perform adequate walk-testing, and adjust as necessary.

Wireless motion sensors usually have a transmission inhibit feature to save battery. A wireless motion detector senses motion then transmits a fault, and immediately a restoral, then goes to sleep for a set period, usually around three (3) minutes. For this reason, a constant fault on a wireless motion is almost impossible. One way this can happen is when the panel receives the transmission for the initial fault, but then misses the transmission for the restoral.

This can occur because of environmental issues where the first signal is not blocked, but the second signal is. In this case, you should thoroughly walk-test the motion detector, based on its installation instructions and adjust its mounting placement as needed. When walk-testing wireless devices, we recommend you test at least ten (10) times to get a good sampling of the detector's normal behavior. If you plan to cause an alarm on the motion sensor, or any sensor, be sure to put your system on test with the monitoring station before you begin, assuming your system is using central station monitoring.

Nearly any wireless sensor will have a tamper, and some may have more than one. There is usually a cover tamper and in some cases, there may also be a base tamper. This way, you are alerted whether the cover is removed or the entire sensor is removed. A tamper condition on a wireless zone can cause the IQ Panel 4 to show "Not Ready" when "Auto Bypass" is disabled. Figure out which sensor is indicating a tamper and go to that sensor to correct the issue. Once the tamper issue is corrected, you may need to click on the envelope icon to acknowledge and clear the tamper message.

Some other things that can cause a "Not Ready" condition on the IQ Panel 4 are panel low battery and sensor low battery. These should be displayed in messages on the panel. Wireless sensor batteries usually last between three (3) and five (5) years. If you think the panel or the sensor is too young to have a low battery issue, you can contact your alarm dealer to troubleshoot further. Again, Alarm Grid customers can contact us at the email listed above. Our support hours are Monday - Friday from 9:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Time.