How Do I Enable the Panel Motion Detector on IQ Panel 5?

To enable the Panel Motion Detector on the IQ Panel 5, go to Advanced Settings, Installer Settings, then turn on Panel Motion Detector. This creates a motion zone using the built-in camera for activity monitoring only, and it will never act as a security alarm trigger of any kind.

What the Panel Motion Detector Actually Is

The IQ Panel 5 (available in AT&T LTE and Verizon LTE) can use its built-in 13 MP PortraitView camera to create an independent motion zone, called the Panel Motion Detector. This is genuinely important to understand correctly: it's for activity monitoring and automation purposes only, and the manual is explicit that it will not create an alarm condition or act as a security PIR sensor. This is not a substitute for a real motion sensor as part of your security system, and it should never be relied on as one.

Once enabled, the feature creates its own zone (Group 25) that can detect motion in front of the camera and trigger activity monitoring or automation rules, such as turning on a light when motion is detected. Motion can trip at most once every 4 minutes, so it's not designed for rapid, continuous activity tracking. This feature is disabled by default and has not been evaluated for UK or CE/EN Grade 2 compliance.

How to Enable the Panel Motion Detector

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen. This opens the Settings Tray with quick controls.

2. Touch Settings. This opens the main Settings page.

3. Touch Advanced Settings. This prompts you to enter a code before continuing.

4. Enter the Installer Code. The default Installer Code is 1111, though your account admin may have changed it to something else, like 2222.

IQ Panel 5 Installer Code entry screen

5. Touch Installation. This opens the Installation menu, which lists Devices, Installer Settings, System Logs, Sirens and Alarms, Security and Arming, and Camera Settings.

6. Touch Installer Settings. This opens a longer list of system-wide toggles, including Panel Glass Break Detector, Panel Motion Detector, and Panel Ambient Noise Detector.

7. Find Panel Motion Detector in the list. This setting is disabled by default.

8. Turn on Panel Motion Detector. Once enabled, a new motion zone using the panel's built-in camera is added to your system for activity monitoring and automation.

Adjusting Sensitivity and Masking

Once enabled, Panel Motion Settings lets you fine-tune this feature further. You can adjust the sensitivity threshold to control how easily motion is detected, and mask off up to 4 customizable areas within the camera's field of view to prevent false triggers, such as a window with moving tree branches or a spot where a pet frequently walks through.

IQ Panel 5 Panel Motion Settings showing the sensitivity options

IQ Panel 5 Panel Motion Settings showing a masked area

Why This Isn't a Security Feature

It's worth repeating clearly: enabling Panel Motion Detector does not add intrusion detection to your home. It exists purely for activity monitoring, letting you see or automate based on motion happening near the panel, not for triggering an alarm if someone breaks in. If you're looking to add real motion-based intrusion detection, you'll want an actual PowerG motion sensor enrolled as a security zone instead, which is designed and rated for that purpose.

Compatibility With Other Panel Features

Panel Motion Detector uses the panel's built-in camera, separate from the microphones used by Panel Glass Break Detector and Panel Ambient Noise Detector, so it doesn't share the same mutual exclusivity those two features have with each other. That said, since this feature relies on the camera, anything that affects the camera's function, like a physical obstruction or extremely low light, will affect this feature's reliability as well.

A Practical Example of How This Could Be Used

One practical use case is triggering an automation rule when motion is detected near the panel, such as turning on a hallway light automatically when someone walks by during the evening. Since this zone reports to Group 25, activity monitoring, it can be tied into local automation rules or Alarm.com scenes the same way any other activity-monitoring sensor would be, without needing an actual PowerG motion sensor mounted nearby. This makes it a convenient, no-extra-hardware way to add a basic automation trigger specifically in the room where the panel is mounted, as long as you keep in mind it's strictly for convenience and never for security.

Enabling the Panel Motion Detector on the IQ Panel 5 adds a camera-based activity zone for automation, not a substitute for real security motion detection on the IQ Panel 5. For help with the Panel Motion Detector or other built-in camera features or other configurations on your IQ Panel 5, contact the Alarm Grid support team. We are here Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM Eastern Time. Email us at support@alarmgrid.com, call us at 888-818-7728, or visit our website and chat with a live support agent.