How Do I Replace a Sensor on the IQ5 NS Security System?

To replace a sensor on the IQ5 NS, open the IQ Installer app, go to Config, Installation, Devices, then Security Sensors. Touch the old sensor, touch the trash icon, touch Remove, then enroll the new sensor with Auto Learn Sensor. Test the new sensor afterward to confirm it reports.

Why Replacing a Sensor Takes More Than Editing It

The IQ5 NS (available in AT&T LTE and Verizon LTE) identifies each sensor by its DL or Sensor ID. The Edit Sensor page lets you change every field except that ID, so a new sensor cannot simply take the old sensor's place by editing. To replace a sensor on the IQ5 NS, you delete the old one in the IQ Installer app and enroll the new one.

The manual lists a Delete Sensor option for this and no separate Replace button. The goal is the same either way, which is a new sensor reporting to your security system with the right name and group.

Before You Start

Have the new sensor ready and write down the old sensor's name, group, and partition, since you will want the new one to match. You need the IQ Installer app connected to the system, and the Installer Code or Dealer Code. The manual says deleting a sensor is useful when you need to replace it all together instead of editing its programmed information.

How to Delete the Old Sensor in the App

1. Open the IQ Installer app and connect to the panel. Press the power button twice within 3 seconds and wait for the solid blue Status LED.

2. Enter the Installer Code or Dealer Code. The default Installer Code is 1111 and the default Dealer Code is 2222.

3. Touch the Config tab, then Installation, then Devices. This opens the Devices menu.

4. Touch Security Sensors. The app lists each enrolled sensor by number and name.

5. Touch the sensor you are replacing. An Info page opens with the sensor's details.

IQ5 NS Security Sensors list with a sensor selected

6. Touch the trash icon at the bottom of the Info page. A Remove device popup asks if you are sure.

7. Touch Remove. Touch Cancel instead to quit without deleting.

IQ5 NS Remove device confirmation

How to Enroll the New Sensor

1. Go back to Security Sensors and choose Auto Learn Sensor, then touch Start Autolearn. The system starts listening for the new sensor.

2. Activate the new sensor. Open and close it or trip its tamper, or for a PowerG sensor hold its enroll button until the yellow LED flashes. The app displays the new sensor's code.

3. Set the sensor's partition, type, group, name, chime type, and voice prompts, then save. Use the same name and group as the old sensor so your system keeps working the way it did.

After You Replace the Sensor

Test the new sensor to confirm the system sees it. Run the Sensor Test in the app, or open and close the sensor and check its status. Mount the new sensor in the same spot as the old one, and keep the old sensor out of range, or remove its battery, so it does not report by mistake.

When You Need to Replace a Sensor

The common reasons are a sensor that has stopped communicating, a damaged sensor, or an upgrade to a different model. If the sensor only has a weak battery, replace the battery first, since that does not require changing the sensor in the system. If the sensor was recently moved and now seems out of range, check its signal before you replace it.

Using PowerG Sensors

The IQ5 NS enrolls PowerG sensors, and the steps above work the same way for them. Hold the sensor's enroll button until its yellow LED flashes while the app is listening, then confirm the code the app displays matches the new sensor.

Replacing a sensor on your IQ5 NS means deleting the old one in the IQ Installer app and enrolling the new one on the IQ5 NS. For help with sensor replacement or other sensor settings or other configurations on your IQ5 NS, 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.