What Does Each Sensor Group Mean on the IQ Panel 5 System?

A sensor group tells the IQ Panel 5 how a sensor behaves, such as whether it triggers an instant alarm, gives an entry delay, or only chimes. Door and window groups include 10, 12, 13, and 14, and motion groups include 15, 17, and 35. Safety groups chime. Panic groups cover fobs.

What a Sensor Group Is

The IQ Panel 5 (available in AT&T LTE and Verizon LTE) uses sensor groups to decide how each sensor behaves. A group sets whether a sensor triggers an alarm instantly, gives an entry delay, works in Stay or Away mode, reports to the central station, or only chimes. You choose the group when you enroll a sensor, and you can change it later by editing the sensor. Group numbers and behaviors stay the same on every frequency the panel supports.

The panel also has a Sensor Group page that lists every group with its ID, type, name, supervisory setting, restoral, timer, and siren type. Each sensor type, such as door and window, motion, or smoke, has its own list of groups.

IQ Panel 5 Sensor Group page

Door and Window Groups

Group 10, Entry-Exit Normal Delay, gives you time to exit or to disarm on return before the alarm sounds. Group 12, Entry-Exit Long Delay, does the same with a separate long delay. Group 13, Instant Perimeter D/W, triggers an alarm instantly when the system is armed. Group 14, Instant Interior Door, is an interior sensor that triggers instantly in Stay and Away and does not trip if an entry or exit sensor trips first. Group 16, Away Instant Follower Delay, is an interior door that triggers instantly in Away mode only. Group 11, Day Zone, triggers instantly when armed, like Group 13. When disarmed, it announces opens and closes and keeps notifying until you press dismiss.

Motion Groups

Group 15, Stay Instant Motion, is active in Stay, Night, and Away and trips instantly. Group 17, Away Instant Motion, is active only in Night and Away and trips instantly. Group 35, Stay Delay Motion, is active in Stay, Night, and Away and starts an entry delay. Group 20, Away Delay Motion, is active in Night and Away and starts an entry delay. Group 43 trips instantly in Away and starts an entry delay in Stay. Groups 44 and 45 are always instant and ignore entry and exit delay rules, with 44 active in Night and Away and 45 active in all three modes. Most motion groups do not trip if an entry or exit sensor trips first.

Safety Groups

Group 25, Local Safety Sensor, does not report or trigger an alarm and only chimes when activity monitoring is active, which suits medicine cabinets and chemical storage. Group 8, Reporting Safety Sensor, reports to the central station and triggers an alarm when activity monitoring is active, whatever the panel status. Group 9, Delayed Reporting Safety Sensor, does the same with an entry delay. Group 25 is also the local-only choice for door bell, occupancy, garage tilt, and non-reporting water, freeze, and temperature sensors.

Glass Break and Shock Groups

Group 13, Glass Break, is active in both Stay and Away. Group 17, Glass Break Away Only, is active in Away only. Shock sensors use the same two groups.

Panic Groups for Key Fobs, Keypads, and Pendants

Fixed panic groups are supervised and mobile groups are not. Group 0, Fixed Intrusion, and Group 1, Mobile Intrusion, trigger a police panic. Groups 2 and 3, Fixed Silent and Mobile Silent, trigger a silent police panic. Groups 4 and 6 trigger an Auxiliary panic, fixed and mobile, and groups 5 and 7 trigger a silent Auxiliary panic. Pendants add Group 25, Safety Auxiliary Pendant, for local alerts like a nurse call button, and Groups 61 and 62, which send a restore to the central station. Medical functionality has not been evaluated for UL, cUL, UKCA, or CE and EN Grade 2.

Smoke, CO, Water, and Temperature Groups

Group 26, Smoke-Heat, triggers on smoke or a rapid rise in heat, and Group 34, CO, triggers on carbon monoxide. Group 38, Water Sensor, triggers on water. Group 52, Freeze, triggers on low temperatures, and Group 53, Temp Reporting, triggers on high temperatures. Groups 50 and 51 are only for the PowerG Temp Sensor PGx905 and give true temperature monitoring with custom thresholds, and Group 50 reports to the central station. Thresholds can be set from -22 F to 158 F, or -40 C to 85 C. Group 33, Siren, supervises Z-Wave sirens and reports to the central station. Group 13, Takeover, triggers an alarm when a translator is tampered in Stay or Away.

How to Choose a Group

Match the group to the job. Use Group 10 for the doors you use to come and go, Group 13 for windows and other doors, and Group 14 or 16 for interior doors. Use a Stay motion group where people move while armed Stay, and an Away motion group where you want protection only when the house is empty. Use Group 25 when you want a chime and no alarm.

These groups apply to PowerG sensors and to the legacy frequencies the panel supports, and they work the same way across your whole security system.

Understanding sensor groups on your IQ Panel 5 helps you choose how each sensor behaves, from instant alarms to chime-only alerts on the IQ Panel 5. For help with sensor groups or other sensor settings 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.