Homeowners warned after flapping jubilee bunting sets off motion sensor alarms
Patriotic Black Country homeowners are happily tearing down the bunting today after being driven to distraction by motion sensor security cameras during the Platinum Jubilee weekend.
However, those who changed the settings on alarms, doorbells and mobile phones to stop notifications have been told to return them to normal to thwart burglars and ensure their insurance is not invalidated.
The Platinum Jubilee is the first massive milestone in British history since the motion sensor video doorbells, the most popular being Ring, were introduced the UK.
Connected to an app on phones, residents can see whenever someone approaches their door by being alerted on their phone. However, bunting, which flaps with the wind, caused consternation this weekend.
Marie Stuart, from Kates Hill, Dudley, said: "My phone was going off all the time getting notifications from my camera doorbell app as soon as I put the bunting up. I could not see anyone at the door and noticed the bunting was flapping about.
"I put the bunting up on Thursday morning and had taken it down by that night because it was so annoying. Friends told me to mute the notifications on my phone but I blew some balloons up instead, I'm patriotic as the next person but not enough to get burgled because of bunting."
Homeowners discovering this 21st Century phenomenon took to social media to vent their frustration.
Stuart Grant tweeted: "Put up some bunting and then immediately regretted it as it sets off the motion sensor security camera every other second."
Stourbridge security expert Matthew Wright, who has installed hundreds of motion sensor doorbell alarms and security systems across the UK, warned people not to mess around with settings, even for a Platinum Jubilee weekend.
He told the Express & Star: "If your security systems have been installed by a professional and you start changing settings you run the risk of either compromising the operation of your system or worst case doing something that stops it working effectively altogether.
"Remember if you have advised your insurance company that you have certain systems in place to lower home insurance premiums, if you do have an incident and you have adjusted a system yourself and it’s not performed you could have invalidated your policy or given them a reason not to pay out."
