
Tips For Troubleshooting Your Home Alarm System In Columbus
System glitches and false alarms can be frustrating, and more importantly, could prevent your home’s security from working the way it should. Fortunately, most issues, from false alarms to dead batteries, are simple to remedy. Check out our suggestions for troubleshooting your home alarm system in Columbus. We’ll help keep your household safeguarded and your system running smoothly.
Test Your Home Security System In Columbus
One of the most effective ways to troubleshoot your property’s security is to test it yourself! Modern systems have a test mode so you don’t by accident trigger an emergency response from monitoring agents. Once you’re in test mode, follow these steps:
- Turn on your system as you normally would when going out.
- Open a door or window that uses a contact sensor, or try to trip another device. Close the door or window once you’re done so it doesn’t trigger the alarm when you switch the system back on.
- Let the alarm resonate for 60 seconds to ensure communications with the security company and to create an entry in the alarm system log.
- Proceed to test devices as you wish
- Review the alarm’s activity log to verify proper function.
No need to worry, monitoring specialists can tell that your system is involved in a test. Just be sure to switch off test mode when you’re done. It’s wise to test every other month or anytime you change your home’s phone or internet connectivity.
Evaluate The Positioning And State Of Motion Detectors
Although an crucial aspect of your alarm system, motion detectors are notorious for false alarms. Prevent them with some easy troubleshooting.
- Do a physical check. Is there something that could shift within the sensor’s detection range, like a curtain blown in a breeze?
- Is the sensor covered in dust? Cobwebs, dirt, and debris can lead to malfunctions. Check to confirm the face is clean.
- Does the motion detector have pet immunity you can activate? Some sensors can be set to ignore pets weighing up to 100 pounds.
- When was the battery replaced? A nearly depleted battery can affect performance or cause false alarms.
- Is the sensor facing a source of heat? Excessive heat from direct sun or a fireplace can cause an alarm.
Keep Batteries On Hand And Pay Attention To Low Battery Notifications
One of the great advantages of modern home security systems is that they’ll tell you when batteries are running low. If your system is equipped with a control panel or mobile app, you’ll often find notifications there. Depending on your system, you might hear an occasional beep when batteries are getting low.
Motion detectors, smoke detectors, contact sensors, and other wireless tools have batteries that will have to be replaced every so often. It’s best to keep batteries ready and create a replacement schedule. Top systems also have a rechargeable backup battery for the primary control panel. This backup battery keeps your system operating if your power goes out and should recharge itself once the electricity is working again. If it fails to recharge, you should replace it.
Troubleshooting Is Effortless With ADT Home Security In Columbus
As the foremost name in home security, ADT creates systems that offer superior functionality and protection. Switching to test mode is simple through the ADT+ app or MyADT.com, and you’ll always be sent updates when a battery is running low. Reach out to Secure24 Alarm Systems, an authorized ADT dealer, to find out more and design a system perfectly suited to your Columbus home and family. Call (614) 368-9896 or fill out our form today!
