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False alarms and system glitches can be aggravating, and even more concerning, could prevent your home security system from doing its job effectively. Fortunately, most troubles, from dead batteries to false alarms, are simple to fix. Take a look at our suggestions for troubleshooting your home alarm system in Erie. We’ll help you keep your household protected and your system operating properly.

Test Your Home Security System In Erie

One great way to troubleshoot your home’s security is to test it yourself! The latest systems allow you to put them in test mode to prevent you from prompting an emergency response from monitoring agents. After moving to test mode, follow these steps:

• Activate your system as you normally would when you head out.
• Open a door or window that uses a contact sensor, or try to trigger something else. Close the window or door so it doesn’t trigger the alarm as you reactivate the system.
• Allow the alarm to go off for 60 seconds to ensure communications with the security provider and to produce an entry in the alarm activity log.
• Proceed to test devices as you wish
• Check the system activity log to verify functionality.

No need to worry, monitoring agents will be able to see that your system is undergoing a test. Just be sure to switch off test mode when done. It’s smart to test once a month or anytime you make changes to your home’s internet or phone service.

Inspect The Positioning And Condition Of Motion Sensors

Although an essential part of your alarm system, motion sensors are well known for false alarms. You can help prevent them with a few straightforward troubleshooting steps.

• Do a physical inspection. Is there anything that could move within the sensor’s detection area, like drapery caught in a breeze?
• Is the sensor dirty? Cobwebs, dirt, and debris can result in malfunctions. Ensure the sensor is clean.
• Does the motion detector have pet immunity you can enable? Some sensors can be configured to ignore pets weighing as much as 100 pounds.
• When was the battery replaced? A nearly depleted battery may impact performance or cause false alarms.
• Is a heat source impacting the sensor? Excess heat from direct sun or a fireplace can cause an alarm.

Keep Batteries Ready And Watch Out For Low Battery Warnings

One helpful perk of the latest home security systems is that they’ll notify you when batteries are running low. If your system is equipped with a control panel or app, you’ll usually discover alerts there. Depending on your alarm, you could hear an occasional beep when batteries are low. 

Motion detectors, smoke detectors, contact sensors, and other wireless tools have batteries that will have to be replaced every 1 to 2 years. It’s a good idea to keep batteries around and create a replacement schedule. Some systems also have a backup battery for the primary control panel. This battery keeps your system running if you lose power and should charge back up once power is back online. If it doesn’t recharge, you should replace it.

Troubleshooting Is Easy With ADT Home Security In Erie 

As the leading name in home security, ADT creates systems that supply superior protection and functionality. Switching to test mode is simple through MyADT.com or the ADT+ app, and you’ll always get alerts when a sensor battery is low. Get in touch with Secure24 Alarm Systems, an authorized ADT dealer, to learn more and design a system perfect for your Erie home and family. Dial (814) 212-8989 or submit our form today!