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False alarms can be a serious family or business problem. They lead to neighbours ignoring your alarm; and reluctance on your part to use your alarm, which makes your family, home, employees, business or property vulnerable to intrusion, theft or fire. If your alarm was not armed you might be uninsured for your loss. Worse still if you are not using your alarm, personal injury might result for your family members or employees as a result of a confrontation with an intruder in your home or work place.
Most false activations are not related to faulty equipment, they are genuine detections of non intruder events. By reviewing the tips below you should be able to avoid these difficulties.
Alarm Codes
- Many false alarms (49%) are caused by forgotten arm / disarm codes. Memorise your keypad code and ADT verification code or create a system to help you remember it.
- Keep your code secret from others.
- Avoid writing them down where they can be found.
- Avoid leaving them in an obvious place like the closest drawer to the keypad.
Understand the functions of your alarm system
- Ensure that each user of your system, including anyone with a key, knows: Their arm / disarm code.
- Their ADT verification code.
- Is fully trained on how to use the system.
- They should know where to quickly find the phone number of the ADT monitoring centre (0800 111 238).
- Ensure that all users fully understand the functions as described in the instruction manual.
- If you make a mistake when pressing keys on your keypad, press the [#] key and start again.
- If you accidentally set off the alarm, don’t panic. Calmly disarm the alarm system using your normal user code. Should you correctly disarm your alarm within a minute or two or falsely activating it, ADT will not call your premises as we will see a genuine deactivation of the alarm. This does not mean we have not received the activation signal, we simply are aware you have accidentally activated your alarm.
- If you do not have enough time to comfortably enter or exit within the pre-programmed delay periods, please call ADT to enquire about having your entry / exit delay time adjusted or refer to your instruction manual.
When to notify ADT
- New users of the alarm system (employees or contractors)
- Acquiring new pets
- Going on holiday
- Renovations
- Fumigation
- Phone system changes or installing broadband internet services
- Changing your business operating hours
- A decision to sell, or if you think your system isn’t working properly or doesn’t fully meet your security needs
Motion Detectors
If motion detectors are installed:
- When you acquire a pet, please ask ADT about options to reduce false activations arising from pet activity.
- Do not leave helium-filled balloons behind in the property.
- Make sure certain posters are well affixed to walls and that plants or curtains cannot be blown by the wind.
Home and alarm maintenance
- Repair loose-fitting windows and doors and close them properly before arming the system.
- Ensure your system has regular maintenance by an ADT technician and that you change your wireless device batteries when the system advises these are low.
- Please contact ADT who can arrange a preventative maintenance service of your alarm system.
- To test your system, perform a "walk test" each month. Before the test, notify ADT then activate the alarm and walk around the property in front of all motion detectors. When testing is complete, call ADT to confirm the sensors that picked up movement. Also contact ADT should the system fail to function properly.
- Test any new user codes to ensure they function for arming and disarming.
Upgrading
- If your alarm system is reasonably old you might wish to enquire with ADT regarding upgrading your system to include the latest home security system.
You can learn more about monitored security systems by checking out the ADT Life Safety Solutions available to you.
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