If you have an alarm system, you already know how important it is to protect your home from intruders, allowing you to keep yourself and your family safe. But what happens in the event of a power failure? Even the most advanced home security system in the world is useless without power supplied to it.
How to stop your security system from BEEPING when there is a power outage. When you lose power, your security system relies on the battery backup installed in the main control box. Most systems (depending upon the number of hardwired devices connected to the system’s main power supply) have enough battery backup power for short periods of. New Project 2 copy 3. Sean guides you through the process of silencing your alarm's trouble beeps. The instructions for resetting a home alarm after a power outage vary by brand and model. Contact your alarm manufacturer to obtain resetting instructions that are specific to your security system. But if your home experiences a power outage, the lack of AC power could leave your home temporarily unprotected. After pressing this on the keypad, your zone lights should light up, communicating any trouble areas. Pushing # will silence the trouble sound. Then here’s a quick look at what your yellow triangle could be telling you: AC Power Loss – You’ve lost power. You’ll know this because the keypad will not make a beeping sound, but it will be.
Criminals know that a power outage is a prime opportunity for shady activities. A study by Data Science for Social Good, a program of the UOC, finds that crimes, including burglaries, go up an average of 7% in the event of a power outage affecting just streetlights. When all power is cut, including power to alarm systems, the number is even higher.
For this reason, all modern alarm systems have a battery backup designed to power the system for 10-24 hours, depending on the complexity of the system and the condition of the battery. When AC power is cut, the system automatically transfers to the battery backup, and continues to work at the same arming level as it was set to before the power outage, although other systems, like the keypad light, may be reduced to conserve power.
When power is restored, the system goes back to using AC power and charges the battery again. These batteries cannot operate indefinitely. Like all batteries, they will eventually degrade, having a reduced capacity and operational life, whether they have been used or not. As a result, the lifetime of the battery is between three and five years, depending on the manufacturer’s specifications. For your safety, the battery should be able to power the system for a minimum of eight hours.
If the battery is beginning to fail, it will alert you to the problem. Many malfunctions, including false alarms, or alarm events when the alarm is not even set, can be traced back to the battery. If the battery becomes fully depleted and there is a power outage, the alarm panels will stop functioning and the alarm may begin to whine until the battery has no charge at all. Motion sensors will activate and send alarms to the central station.
Dsc Alarm Reset After Power Outage
While the batteries can usually be replaced yourself, the best way to be sure is to have the system serviced by a professional. In addition to testing the battery, they will also be able to diagnose any other issues that you may be having with the system, and provide advice and assistance about any other system operations you might have questions about.
Scheduling regular maintenance checks of your alarm system is the best way to reduce annoying false alarms and keep everything functioning in tip-top shape, while keeping your family and home safe.
Give us a call here at Eurotech if you’d like to schedule an appointment for us to service your alarm system.
Yellow Trouble Light? Setting the Time and Date on a DSC Keypad!
If you have a DSC Security System, then you may have experienced yellow trouble lights on your DSC keypad. These blinking yellow lights can mean a number of different things, but if you see a blinking light and your DSC keypad is also displaying an incorrect time and/or date, then chances are they’re indicating that you need to reset the time and date on your DSC keypad.
The most likely cause of a DSC alarm system displaying the incorrect time or date is a power outage. You’re probably already familiar with the process of resetting the clocks on your stove, microwave, and other appliances in the home when the power goes out, and the same goes for your DSC Security System. On rare occasions, Daylight Saving Time may also require you to reset the time and date on your DSC keypad, though most DSC residential and commercial alarm systems are programmed to automatically adjust to Daylight Saving Time—which is Sunday, November 6 at 2am, by the way!
Whatever the reason you may need to reset the time and date on your DSC keypad, it’s simple enough to do once you know the steps. Here’s how:
Not every DSC keypad looks exactly the same, but the steps to reset the time and date on your DSC keypad are the same no matter which keypad you have. The first step is to press star (*) then 6, and then enter the 4-digit master code for your DSC commercial or residential alarm system. After that you just need to press 1 to access the time and date feature.
Once you’re in, you’ll enter the time and date in 2-digit values starting with hours, followed by minutes, then month, day, and year. To reset the time and date on your DSC keypad, time must be entered in 24-hour format. So to enter 9:54am you would enter the numbers 0-9-5-4. If it were the 23rd of September, you would then enter 0-9 for the month and 2-3 for the day. Since it’s currently 2016, you would enter 1-6 for the year.
After you’ve reset the time and date on your DSC keypad you should hear a few beeps and then the time and date should be displaying correctly. If the time and date are correct and the yellow trouble lights on the DSC keypad are still blinking, then that’s an indication that something else may be wrong, and you should call your Kansas City alarm system provider right away!
DSC: Checking Trouble Light Problem (yellow Light)
Resetting the time and date on your DSC keypad may sound a little complicated when we spell it out like this, but we’ve recorded a short two-minute YouTube video on how to set the time and date on a DSC security system that will walk you through the entire process quickly and easily! If you have any questions about resetting the time and date on your DSC keypad, if the trouble lights on your DSC keypad are still blinking, or if you simply want to know more about commercial or residential alarm systems in Kansas City, please don’t hesitate to contact A-TEC Security today.