What to Do When Your Home Alarm Goes Off for No Reason

Home alarms have one important task: to sound off when there’s a security breach. Most of the time they function reliably, but there are instances where the alarm goes off for no apparent reason. When this happens, you want to get to the root of the problem as soon as possible. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a malfunctioning security system that may not protect you in critical situations.

Here are a couple of things you can do to ensure your home alarm is triggered only when necessary.

Keep track of your children and pets

It is possible that your toddler or your pet dog may have tripped up one of your home alarm’s features. While this is a minor inconvenience, it does provide an opportunity for you to adjust the location of the sensors. Make sure the devices are positioned high enough so they don’t detect movement from your children and pets.

You can also set up barriers to prevent them from crossing the sensors and activating the alarm. If you have small kids in the house, make sure to teach them about home safety and tell them to avoid playing around with the sensors.

Use pet-friendly motion detectors

Speaking of pets, there are motion detectors out there that are built to disregard any movement from animals that weigh less than 20 kgs. This greatly reduces the chances of activating a false alarm, especially if you own multiple pets. It’s a good idea to consult with security experts on which type of pet-friendly motion sensor you should use and have them set it up for you.

Check for dead batteries

Dead batteries create a gap in your home security which is why you want to check up on them from time to time. Some systems will alert you of a dead battery by setting off the alarm while the devices themselves may emit a small beep to indicate you of low battery. Regardless, you should make it a habit to check the battery charge at least once a month to avoid setting off unwanted alarms.

Make sure the software is up to date

Home alarms rely on both hardware and software to ensure 24/7 protection. If your software is out of date, you may experience issues with bugs that can randomly trigger the alarm. A simple software update should be enough to fix the problem.

While you’re at it, take the time to inspect the condition of the hardware components as well. Check the door and window sensors to see if they’re still in good shape. If you’ve already performed a software update and you’re still encountering alarm issues, then you may want to contact your security provider and have a technician inspect the alarm system.

Installation problems

For those who are using DIY alarm systems, make sure you’ve followed the instructions on how to set up the alarm correctly. False alarms can be caused by an ill-positioned sensor or an incorrect wiring connection. You can refer back to the instruction manual to see if you’ve missed any important steps in the installation process.

User error is one of the most common issues of a faulty home alarm. To avoid this, it’s best to have your home alarm installed by a qualified technician.

Reposition the sensors

If you’ve made major changes to your household or landscaping, they can potentially contribute to false alarms. For example, if an infrared sensor is placed near a furnace, it may malfunction and activate the alarm. The same goes for security cameras that detect movement of leaves, branches, or other moving objects.

If this is the case, then consider repositioning the devices to avoid unnecessary alarm triggers.

Look for signs of wear and tear

Even a professionally installed alarm system can be prone to false alarms if the components are old and worn out. This happens when you move into a home with a pre-existing alarm system already in place. To determine whether or not you should keep the system, look for signs of wear and tear such as frayed wirings, excess scratches, leaking batteries, and malfunctioning devices.

You can still use the alarm system and have it reactivated by its security provider given that the components are still in good working order. If not, then replacing it with a modern home alarm is a much better idea.

Call a professional for help

Security systems can be quite complex to deal with.. If you find it difficult to troubleshoot your home alarm, you may want to contact a professional for assistance. Casa Security offers expert security alarm repair services for clients within the Perth metro. Our team of technicians are well-versed at identifying all types of alarms issues and rectifying any faults in the system.

For immediate home alarm repairs, contact us today and we’ll address the problem swiftly and efficiently.