How To Prevent False Alarms

It’s the middle of the day. You’ve just come back from a nice relaxing work lunch and you’re ready to tackle the rest of your daily tasks. But then you get a notification from your phone and your home security alarm is going off. Panic ensues. “Am I being burgled?”, “I’ve left my dog alone, will he be ok?” 

Thankfully, with a SimpliSafe home security system and Professional Monitoring plan you won’t have to rush home to see what’s happened. In the event of an alarm activating, you’ll have full access to the app and will be able to check in on your home remotely. You’ll also receive a call from the professional monitoring centre to check you’re safe and they will also request police dispatch upon a visually verified incident.

Even so, we understand that false alarms can still be scary and frustrating. That’s why we’ve put together a handy guide to help avoid false alarms in your home. 

Step 1: Find a system that works for you

It’s the first and most important step because that’s where great home security starts. 

With the ability to personalise your system to work seamlessly with your home, SimpliSafe offers smart home security systems that are simple to set up and manage. Whether you choose a pre-built package or want to build your own system, you can always add extra sensors, cameras and other accessories at any time.

What’s important to keep in mind when buying and maintaining your system, is that you have the right sensors for the set up of your home. For example, you might have to install an Entry Sensor on a window or door rather than having a Motion Sensor due to the layout of the home, or vice-versa.

Step 2: Know what’s causing your alarm to trigger

There are many reasons why false alarms may trigger in your home. Here, we have taken a look at some of the most common causes:

Location location location

There are some areas in your home that you should avoid when it comes to choosing a location for your sensors and detectors. Here are our top tips for finding the right places: 

1. Try not to install Motion Sensors near direct sources of heat, such as above a radiator. This is due to how this sensor picks up heat signatures.

2. Place Water Sensors in locations where water wouldn’t be splashed near it on a daily basis, such as next to the bath or shower for example.

3. Place the Base Station in a central location in the home such as the hallway. Sensors can work up to 100ft away from the Base Station, so think as though it’s ‘central’ to them all.

For more information on finding the best location to install your sensors, take a tour of our house illustration and learn more about how the SimpliSafe system works.

Surfaces

Did you know that some surfaces aren’t suitable for all of our sensors? For example, with textured walls and frames, sensors might not be able to be installed securely with self-adhesive tape as it may require a stronger, more permanent fixture.

However, we have some tips to combat this and to help select the right surface for your system:

1. Find a smooth, flat surface to install your sensors and Keypad. You could use a ruler to test if the surface is flat.

2. Clean the area with rubbing alcohol before applying the sensors..

3. When fixing a sensor to the wall using the self-adhesive tape on the back, hold it in place for at least 30 seconds to make sure it’s secure.

4. Use the screws provided with the sensors for a more permanent fixture or if the surface is a little uneven to ensure it doesn’t come loose or fall.

5. With the Base Station, try not to place it on the floor or on metal surfaces as this can cause wireless interference.

Pets triggering alarms

Our furry friends can sometimes be the culprit for triggering our alarms too. However, with a few minor adjustments to the set up and placement of your sensors with pets in mind, the risk of them triggering a false alarm can be greatly reduced. 

Here’s a few things you can do to prevent your pet from triggering an alarm: 

1. Turn the Motion Sensor upside down with the test button facing towards the floor.

2. Fix this to the wall at around 4-5 ft high - make sure it’s out of reach of your pets.

3. Turn the sensitivity of your motion sensor to low.

Read our blog on how to keep pets from triggering the burglar alarm for more tips.

Accidental bumps and knocks

Sometimes, things simply go bump in the night. Unfortunately, this could cause a false alarm to trigger. With our Glassbreak Sensor, it’s important that you keep smashable objects away from its location. 

For example: 

DON’T place your Glassbreak Sensor in the kitchen close to pots, pans and fragile glasses that can easily fall, clank and break. 

DO place your Glassbreak Sensor in areas vulnerable to break-ins via glass - i.e your conservatory.

Step 3: Test your alarm

It’s important that you test your alarm once it’s set up and when you add a new sensor or move it to a different location. This will ensure that it's placed ideally to prevent false alarms from triggering. Putting the system into test mode is simple and takes only a few minutes: 

1. Install the sensor where you would ideally like it.

2. Press the Menu button on your Keypad.

3. Enter your PIN.

4. Scroll right using the Home button until you reach option 5, ‘Test Mode’.

5. Enter Test Mode by pressing the Away button.

We recommend that you keep your system in ‘Test Mode’ for at least an hour. 

Still having trouble with your alarm?

In some instances, you might not find that these troubleshooting steps are working for you. In this instance, rest assured that our products have a 3 year warranty and you only need to contact us to resolve the issue. 

If you have any queries, or would like some further tips for keeping your SimpliSafe home security false alarm free, please don’t hesitate to contact our customer support team on 0800 456 1789, or email us at customer-support@simplisafe.co.uk.