False alarms happen all too often, and most of us do not realize how these alarms affect our neighborhood police officers. In fact, in many neighborhoods, police forces are beginning to charge you if you have a specific amount of false alarms per year. Most of the fees are minimal, but to avoid having to open up your wallet, here are some tips to avoid false alarms in your home.
Keep Your System Up To Date
Maintaining your system is of the utmost importance, considering it is protecting you and your home. Be sure to check the batteries regularly, as power outages can be the cause of false alarms if the backup battery does not activate. If you are planning on testing your system, be sure to alert the alarm company. If you think that your false alarms are caused by a malfunction of our system, be sure to report it immediately.
Keep Your Family In-The-Loop
You are excited about your new touchpad on your home security system, but your family definitely does not understand it the way you do. Be sure to teach your family how to use the system so that they can practice using it when you are not around. Also, if you have friends or extended family staying with you, be sure to teach them, too. Do not stop using the system just because a friend is staying with you, it is important to stay consistent and let the system do it’s job.
Understand how Motion Detectors Work
If you choose to have motion detectors in your home, make sure that you understand their functionality! Especially if you have children and pets who like to sneak around the house at night; it is important that you understand the way they work so that you can avoid false alarms. Some motion detectors will be set off if the air conditioner turns on and blows a curtain, so be sure to strategically place motion detectors around your home.
Keep An Eye on the Weather Channel
If a false alarm isn’t from human error, it is most likely due to the weather. If you know there is a big storm coming, prepare your home and your system. While false alarms are all too common during storms, be sure that your system will not trip and cause police forces to come to your home while there are more pressing issues.
Practice Using Your Alarm
The best way to understand how your system works is by using it every day. About 70% of false alarms are due to human error, so if you consistently practice and use your system, you will be more comfortable with how it works, therefore there is a smaller chance of a false alarm due to human error.
