Communicator Testing

The following is a general procedure to help you test your security system. A multitude of things can impair the performance of your system's communicator. Examples include lightning, static and accidental damage, unseen tampering, telephone system rewiring, worn batteries and changes in the phone network itself.

In order to maximize the continuity of protection, it is essential to test often. We strongly recommend you make it a habit to test at least monthly, without reminders from us. You should also conduct a test after any severe electrical storm and after any work has been done to your phone system.

If you are uneasy about testing the system on your own, call our office. We will be happy to reassure and help you conduct a test procedure. Also, consider the 24-hour Automatic Test Option.

If necessary, we can arrange a service visit to inspect and test the system. While we are there we will be happy to demonstrate the testing procedure, so that you can later do your own regular testing. There will usually be a charge for such a visit unless it is covered by contract or warranty. (In some cases planned inspections are billed along with the monitoring fee.)

If your system has just failed to communicate a signal:

First, check your phone lines for dial tone and clarity. Most dialers are connected to a single phone line. (Be sure to check the specific line your system uses to send signals. Note, UL Listed fire alarms systems are usually connected to two different lines.) Examine the possibility that heavy traffic or repair work may have prevented the signal from getting through.

If there is no dial tone, make sure that no phone instruments are off hook. Then follow the usual procedures for restoring dial tone, but touch base with us before you have the phone company come out. There are some checks we can have you do that could avoid an unnecessary, billable service call by the phone company.

In short, we will have you temporarily unplug the RJ31X cord to see if the security system itself may be jamming your line. If that is the case, you need help from us first, not the phone company.

If you find the signal was blocked by a phone, modem or other device being left "off hook," call us to discuss a possible lack of "line seizure." This important function has to do with the way your phone system is wired. It is highly desirable for the security system to be wired ahead of all other phones and accessories, using a jack called an "RJ31X." There are just a few situations that make line seizure impossible to achieve, but numerous things can foul it up. The most common causes are repairs to the phone system and the addition of new phone jacks. If you ever have new jacks installed, make sure they tap in after the RJ31X.

Be aware the phone network is occasionally down for updating and reprogramming. There can be local phone company outages as well as long distance outages. It is likely that a system that sends daily tests will fail to communicate once in a while, especially if the test signal occurs overnight, when the phone companies do heavier maintenance.

Sometimes your dialer will get busy signals due to a traffic jam at the receiver. The FCC regulates how many attempted calls your dialer is permitted to make. Most dialers are set to make from six to fifteen attempts. Then they give up. This is more likely to happen when many stores are opening or closing, and during storms.

If there seems to be no obvious reason for a missed automatic test, or if your system is a type that will display a trouble condition until the next successful communication, then:

Conduct a manual signal transmission test:

1. Call the Central Station at the number above, and tell the Operator you want to test your system. Give the Operator your RECEIVER NUMBER (if applicable) and ACCOUNT NUMBER (see above). Make written notes of the time you called in and the time your test period will expire automatically.

2. You may be asked to give your pass code. (It is very important to have your pass code available at all times. If you do not know it, call our office during business hours for assistance. Hint: In some cases the pass code may also be the account number; in other cases it may be the same number you enter at the keypad; or it may be a word or number that you have chosen.)

2A. Some townships require you to advise the police, too. (Lower Merion, Montgomery County is one.)

3. When you are all set with Central, send at least one signal by doing one or more of the following. Write down the exact time at which each signal is tripped.

•Set off the burglar alarm or the fire alarm;

•Press a panic button or medical alert button;

•Some systems have a dedicated "Test" signal that can be activated with a pushbutton or by a keypad entry;

•Allow exit time to expire; then disarm using the "Ambush" code.

4. Pick up the telephone immediately, so you can time the transmission. (Some systems have a blinking light that you can observe instead. Some communicators are very fast, i.e., under 9 seconds, so that the signal may be over by the time you get to the phone. Therefore, you may need to be listening to the dial tone at the instant the alarm triggers, in order to know you have the right phone line and that the signal is really going out.) The line should be dead for the length of time that the communicator is transmitting. If it is not, make sure you picked up the correct phone line. (If your picking up the phone blocks the signal, or if you can hear the dialing and data transmission clearly, call us, it could signify a problem with "Line Seizure.")

When you hear a click, the transmission is over. Hang up. Then pick up the phone again and check for dial tone. If you have not already done so, you may now reset the system.

Some dialers are programmed for "abort." That means, if you stop the siren before the signal transmission is done, the dialer will simply hang up and send nothing; or, it may send a "cancel" or "restore" code instead of an alarm. You would have to let the siren sound until the dialer releases the phone line. As an alternative dialer test, you could send an "ambush" code, which is silent, but not as thorough.

Signals typically take from 10 to 50 seconds. Once in a while it may take several minutes, due to other alarms causing a busy signal at the receiver. However, if it takes more than 3 minutes every time you test, call for service. (Signals that are consistently delayed by several minutes suggest that reprogramming or repairs may be necessary.)

5. After you have reset the system, call the Central and ask for "Test results, please, since <the time you first called in>, both the times and the codes." The Operator should be able to tell you exactly when and what types of signals were received since you first called in. Write them all down in case there is a question later. The times and alarm types should agree with your notes within a couple of minutes. You should discuss any delayed transmissions with us.

Be alert for any discrepancies in the type of alarm you sent versus the type of signal received, especially "Code not on File." This would suggest a possible data entry error at the central.

6. If you need to do more testing, make sure the Operator knows you are still testing! If you are satisfied with the outcome, tell the Operator you are done testing.

All zones become active, including zones that were previously being disregarded.

This will occur even if you allow the test time to expire automatically.

Some, but not all alarm codes are occasionally placed in a test mode for up to 72 hours due to service matters or client requests. If you wish to maintain that status, you must tell the Operator. Usually, if this has been done, you will be aware of it beforehand.

7. If you are not satisfied with the results, call our office to discuss the test and confirm the procedures you used. We will arrange for a service visit if it is indicated. In addition to the testing you do yourself, we recommend that you have the system professionally inspected on a regular basis, because we often find problems that are not immediately apparent to the owner.

NEVER TEST A SYSTEM BY TRIPPING IT, THEN WAITING TO SEE HOW LONG IT TAKES THE POLICE TO GET THERE. (That's good for a $300 fine.)

We have observed in the past that subscribers often get around to doing these tests on a Saturday or Sunday morning. That’s OK, but please be aware that questions of a non-emergency nature can arise, swamping the duty technician with calls that are best answered during normal business hours.

Please note, the technician's emergency digital pager, 1-800-584-1711, is for emergencies only, and we must rely on your wise decision what constitutes an emergency.

We appreciate your business, and will always do our best to justify your confidence in us. We depend on your referrals for much of our new business. Please tell your friends about us any time the subject of security comes up.

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