False alarms decrease your sense of security by diminishing the power of each alert and impairing your trust in your devices. To identify what’s causing your alert issues, you should first understand its common causes. Read on to determine whether your home security false alarms are caused by your devices or something in their environment.Â
Locally Caused False Alarms
Many home security false alarms are caused by environmental and localized factors, such as people, weather, and remote controls. Below are some of the most common contributors to false alarms based on location — including issues you can work around.Â
Environmental Factors
Thunderstorms, intense heat, windy days, and other weather occurrences often interfere with security systems, causing false alarms, power outages, and other issues. For example, a gust of wind knocking down an outdoor table could trigger audio sensors, while a blizzard could block out camera visibility and constantly trigger motion alerts.
Other environmental factors, such as traffic and loud appliances, can create further issues. However, most of these permanent issues can be addressed with proper planning and placement.Â
Insects, Wildlife, and Pets
Animals are some of the most common causes of security system false alarms. While advanced detection algorithms can differentiate human activity from standard motion, animals still tend to trigger alerts. These interferences can range from a pet passing in front of a hallway camera to a loud bug flying too close to an audio sensor. Larger pets especially tend to trigger more advanced sensors, such as glass break detectors and human-recognition algorithms.
Renovations and Furniture Shifts
Where you set up sensors and other security devices often impacts their functionality, including their visibility, range, sensitivity, and connectivity. Moving furniture or otherwise changing your property’s layout could impair your security and increase false alarms. For example, a TV moved next to an audio sensor will likely cause it to only pick up the TV’s frequencies.
Interference
Technical interference from radio frequencies and electronic devices can create issues that directly or indirectly trigger alarms. TV remotes in particular can set off alerts, change sensitivity settings, or turn devices off. While these issues are often challenging to distinguish from other malfunctions, they’re usually easy to fix by moving the equipment.
Devices that can cause interferences include:
- Remote controls
- Two-way radios
- Cell phones and tablets
- Computers
- TVs and gaming consoles
- Household appliances
System-Related False Alarms
While some security system false alarms can be resolved by moving furniture or blocking out pests, others are created by your alarm system itself. Below are some of the most common causes of false alarms based on your equipment, settings, and other system-related factors.Â
Faulty Equipment
Individual devices or sometimes the entire system may have malfunctions that are out of your control, such as burnt-out wiring, defective sensors, and connectivity issues. In these cases, the only solution is usually to have the devices repaired professionally or replaced.
System Sensitivity
Sensitivity impacts sensors’ tolerance, range, and functionality and can lead to repeat false alarms if not calibrated during setup. Higher sensitivity settings let audio sensors pick up frequencies from further away but increase the volume of nearby noises, which can trigger unnecessary alerts.
Improper Installation and Other Errors
An improperly installed security device will usually not function as intended and can lead to false alarms. For example, a camera pointing the wrong way may be triggered by other motions and won’t cover its intended area. This stresses the need to double-check the instructions during installation and when devices malfunction.
Other types of users errors that can trigger false alarms include:
- Accidentally changing sensitivity and alert settings
- Mistakenly activating the panic button
- Entering an incorrect security code
- Failing to disarm the alarm system
- Forgetting to shut off sensors when moving furniture or completing other loud activities
System Updates and Maintenance
When a device undergoes maintenance or a system update, it may cause more false alarms, including when it powers back on. Additionally, a manufacturer’s update may contain unidentified bugs that trigger incorrect alerts. While these issues are often temporary, you may have to wait for the manufacturer to release a patch to resolve them.
Reducing Home Security False Alarms
Though you can fix some alarm problems by yourself, such as by moving or replacing a sensor, others aren’t as easy. By working with a team of security experts, you can troubleshoot advanced issues and better protect your property. Plus, with 24/7 monitoring, Alarm Detection Systems can filter through alerts to immediately identify home security false alarms. Get a quote today to learn more.
About Alarm Detection Systems, Inc.
Alarm Detection Systems is one of the largest alarm firms in the country. Family-owned since 1968, we provide business alarms, fire alarms, card access, security cameras, and home security systems. Proudly servicing Chicagoland, Northern Illinois, Northwest Indiana, and Southern Wisconsin in the Midwest. Call us at 630.844.6300 for more information.
In Colorado, we service all of Denver, Boulder County, Northern Colorado, the Eastern Plains, and Colorado Springs. Call us at 1.800.446.7519 for more information.Â
