What are the differences in arming modes of alarm systems.
Most modern alarm systems have three arming modes: away, stay (or home), and instant. Each mode should be used in the regular operation of your system.
Before we go into the arming modes, let’s discuss the three most used ways various zones can respond to being opened while armed. If a door or window is set to perimeter mode, if the alarm system is armed, as soon as the door or window is opened the alarm goes off immediately. If a door is set to delay mode, when the alarm system is armed there is a predetermined time that you have to enter the code into the keypad before the alarm goes off. This time is usually set from 30 to 60 seconds but can vary from that. Interior protection is often used for motion detectors. Interior mode automatically bypasses that zone when the alarm system is armed in stay (or home) mode. Often motion detectors are set for interior follower mode, which we will discuss in a minute.
Stay mode means simply that you are arming the system and staying in the house. You will be walking around so the motion detectors do not turn on. That is why they are set as interior protection, so they don’t cause an alarm while you are home. In stay mode, the doors that have been defined as entry/exit, or delay zones, still have the delay time. This allows someone to enter the house, while armed in stay and disarm the system. This is very practical if someone is home and wants the protection that the alarm system gives, but is waiting for someone else to come home.
Instant mode (no delay) is used when everybody is home for the night and no one is expected to arrive. If any door, whether defined as a perimeter or delay zone is opened, the alarm will be tripped. The motion detector is still not active in this mode. This is the mode to use and night when everybody is home, particularly when sleeping. You don’t want to give an intruder 30 to 60 seconds to enter the house in this case.
Away mode is used when the house is empty. Once the system is armed, the motion detectors are activated. Here is where the interior follower setting comes in. If the system is armed in away and the motion detector is the first sensor to see an intruder, the alarm will trip immediately. Interior follower means that the motion detector follows an entry/exit door. If a door set to delay is opened, the motion detector will not trip until the delay time is over. That makes it possible to have the motion detector see the door that is being opened and not cause an alarm.
In order to reduce false alarms, alarm systems today automatically default to stay mode if the system is armed to away and nobody leaves the house. The system knows this because the doors were not opened while leaving. If you want a motion detector to turn on in stay mode, make sure you discuss that with your alarm installer so it is programmed correctly.
It is typically a good idea to keep the delay leaving and entering times as short as possible, yet still being comfortable to get to the keypad in time. It is also a good idea to minimize the number of delay zones in a system. As few points with time to enter, the better.
Alarm systems typically do not require a code to arm the system, but all systems require a code to disarm. Audibly, systems beep while arming in away mode but just give a short series of beeps when arming in stay or instant mode. When a delay zone is entered, the alarm system beeps during the delay time until the code is entered to disarm. The last ten seconds the beeping is faster to let you know time is about to expire and the alarm will sound. It is important to know that the delay times for both entry and exit are programmable, so pick a time you are comfortable with.
If you live in Central or Northern New Jersey and would like information on any of the topics discussed above, or if you would like us to perform a Home Safety and Security Audit, absolutely free, please call 800-369-3962 or simply click the link below.
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