SAFE Security Alarm System Operations Manual
8
www.safesecurity.com
(800) 669-7779
HOW A SECURITY SYSTEM WORKS
(continued)
What happens if I cannot be reached in case of alarm?
At the time of installation or activation, you provided us with an emergency contact list of two or more individuals who
will have a key and your user code, and who can be contacted in case we cannot reach you. It is very important that you
spend time with these “emergency contacts” or “key holders” instructing them on your expectations and their
responsibilities, and on the operation of the alarm system in your absence.
Who should be on my Emergency Contact List?
You should supply us the names of four to five trusted people close to your home. They should be able to respond to local
police or fire departments if a problem arises and you are unreachable. Be sure to inform them that they are on your
Emergency Contact List and familiarize them with your system. We suggest they have a key to your home in the event
police or fire authorities need access.
How do I change the people on the Emergency Contact List?
Just call the central monitoring station with your changes. Have your password ready to help identify yourself to the
operator. Be sure to inform everyone on your call list what to do in case they receive a call from the central monitoring
station.
I forgot my password!
Call SAFE at (800) 669-7779 or the central monitoring station for assistance.
Who else needs to know how to operate my security system?
It is important to inform trusted friends and relatives about the operation of your security system to avoid confusion and
false alarms. Those who need to know are those on your Emergency Contact List, house sitters, babysitters, children and
family members, overnight guests, and others with access to your home when you are not there.
When my alarm activates I hear computer or modem tones on my phone, but no dial tone.
When the alarm is communicating with the central monitoring station, it takes priority over normal phone operation. The
sounds you hear are coded signals being sent to the central monitoring station alarm receivers. At the completion of the
signal transmission your phones dial tone should return.
My phone goes dead and cuts me off at the same time every day. Could the alarm system be causing this?
Yes. Many systems are programmed to communicate with the monitoring station at the same time every day or once a
week. This is to test your systems connectivity with the central monitoring station. If the time of day of the signal test
interferes with your use of the phone, call SAFE or the central monitoring station to change the self test activation time.
How does an alarm system report to the central monitoring station?
A basic alarm system communicates over your regular telephone line. When the alarm activates it takes priority over the
handsets to send a signal to the monitoring station receiver, which decodes the message from your alarm panel. The
decoded signal is sent the central monitoring station operator’s computer and handled as per your instructions. SAFE
offers optional radio and cellular back-up communications to ensure receipt of the alarm signal in the event of loss or
absence of land line telephone service.
If the telephone is in use, will the alarm system still communicate with the central monitoring station?
Each alarm is equipped with a digital communicator that is designed to seize the phone line when it needs to send a signal
to the central monitoring station. If anyone was talking on the phone, or if an intruder took the phone off the hook, the
system would still send the appropriate signal to the central monitoring station. Again, SAFE offers optional radio and
cellular back-up communications to ensure receipt of the alarm signal in the event of loss or absence of land line
telephone service.