‎How Does the Glassbreak Sensor Respond During an Alarm | SimpliSafe Support Home
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How Does the Glassbreak Sensor Respond During an Alarm

Updated 

15 days ago

Glassbreak Sensors are programmed to listen for the specific frequency of windows breaking. They're even sensitive enough to know the difference between a plate breaking, and a window breaking. Inside SimpliSafe’s Glassbreak Sensor is a small microphone that is calibrated to react to the sound of the glass being struck and then breaking. Pane glass has a certain sound frequency when smashed, which the sensor hears and then trips the alarm. The sensor is listening for the initial “thump” of the glass being struck, which in effect “wakes” it up, and the sound of the glass breaking micro-seconds later trips the alarm.

When a Glassbreak Sensor detects broken glass, the entry countdown will begin. This is dependent on your arming state and the alarm mode you set for it under the Glassbreak Sensors Settings Menu. By default this is set to 30 seconds. However, this can be adjusted at any time within the SimpliSafe® App. 

If the system is disarmed within 30-60 seconds of the initial alarm signal, this will be considered a false alarm by our monitoring center. That means you will not receive a phone call or an Alarm Text, and emergency services will not be requested to your location. 

If the system is not disarmed before the time elapses, an alarm will sound. Depending on your monitoring service plan, two things will happen at once.

The Primary Contacts for your system will receive both an Alarm Text and a phone call from our monitoring center to verify the status of your home or business.

If you receive an alarm text, you’ll have the option to cancel the alarm or request dispatch of emergency services. If you respond to the text with a C during the grace period, you won’t receive a call from our monitoring center.

If the alarm is not canceled within the grace period, the Primary Contacts will receive a call from our monitoring center. During this call you will be required to provide your Safe Word to the agent you speak with. Please note that providing the wrong safe word, or no safe word will result in a request for dispatch. You won’t be told you got it wrong to protect anyone who may be under duress. Additionally, missing the phone calls to your Primary Contacts will also result in a request for emergency services to the location that your system is registered to. 

We encourage you to save the monitoring center number to your phone. That number is 855-693-4911.

Once saved to your phone, you’ll also want to allow us access to bypass Do Not Disturb and Silent Profiles. This allows for Critical Alarm Notifications to get through to you, regardless of your phone’s volume or profile status.

When a Glassbreak Sensor detects broken glass and Instant Trigger is enabled, the alarm will immediately sound to deter potential intruders. This is a great feature to use if you plan on having a Glassbreak Sensor in an area of your home or business that you don’t use as often, such as in a cellar or basement, or maybe near a skylight.

When the alarm sounds, what happens next is dependent on your monitoring plan. When enrolled in an eligible monitoring subscription, two things will happen at once.

The Primary Contacts for your system will receive both an Alarm Text and a phone call from our monitoring center to verify the status of your home or business.

If you receive an alarm text, you’ll have the option to cancel the alarm or request dispatch of emergency services. If you respond to the text with a C to cancel the alarm during the grace period, you won’t receive a call from our monitoring center.

If the alarm is not canceled within the grace period, the Primary Contacts will receive a call from our monitoring center. During this call you will be required to provide your Safe Word to the agent you speak with. Please note that providing the wrong safe word, or no safe word will result in a request for dispatch. You won’t be told you got it wrong to protect anyone who may be under duress. Additionally, missing the phone calls to your Primary Contacts will also result in a request for emergency services to the location that your system is registered to. 

We encourage you to save the monitoring center number to your phone. That number is 855-693-4911.

Once saved to your phone, you’ll also want to allow us access to bypass Do Not Disturb and Silent Profiles. This allows for Critical Alarm Notifications to get through to you, regardless of your phone’s volume or profile status.

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