Testing the Smoke Detector

Test Mode is a great way to test the connection between your Base Station and other sensors. We recommend periodically placing your system into Test Mode to ensure that your sensors are still communicating with the Base Station without any errors.

Placing Your System Into Test Mode

1. Disarm your system by pressing OFF on the Keypad

2. Press the Menu button on your Keypad

3. Enter your Primary PIN

4. Scroll until Test Mode is highlighted

5. Use the arrow keys and tap to the right to enter Test Mode

You’ll know you are in Test Mode when you see a circle on the Keypad appear with the text, “Test each device by pressing its button”.

Note: If you subscribe to monitoring, you will receive a robo call from the monitoring center asking you to confirm you placed your system into Test Mode. If you do not answer – no worries! A voicemail will be left to alert you to the system test, and it will not result in a request for dispatch.

Testing the Smoke Detector

Press the test button on the front of the Smoke Detector for 1 second. The detector will begin to chirp loudly 3-4 times. Please be sure to protect your ears when testing, as the chirp can be rather loud!

The Base Station will also announce “Smoke Detector” to confirm the test was successful.

Note: If the Smoke Detector detects particulate consistent with smoke when your system is in Test Mode, the monitoring center will act as if it’s an emergency and respond accordingly for the alarm event.

Troubleshooting the Smoke Detector

If you are having trouble testing your Smoke Detector, the first thing we’d recommend is ensuring that you are only pressing the test button for no more than 1 second. If you press it for longer than that, it could cancel the test or cause the Base Station to not respond audibly.

As a next step, you’ll want to confirm that the Smoke Detector battery is functioning. The Smoke Detector takes a single CR-123A Lithium 3V battery and has a life expectancy between 3-5 years depending on placement and usage.

Finally, you’ll want to ensure that your Base Station is centrally located within your home or business, and free from any neighboring wireless devices. We recommend having the Base Station elevated at least 3 feet off the ground on a non-dense surface (ideally glass or wood). We also recommend avoiding placing the Base Station within a cabinet or enclosed structure - as this can weaken the signal of it to other devices.