I was shocked to read that a huge number of false dispatches come from user error, not system faults.

Found a study from a big alarm group that said over 60% of police calls for alarms are from folks not knowing their own codes, which makes me think we need to push training harder with every install, right?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_lucas1mo agoMost Upvoted

My buddy set off his own alarm last month trying to let his dog out. He forgot the code, panicked, and the keypad locked him out after three wrong tries. Cops showed up and he got a fine. Makes you wonder if a five minute walk-through when they installed it would have saved everyone the hassle.

alex_nguyen1mo ago

Did they even show him how to turn it off before they left?

loganthompson20d ago

And the Lucas guy is exactly right, that five minute walk-through could have saved his buddy a fine and a headache. I've seen it happen where someone sets up their alarm system once and then never touches it again until the smoke alarm goes off from burnt toast. They panic, punch random numbers, and boom, the cops are there before they even find their phone to call the monitoring center. Even worse, I know a guy who changed his code when he moved in and then forgot to tell his wife. She set off the alarm three times in the first month just trying to come home from work. A simple laminated card next to the keypad with the code and a "cancel the alarm" checklist would stop most of these false dispatches.