How to Troubleshoot ADT Home Security

Your ADT home security system increases your home's safety and protects against burglars, but it can also be a hassle when it doesn't work quite right. Learning how to troubleshoot an ADT home security system can help you keep things working smoothly and fix minor issues when they happen. If your troubleshooting doesn't work, contacting ADT is your next step.

While many home security systems connect using Wi-Fi or cellular signals, some use landlines for ADT monitoring. Any changes or disruptions to your phone service can interfere with the alarm system. If your system isn't working correctly, check your phone line to ensure it's working. When you have service done to your phone line, test your ADT alarm to make sure everything's working correctly before the end of the service call.

Sometimes, your ADT alarm goes off when there's no threat. Start by resetting your ADT alarm if you know the area is secure. This can often happen if someone doesn't know how to use the system correctly and doesn't enter the code correctly. When arming your system, use the Stay mode if you're at home to prevent motion detectors from picking up your movement. Some families with large pets, especially very active pets, might have false alarms when they're gone and use the Away arming mode.

Equipment issues can also cause false alarms. Keep your system in good working order and inspect the various parts of the system if you keep getting false alarms. Even things like spiders and other pests can cause false alarms if they're near your motion detectors. Grab your duster and clear away cobwebs.

Door and window contacts can fall off from time to time. If this happens, bypass the zone for that contact temporarily. The rest of your ADT system stays armed, but you can work on the contacts in those areas.

Remember that the contact and magnet can't be more than 1/4 inch apart or it trips the alarm, so check the spacing if you're getting a false alarm from a window or door sensor but it didn't fall off. The sensor could have shifted enough that it's creating a larger gap, even though it's still on the door or window.

Your ADT security system uses batteries to power some components. A consistent beeping that isn't due to an alarm could be a low-battery indicator. Most ADT models display some type of low-battery indicator on the screen as well. It should tell you which sensor has a low battery if that's the issue. If your home security system is beeping for an unknown reason, try putting fresh batteries in it.

Your ADT alarm system has a backup battery in case the power goes out, but it can't run forever without power. The backup battery usually lasts several hours without power before it dies and makes the system stop working. Once power is restored, the battery recharges itself in a system with rechargeable batteries, usually within 24 to 48 hours. If it hasn't recharged in that time, you could need a new system battery.

ADT requires a special DSL filter that works with its monitoring systems. If you switch to DSL service and don't have that filter, your security system might not work correctly. When you change your internet service, contact ADT to get the required DSL filter to see if this solves the issues you're having.