Punched 2,000 sensors into a panel last week and it finally clicked

I was doing a big commercial job downtown, and after I hit sensor number 2,000 on the panel log I realized something. That's 2,000 zones I've programmed total over the last 8 years with the same basic routine. I never thought about it until I saw that counter roll over but it made me wonder how many false alarms I could have avoided with better programming. You guys ever track your install numbers and find something that surprised you?

2 comments

2 Comments

williamprice22d ago

Hang on, you guys remember when those new touchscreen panels first came out and everyone was hyped about how much cleaner the installs would look? I did a whole condo building with them and the first three units I finished, the homeowners called in false alarms within a week. Turned out the screens were picking up static from the drywall dust. We had to go back and put static guards on every single one. Made me wonder if sometimes we're too quick to jump on the latest stuff without thinking through the real-world problems. Not saying that's your situation, just saying the number of zones might not be the thing messing with your false alarm rate. Sometimes it's just weird little stuff you never see coming.

rivera.keith22d ago

Wait, is 2,000 false alarms over 8 years really that many? I mean, I get that it's a lot of zones but you're probably talking like 250 a year across who knows how many different systems. That's barely one a week if you really break it down. And half the time false alarms are on the homeowner or the equipment, not the programming anyway. Like, how many times have you shown up to a service call and it's just a dirty sensor or a spider web in the beam? I'd bet most of those 2,000 zones you programmed fine, it's the rest of the world that messes it up. Don't beat yourself up over a number that sounds big on paper but doesn't mean much in reality.