Home Alarm Stay vs. Away

You’ve made the decision to get an alarm system. You’ve gone through the process of selecting the price and packages. It took some time to determine how many sensors you need, in addition to what kind of monitoring service would be right for your family. The equipment arrives at your doorstep and within an hour you’re up and running. Now, there are a few functions that are a little confusing.

• Stay armed mode

• Away armed mode

• Turn off my alarm

Brinks Home™ is a home security service that can provide answers to any questions you might have about your system after it’s installed. Our security experts will walk you step-by-step through any roadblocks so you can find peace of mind and quickly return to your daily routine.

What is the Stay Armed mode?

Use the stay function on the keypad when you plan on staying home. When your alarm is in stay mode all the interior zones, such as the motion detectors, will be circumvented. This means the alarm won’t be triggered should you get up in the middle of the night for a glass of water. Conversely, stay will arm exterior doors and windows as well as the glass break detectors. If someone tries to break-in, the security company will be alerted. Fortunately, Brinks Home has you covered with 24/7 monitoring services, enabling us to contact the authorities if your system is triggered.

When to use Away Armed mode

As you can likely tell from the name, away mode is a useful function to use when you leave your home. With this function, all the zones in your house will be armed, including the door and window sensors as well as the motion detectors. Typically, most systems will not detect small animals, so Fluffy or Snowball can roam free while you’re at work.

You should be aware that there is a short delay when arming the away function. The system gives you several seconds to head outside before it is armed. There’s also a slight delay when you return. You’ll hear several beeps before leaving or returning to your home. The alarm will not immediately sound after you’ve come home from a long day at work and you’ll have a few seconds to enter the code.

Home Alarm Stay vs. Away: Arming Specific Zones

If you need to have a certain room or zone unarmed, you can specify which zone you want to bypass on the keypad. For example, if you wish to bypass a sensor after you have armed your system, you must first disarm the system, then open the door or window you would like bypassed.

Reasons you may want to bypass a specific zone:

• Renovations – You are renovating an area that is in the midst of repairs.

• Window Open – You may want to sleep with a natural breeze through an open window.

• Pets – If your system senses pets, you may want to bypass the room where they sleep.

Start protecting your family today with Brinks Home. As always, systems are both customizable and flexible. For example, there are standard packages, but you can always add extra sensors or wireless cameras. Complete with home automation, your home will be practically impenetrable.

Other Activation Modes

Not all security systems or panels are the same. Some come with features unique from another product you may have found somewhere online. Thus, there are activation modes other than alarm system stay mode that you should know about. Let’s address three additional activation modes that you might have on your home alarm panel:

Instant Mode

Instant mode is similar to stay mode in the sense that is bypasses interior security devices. However, it doesn’t provide an entry delay. This means that once someone opens a front door or window, an alarm will immediately sound.

Maximum Mode

Setting your alarm panel to maximum mode is almost identical to setting your system to away mode. One key difference is that maximum mode doesn’t provide an entry delay.

Night Mode

Some alarm panels have a mode that can be appealing for night owls or homeowners likely to move around after bedtime. Placing your alarm in night mode essentially creates a bypass zone that switches off sensors or devices that might sound an alarm by mistake.

Brinks Home Can Answer Your Security Questions

Installing a security system in your home is a great first step toward protecting your property and keeping unwanted guests away. But this security works best when you understand the equipment and how it operates. When you entrust Brinks Home with protecting your home, you’re not just getting best-in-class equipment. You’re gaining a team of award-winning security experts that are trained to help customers become well acquainted with their equipment. From understanding your alarm panel’s activation modes to finding the right spot to place your motion sensors, we can assist with it all. Call Brinks Home for your free quote today.

Lauren Slade is a Dallas-based writer and editor.