What Is the ADT Alarm Bypass?

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Your ADT system is designed to work with multiple devices around your home to offer you a comprehensive net of security. While this level of security is preferable, it may become necessary to bypass one or more of these devices for various reasons. ADT comes with options to help you with this.

The ADT alarm bypass is a feature of the ADT alarm system that lets you manually bypass devices on your system; this is a feature that is usually only available through your control panel.

There are a few reasons that you may need to employ this feature; just remember that it does compromise the level of security your system can provide.It is also essential that you remember to add these devices back into your network when the bypass is no longer needed to ensure complete protection.

What Is the ADT Alarm Bypass?

The bypass feature on your ADT alarm system allows you to choose devices that will not be active when the alarm system is active. When you bypass devices on the alarm system, they ignore signals that would, under normal circumstances, cause an alarm activation.

Usually, when you are at home and arm the alarm, the system will automatically bypass some devices. These could include motion sensors set up inside the residence. Your system does this so that you do not inadvertently set off the alarm by moving around your home. Your door and window sensors will still be activated unless you specify otherwise by bypassing them.

However, there may be times when you want to bypass a sensor or area for one reason or another besides this. For example, if you were to bypass a window sensor, the window could be opened when the system is armed and you’re away, without causing the alarm to activate.

Your alarm system allows you to do this through the bypass feature on your control panel. However, it is not recommended unless necessary because it does lower the level of security your system provides and leaves your home vulnerable.

Exceptions to ADT Alarm Bypass

There are some devices that your ADT system will not allow you to bypass, such as smoke or carbon monoxide detectors. You cannot bypass these sensors because it could pose a possible life hazard should these sensors remain inactive.

How Do You Bypass ADT Alarm Devices?

Bypassing your devices on your alarm system can be done from your control panel. It is easy to do and only takes a minute:

  1. Press the “Bypass” button on your system panel.
  2. Enter your security code.
  3. Scroll through until you find the sensor you want to bypass.
  4. Press OK to bypass that sensor.

Note: Depending on your specific model of the control panel, the instructions for bypassing portions of your alarm system may differ. As always, check your owner’s manual.

You can now arm your system as usual, but remember that these sensors will not be included in the monitoring, so they are vulnerable to intrusion.

Reasons to Use ADT Alarm Bypass

There are many different reasons you may want to bypass a section of your alarm system. Having the flexibility to do this gives you control over the system if situations change temporarily or there is a malfunction.

  • Bypassing portions of your alarm system may come necessary if you have a malfunctioning sensor. If this is the case, be sure to contact a technician to fix the issue as soon as possible.
  • You may want to bypass motions sensors in the home if you have something in your home that would move around that would not usually be there. You may be dog sitting or have a bunch of balloons floating around for a surprise birthday party. Bypass these sensors to avoid false activations.
  • When the weather is nice, if you wanted to leave a window open upstairs in your home, you could bypass the sensor, allowing you to arm the rest of your system with no problem.

These are just examples of why you may want to bypass specific sensors or areas of your alarm system. Knowing you have that flexibility makes it easier to tailor your ADT system to your needs day-to-day.

Final Thoughts

Ideally, your ADT alarm system should be fully operational, with all sensors communicating with the control panel. There are, however, instances when you will possibly need to bypass one or more sensors. It is recommended that if this is done, the sensors are reactivated in the system as soon as possible to ensure the complete protection of your home.

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