A late to test notification indicates that the monitoring of the security system has been interrupted. This means that the system is not communicating/sending signals to the central monitoring station. Consequently, in the event of an alarm, no signals will be communicated to the Central Station and your home or business will be unsecured until communication is restored.
The Central Station monitors for system communication failures and Wellington Security will alert our customers when we become aware of new late to test notifications received by the Central Station.
There are many reasons why your system may be failing to communicate with the central station. The most common reasons include:
- Changes or updates have been made to your phone system
- Cancellation of phone line(s)
- Phone/Fax lines are not functioning properly (check operation on all phone lines)
- Changes have been made to your network (Only for customers using the network to communicate)
- Issue with the alarm system (A service call maybe required from Wellington)
If any of these events apply to you there are two paths moving forward:
- Work with your phone provider to restore service
- Wellington can talk you through options available to move your system to a cellular platform
A benefit of moving to cellular is that you don’t have to worry about your system being impacted by modem issues, the phone lines going down in a storm or phone lines being cut during a burglary. There are long-term cost savings associated with cancelling phone lines in favor of a cell unit for security purposes as the increase in monthly monitoring rates for cellular is more than offset by the monthly savings gained from eliminating a land line.
If there have been no recent changes to your phone lines or network, we recommend testing your system. Testing your system will verify that the system is functioning properly.
Steps to Test Your Security System
- If you are a Wellington customer, call USA Central Station at 1-888-872-3640
- Tell them you’re testing your system and would like to put your system on test (you will need to provide your account number and password)
- Once your system has been placed on test, you may proceed to test your system by completing the following steps:
- Locate the alarm system keypad
- Arm your alarm system by entering your 4-6 digit user code
- Open the door next to the keypad to simulate you leaving the premises
- Once your system has finished its exit delay and is armed, begin testing each point on the alarm system by opening each door and walking past all motions detectors
(NOTE: This test procedure will not test the Fire Alarm points) - When you have finished, disarm your alarm system by entering your 4-6 digit user code at the keypad
- When testing is complete, call USA Central Station at 1-888-872-3640 to verify the signals have been received and take the system off test
- Ask the operator what signals they have received
- If the signals match what you tripped, ask the operator to place your system back into service
If you are not a Wellington customer, the general idea of what to do is still applicable. Contact the company monitoring your system and they will walk you through a similar process.