How do I contact ADVCOMM?

Advanced Communications (ADVCOMM) can be reached at 1-866-442-5050 Opt 1 - Alarm Central Station (monitoring center) Opt 2 - Support and all other calls Opt 3 - Customer Care (including billing) or by Emailing support@myadvancedcomm.com Customers are assigned to a dedicated team who can assist with most questions. If all dedicated team members are unavailable, your call will be handled by the next available operator or agent. Please provide information to the operator or agent when asked so that they can locate your account and protect the security of your account. Account Passcodes: Generally a password created by the customer, or the city name in which the premises is located.

Billing Questions?

Please contact ADVCOMM at support@myadvancedcomm.com Invoices are sent monthly via email (unless opted out). You can change where billing is sent by emailing support@myadvancedcomm.com

Emergency Call System Testing - Commerical Properties

It is important and critical that your Ecall/Nurse Call or Medical alarm system (E-call system) be testedat least ANNUALLY. You can conduct the testing at no cost by following these simple procedures: *** YOU MUST CONTACT YOUR ACCOUNT MANAGER TO SCHEDULE A DATE/TIME FOR TESTING**Please emailsupport@myadvancedcomm.com and provide a date/time of anticipated testing. You will receive a confirmation with testing instructions once scheduled by your account manager. Before your testing: 1. Notify your resident’s 24 hours before you complete the test (do not notify any sooner as they may forget).In your letter, you should include: a..Date/Time of the life-safetytest b.That you will be entering the unit due to the severity and requirement of this testing. If they have a pendant and will not be home, be sure to leave the pendant on the counter. (You will receive reminder message the morning of your testing) 2.Just before your testing, contactour testing center at 1-866-442-5050, Opt 1 a. Advise the alarm operator that you need to place your account in TEST MODE until XX:XX (however long you think it will take). Testing procedures: 1. Go to each unit starting at 101, 102, 103, etc. (you must test in sequential order). If you are unable to test in sequential order, you will need to email your account manager with the order in which you have tested. 2.After you are completed, call back and place your account back ONLINE 3. A report will be sent to you within 3 business days. It is important to review the report and ensure that all alarms were receivedfrom every apartment, accurately,and in the order in which you have tested. **Remember, during this testing, no signals will alert the alarm operators. So it is important to notify your residents that during this testing time should they have an actual emergency they will need to dial 911 for help.

Fire Drills & Testing - Commercial Properties

You should always conduct a quarterly fire drill (or as law permits). Tenants should evacuate at least ONCE a year (or more depending on the quality of your results). Remember to contact ADVCOMM monitoring to place your system on test so that we do not dispatch the fire department. DRILLS A drill is an “unannounced” Fire Test.It is a test to see how quickly and orderly your residents can evacuate the building, how long it takes for the monitoring company to report the fire to the fire department, and contactyou.We recommend that you only contact your local Fire Department during this drill. TESTING –Testing should be announced to your residents if they are NOT required to evacuate.It is important that you contact the monitoring center at 1-866-442-5050 to place your account in test, and then call back for the results (making sure we have receiver your alarm), and then place your account back online. We take quality assurance very serious and we track these requirements for your local and state authorities, and your corporate office (if applicable). It is important to us that your life safety systems are working and communicating properly, and it should be to you too. Advanced Communications cannot be held responsible or liable shall a customers system not be working properly, in part, or in full.We are here to help in all aspects of testing your alarm systems and communications.

How does ADVCOMM receive alarms from my alarm system?

Alarms are sent over phone lines and cellular communicators (if equipped).Many times between the customers alarm systems, the phone providers (which can be many during 1 alarm activation), and the technology we use in todays environment leaves alarm systems and reporting vulnerable. Advanced Communications uses a telephone provider exclusively for the security industry, with complete redundancy leaving a 99.9% vulnerable-free signal delivery and acceptance into our central monitoring station.Not only does testing your alarm system ensure quality and assurance, it is required by law.There are mandatory testing and inspections that are required that differ from state to state, county by county and city by city (or jurisdiction).It is important to know your your local fire marshal or building code inspector, what testing and the frequency thereof is required (or contact your system/inspection vendor) As the monitoring company, it is our utmost importance that your alarm system is communicating with our central station, and communicating properly. More information on alarm monitoring can be found on our website at www.MyAdvancedComm.com

RF Low Battery

An RF Low Battery signal occurs when an wireless/radio frequency (RF) device on your alarm system has a battery that is running low or is completely flat. ‘RF’ stands for Radio Frequency, which means that the device is wireless and runs on batteries to keep it working. Devices such as most pullcords, pendants, switches, PIR (Passive InfraRed) sensors or smoke detectors can be wireless. It is extremely important that the devices for your system are kept operational at all times. If a device is not working due to the battery running flat, your ecall/nurse call, security and smoke detection system is at risk of being compromised. ADVCOMM strongly recommends that you replace the battery at your earliest convenience. Warning Note: Please ensure you place your system on test before you inspect or change the batteries to prevent triggering a false tamper alarm. You can do this by phoning the ADVCOMM at 1-866-442-5050. How do I determine which device in my system requires a battery replacement? You may have been sent an SMS text message, email or case notification with the details of which device is running low or completely flat. Otherwise, refer to your User Manual or keypad to determine which device is sending the RF Low Battery signal. Which battery type do I need? You can find this out by either 1) Refer to your user manual. 2) Open the sensor and check battery type. Warning Note: Please ensure you place your system on test before you inspect or change the batteries to prevent triggering a false tamper alarm. You can do this by phoning ADVCOMM at 1-866-442-5050. NOTE: Most pullcord and smoke detector batteries are a CR 123, and most pendant batteries are a 2450. These will need to be verified. Batteries are available by ADVCOMM by emailing your order to support@myadvancedcomm.com. If I replace the batteries in the device that has triggered the low battery signal, should I replace the batteries in the other devices? Yes! As your systems devices were installed together it is likely that the batteries in other similar devices are also towards the end of their effective life. We highly recommend you replace the batteries in all your devices to prevent the system being at risk of being compromised by flat batteries. We recommend you take a record of the length of the battery life and set a reminder for future reference.

System Battery Trouble / Panel Low Battery

Your alarm system battery supplies backup power to operate your alarm system during a power outage. All alarm panels operate on mains power and contain a back-up battery, unfortunately different manufacturers use different batteries in the alarm panel. How to Know If You Need a New Battery? The first sign of alarm battery failure is usually a beeping keypad. The beeping or chirping will often occur at the same time. This is because many panels do their automatic battery test every 24 hours. Less commonly, a low battery condition can cause false alarms at random times throughout the day. Almost all alarm panels will also display a keypad trouble light to indicate a problem. Keypads with LCD displays will print out “low batt”, “LB”, or something similar. Keypads with LED’s may need you to press a button or two for the lights to show the trouble condition. System Battery Help

Should I Replace My Own Battery? ADVCOMMy recommends a qualified technician is to attend and replace the battery to ensure the optimum performance of your system, we highly recommend a regular maintenance schedule. What if my system is still in warranty? If your system is in warranty and a low battery signal has occurred and you choose to replace the batteries by yourself, it may invalidate any remaining warranty. Please contact your system vendor directly. Which battery type do I need? You can find this out in a number of ways. 1) Use your system type to find out what batteries you need. 2) Refer to your user manual. 3) Open the panel and check battery type. Warning Note: Please ensure you place your system on test before you inspect or change the batteries to prevent triggering a false tamper alarm. You can do this by phoning ADVCOMM at 1-866-442-50500 ADVCOMM Recommendation: ADVCOMM recommends a qualified technician is to attend and replace the panel battery. A battery replacement may sound simple, but the alarm panel may need re-programming after a battery change. If something goes wrong do you want to ask yourself question such as: 1. Did I replace the old battery with the correct battery? 2. Have I correctly connected the wiring to the new battery? 3. Why do I still have a low battery light on my keypad? 4. How do I reset it? 5. Why is ADVCOMM contacting me about Missed Timer Test after the battery was changed. Therefore, we highly recommend you organize a qualified technician to attend site.

Power Failure

A Power Fail signal is received when your security system registers a loss of mains power to the alarm system. During a power fail a standby battery takes over supplying power to the security system and should enable the alarm system to operate. The duration that a standby battery is able to maintain the alarm system is variable & dependent on many factors, such as condition of the battery and the power usage of the system. If the power to the alarm system is not restored, the system shall continue to operate on the standby battery until it is fully discharged (runs flat), at which time you will no longer be protected. A large proportion of power fail situations are related to electrical black outs. These situations generally rectify themselves when grid power is returned. However on occasion a circuit breaker may have tripped or another cause may exist, that requires customer intervention to restore power to the alarm system. Apart from an area power outage, this signal could also indicate that the alarm system has been unplugged from a normal power point, just as you would unplug any electrical appliance or that the mains supply to the premises has been turned off. Should mains power not restore, the cause of the power loss should be investigated & rectified prior to the battery running low. When your standby system battery is running low you should be notified by ADVCOMM, however, the monitoring center will not receive signals from a security system where mains power is off and the standby battery is fully discharged. What are some of the other reasons my alarm system has lost power? The Power Fail signal may be caused by some of the following:

• Mains supply failure in your area

Sensor Trouble

This signal is a non-alarm event that indicates that a sensor circuit is not complete. A Sensor Trouble renders the particular circuit inoperative and no longer able to provide security as designed. An incomplete circuit maybe caused by a fault with cabling, the sensor or the alarm system’s main board.. A Sensor Trouble should be inspected & the cause of the trouble rectified. The circuit will mainly be incomplete because it’s open or activated and not restored – however sometimes it’s broken. A technican should be called to investigate the trouble.

Expander/Expansion Module Failure & Data Fail

What is an Expander Module? An expansion module is an auxiliary board that attaches to the security system’s main board. An expansion module increases the security system’s number of input/relays – which allows for more devices to be installed than a standard alarm system. What is a Data Gathering Panel? A Data Gathering Panel (DGP) is an auxiliary board that attaches to thealarm system’s main board. A DPG provides for additional inputs/relays much like an expansion board, but it also has the ability to attach and manage numerous expansion modules. Expansion Module Failure: The expander module failure signal indicates that an expansion module/s is not correctly communicating to the main alarm panel. A technical inspection generally is required to identify & rectify the cause of the fault. Until returned to normal service, it can be expected that all inputs (sensors)/ relays (controllers) attached to this expander module will no longer be able to operate as designed or communicate with the main panel. Multiple devices are generally rendered inoperative.

Data Gathering Panel Failure: The DGP failure signal indicates that a DPG is not correctly communicating to the main alarm panel. A technical inspection generally is required to identify & rectify the cause of the fault. Until returned to normal service, it can be expected that all inputs (sensors)/ relays (controllers) attached to this DPG in addition to all attached expander modules will no longer be able to operate as designed or communicate with the main panel. Multiple devices & multiple expansion modules are generally rendered inoperative. What action I need to take? Please contact ADVCOMM support at 1-866-442-5050 Opt 2, or contact your system vendor directly.

Late to Test / LT No Test / System Not Testing

LT NO TEST: This is a critical status! Your system sends us a 24 hour test signal showing that your system is communicating. If your system failed to send us a test within a 24 hour period, you will receive this notification. It is urgent to check your system to see if it is communicating with us: 1. Check phone lines by calling your panel telephone number. If you do not know the panel telephone number, please contact our support team at 1-866-442-5050 Opt 2 (support). We will either give you your panel telephone number, or check the line for you. 2. If the phone line does not appear to be disconnected, reboot your system by disconnecting the battery backup, and removing power (transformer or breaker). Assure the panel has no display (indicating power has been removed), Wait 5 minutes, and reconnect power and battery. 3. If you were able to successfully reboot your system, contact our support team at 1-866-442-5050 Opt 2 and test an alarm to see if we received the signal. 4. If you are unable to resolve this issues, please contact us (or if you panel is maintained by another vendor, please call your system vendor directly. 5. If the system type (above) is MEDICAL or ECALL, and if the issue is not resolved, advise your residences that the Ecall system is not working (until repairs are made). More about LT No Test: A Timer Test is a signal that is sent from your alarm system to ADVCOMM to check that it is communicating correctly. A Late-To Test (LTT or No Test) signal is generated when your alarm panel fails to send this signal within the prescribed time interval. (On average the prescribed time interval is once daily for Fire and Emergency Call Systems.) This regular testing is required to identify any possible communications issues that may exist with your alarm panel, and to notify you that your monitoring center is not currently able to receive signals from your alarm panel, as this could have a negative impact if you rely on the alarm for summoning help and increases your risk of the system not communicating alarm activations. Your alarm system must have an active standard phone connection, or cellular radio communicator to operate properly. The most common things that can cause this alarm signal to happen could be:

• Recent power failure that caused the panel to fully shut down.

Loss of Supervision / Missing Device / RF Supervision

This is a critical status! Wireless devices (pullcords, pendants, repeaters, and some fire signaling devices) are supervised by your system. If your system sends in a Loss of Supervision/Missing, this means that a wireless device cannot be found by your alarm system. First, you should change the battery to the wireless device, then retest with our support agent by calling 1-866-442-5050 Opt 2. If after changing the battery and the device does not work, then you should contact your system vendor for repairs. The Loss of RF Supervision signal indicates that one of your wireless devices is not correctly communicating to the main alarm panel. All wireless devices regularly communicate to the alarm panel to check that the signal is being correctly received. This ensures the devices are not being interfered with. Should a Loss of RF Supervision signal be received, the device in question may no longer be able to reliably send alarm activations in the case of a genuine break and enter event.
Possible causes:

• As the batteries in a device get weaker, the signals range is reduced to the point where the device is no longer within the range of the main panel.

Protection Loop Short

A Protection Loop Short indicates that you might have some faulty wiring for a particular zone or a faulty alarm panel. This wiring or alarm panel fault requires a technician to attend and check the system. If the signal persists, please call during business hours to arrange a technician. If you have wireless sensors then this signal can indicate that the batteries in a particular sensor are getting weak and need replacing. If this is the case it is recommended that whilst you replace the batteries in the faulty sensor it is good practice to replace all your wireless devices batteries.

Sounder Loop Short

A Sounder Loop Short indicates that you might have some faulty wiring from the alarm panel to the external siren or a fault in the alarm panel. This wiring or alarm panel fault requires a technician to attend and check the system. If the signal persists, please call during business hours to arrange a technician. If you have wireless sounder then this signal can indicate that the batteries in the sounder are getting weak and need replacing.

Radio Fail to Communicate (GSM, Cellular, Radio)

A GSM Fail to Communicate indicates that the alarm panel has tried to send a signal to the Monitoring Center via the cellular phone network and was unable to send the signal. If you have a back-up system then this signal was sent via the back-up system as an advisory alarm event, if the back-up system was to fail then we will not get any further alarm signals. If the GSM is the only method of communication then this signal is indicating that the system was unable to communicate but has now re-established communications. If this signal becomes repetitive then you might have to look at changing phone service providers.

Fire Loop Trouble

A Fire Loop Trouble is a fault condition. Although this fault may indicate that you have an electrical problem with the system’s fire circuit, it is often found that a contaminated smoke sensor may be responsible for this condition. Over time, dust particles may enter & settle in the sensor’s optical or ionization chamber and prevent the sensor from operating as designed.
Regular cleaning internally & externally of a smoke sensor with a vacuum cleaner will not only reduce false alarms but may restore a Fire Loop Trouble caused by dust accumulation. It is not recommended to open a smoke sensor. Cleaning with a vacuum cleaner may be achieved without opening the detector – by placing the inlet nozzle of the vacuum close to the smoke sensor’s wire gauze guard. It is important to always confirm the Fire Loop Trouble has restored with the monitoring after cleaning. If after vacuuming the sensor and resetting the alarm system at the keypad, the fault condition persists or the fault condition reoccurs after resetting, please call to arrange a technician to service/replace the equipment.

Siren/Bell & Sounde Relay Trouble

A Siren/Bell (External Siren) or Sounder (Internal Piezoelectric Sounder) Relay Trouble is a fault condition. This fault indicates that you have an electrical problem with the alarm system's audio output circuit. It is often found that water damage, condensation, corrosion, wiring damage, may be responsible for this condition. Please contact ADVCOMM at 1-866-442-5050 to arrange for a technician.

Sensor Tamper

Sensors such as pullcords, pendants, motion detectors known as PIR’s, reed switches, glass-break detectors, smoke detectors and infra-red beams - these devices have Sensor Tamper modules fitted inside the equipment. Alarm system sensors provide an output that changes state based on whether the sensor had been tripped or not, when connected in a circuit they perform like a switch that is activated automatically. A fitted Sensor Tamper allows an alarm panel to verify the integrity of the sensor. Some possible causes of Sensor tampers may be: 1) If an intruder cuts the wire going to device. 2) One or both wires may have fragmented between the alarm panel and the sensor. 3) Physical interference, are you attempting to change a low battery? 4) Attempting to Reposition/Move or Relocate the Sensor. If problems do persist, please contact a technician right away.

Communication Trouble

A Communication Trouble is confined to customers utilizing what is referred to as “multi mode monitoring”. Although the alarm system may still be monitored by alternative communication pathways, a Communication Trouble signal indicates that one or more of the communication pathways is inoperative. Multi mode monitoring is utilized by customers who require a higher level of monitoring. The level of network supervision varies between networks & increases for GPRS & IP solutions. Customers may use equipment that utilises various combinations of the following communication networks:

• PSTN – Public Switched Telephone Network

Excessive Signals

Our system generates a case whenever there are over 20 signals in a 24 hour period, regardless if the system is on test. If excessive signals are not caused by testing or repairs, you should view the activity from your daily activity report sent to you from 'Dynamark' to see what these excessive signals are caused by. If trouble is present, you should contact your system vendor immediately. Excessive signals are billed per signals over 300/month billing cycle. Excessive trouble conditions should be repaired within 8 hours per fire code. Notification to your Fire Marshal is required for any issues on your system that are not repaired within 8 hours.

Runaway Signals

A runaway condition takes place when an alarm control panel, for whatever reason, transmits repeated, constant signals to the monitoring station’s receiving equipment.

Test w/ System Trouble

Each day your system sends us a daily check in, it may indicate the you have trouble present on your system. Please check the message on your keypad/panel to see what trouble condition exists. Generally, you will need a technician to resolve the issue. Please call 1-866-442-5050 Opt 2 (support) for further assistance. NOTE: If you have a Bosch control panel and there are uncleared signals/alarms on your control panel. the panel will need to be cleared. Bosch systems sends "Test w/ system trouble" whenever there is history displayed on the keypad. Simply enter your code on the keypad to clear your history.

Ground Fault

Ground faults on systems (more common on fire systems) are caused by wiring and/or device issues. Please contact the service vendor to have a technician sent to trouble shoot.

Loss of Supervision (Restores as Loss of Central Plg Res)

If your system is equipped with a cellular communicator (such as a Telguard) and link supervision is enabled, the cellular network checks in with your cellular communicator every so many seconds. If you receive a ‘LOSS OF SUPERVISION’, this means the network cannot locate the cellular communicator. A “Loss of Central Plg Res” is a restoral for the event. If no restoral (Loss Central Plg Res) you will need to:

1. Check power on Telguard (if no lights, the device has lost power – check outlet)
2. Check trouble indicator lights on Telguard (2nd light down)
3. Contact ADVCOMM Support for assistance 866-442-5050 Opt 2