Limitations Of This System - Honeywell OMNI 624 Installation And Setup Manual

LIMITATIONS OF THIS SYSTEM

While this system is an advanced design security system, it does not offer guaranteed protection against burglary,
fire, or other emergency. Any alarm system, whether commercial or residential, is subject to compromise or failure
to warn for a variety of reasons.
For example:
• Intruders may gain access through unprotected openings or have the technical sophistication to bypass an
alarm sensor or disconnect an alarm warning device.
• Intrusion detectors (e.g., passive infrared detectors), smoke detectors, and many other sensing devices will not
work without power. Battery-operated devices will not work without batteries, with dead batteries or if the
batteries are not put in properly. Devices powered solely by AC will not work if their AC power supply is cut off
for any reason, however briefly.
• Signals sent by wireless transmitters may be blocked or reflected by metal before they reach the alarm receiver.
Even if the signal path has been recently checked during a weekly test, blockage can occur if a metal object is
moved into the path.
• A user may not be able to reach a panic or emergency button quickly enough.
• While smoke detectors have played a key role in reducing residential fire deaths, they may not activate or
provide early warning for a variety of reasons in as many as 35% of all fires. Some of the reasons smoke
detectors used in conjunction with this system may not work are as follows: Smoke detectors may have been
improperly installed and positioned. Smoke detectors may not sense fires that start where smoke cannot reach
the detectors, such as in chimneys, in walls, or roofs, or on the other side of closed doors. Smoke detectors
may not sense a fire on another level of a residence or building. A second-floor detector, for example, may not
sense a first-floor or basement fire. Moreover, smoke detectors have sensing limitations. No smoke detector
can sense every kind of fire every time. In general, detectors may not always warn about fires caused by
carelessness and safety hazards like smoking in bed, violent explosions, escaping gas, improper storage of
flammable materials, overloaded electrical circuits, children playing with matches, or arson. Depending on the
nature of the fire and/or the location of the smoke detectors, the detector, even if it operates as anticipated, may
not provide sufficient warning to allow all occupants to escape in time to prevent injury or death.
• Passive Infrared Motion Detectors can detect intrusion only within the designed ranges as diagrammed in their
installation manual. Passive Infrared Detectors do not provide volumetric area protection. They do create
multiple beams of protection, and intrusion can only be detected in unobstructed areas covered by the beams.
They cannot detect motion or intrusion that takes place behind walls, ceilings, floors, closed doors, glass
partitions, glass doors, or windows. Mechanical tampering, masking, painting, or spraying of any material on the
mirrors, windows, or any part of the optical system can reduce their detection ability. Passive Infrared Detectors
sense changes in temperature; however, as the ambient temperature of the protected area approaches the
temperature range of 90° to 104°F (32° to 40°C), the detection performance can decrease.
• Alarm warning devices such as sirens, bells or horns may not alert people or wake up sleepers who are located
on the other side of closed or partly open doors. If warning devices sound on a different level of the residence
from the bedrooms, then they are less likely to waken or alert people inside the bedrooms. Even persons who
are awake may not hear the warning if the alarm is muffled by noise from a stereo, radio, air conditioner or other
appliances, or by passing traffic. Finally, alarm warning devices, however loud, may not warn hearing-impaired
people or waken deep sleepers.
• Telephone lines needed to transmit alarm signals from a premises to a central monitoring station may be out of
service or temporarily out of service. Telephone lines are also subject to compromise by sophisticated intruders.
• Even if the system responds to the emergency as intended, however, occupants may have insufficient time to
protect themselves from the emergency situation. In the case of a monitored alarm system, authorities may not
respond appropriately.
Section 10. Regulatory/Limitations Statements
10–3