Home Security

Common Causes of False Alarms and How to Prevent Them

By Ring on May 23, 2024

Your security system helps protect your home and give you peace of mind — but if it gets falsely triggered, it can also divert important resources from where they’re needed. A report from FEMA and the U.S. Fire Administration found that in 2020, 8% of all fire department runs were for false alarms, and data from police departments across the U.S. has shown that the majority of alarm responses are unnecessary.

The key to avoiding needless police and fire responses is understanding how they happen in the first place. These are some of the most common causes of false alarms for security system owners enrolled in professional monitoring and the simple ways to help prevent them.

What Causes False Alarms on Home Security Systems?

From rogue pets to burning cookies, there are several reasons why your security system may start blaring in a non-emergency situation:

Taking Too Long to Disarm Your System

When you arrive home to an armed security system, it can’t distinguish between you and an unwanted visitor. That’s why Ring Alarm allows you to set entry and exit delays for the Contact Sensor on the door you use most and any Motion Detectors in the entryway.

Once you’re inside, you have a certain amount of time — up to 180 seconds, depending on your settings — to enter your code on the Keypad and prevent a false alarm if you’re enrolled in 24/7 Alarm Monitoring with your Ring Project Pro subscription, sold separately. If your delay is only 10 seconds, but it takes 30 seconds to open the door, set down your things, and reach the Keypad, you can set off a false alarm.

Human Error

You may know everything there is to know about Ring Alarm, but it can take others some time to get the hang of it. If you don’t teach your houseguests, pet sitters, and housekeepers how to use your Alarm, they may trigger it unknowingly. Even seasoned users can accidentally set off a Smoke and CO Listener, sold separately, with a forgotten pizza in the oven or an unopened damper in the fireplace.

Unlocked Doors and Windows

The magnets on Contact Sensors connect when your doors and windows are closed. When your system is in Home or Away mode, and a window or door is opened, it sets off the Alarm. That means an unlocked window that pops open when you walk by or an exterior door swinging open during a gust of wind can trigger a false alarm.

Pets Triggering Motion Detectors

Your pint-sized kitten won’t be mistaken for a human when she skitters past a Motion Detector, but a German Shepherd might. Since Ring Motion Detectors use Passive Infrared Sensors to detect movement, large animals can trigger false alarms when your system is in Away mode.

Improper Installation

Not reading (or ignoring) installation instructions can lead to false alarms in the future. Motion Detectors can get falsely triggered if you put them in the wrong place. And if you don’t press hard enough when mounting your Contact Sensors, they can fall and set off the Alarm.

How to Prevent False Alarms

With the right safeguards in place, you can help reduce the risk of false alarms. Here are some simple preventative measures you can take:

Follow Installation Instructions Carefully

When you install the components of your Ring Alarm, be sure to follow the instructions carefully. Motion Detectors should only be used inside and placed on walls or corners. To ensure it doesn’t mistakenly detect motion, you should mount yours in an area not facing stairs, heat sources, windows, or air vents.

You can install Contact Sensors on most doors and windows, but check to ensure there isn’t a large gap between the sensor and magnet (less than one inch for 2nd generation Contact Sensors). Press the device firmly onto a clean, dry surface to help ensure it won’t fall.

You can find more helpful installation tips for Ring Alarm components and Alarm Accessories, sold separately, at our Support Center.

Practice Using Your System

Practicing how you’ll use your Alarm each day can help you determine what could potentially set off a false alarm. When you’re enrolled in 24/7 Alarm Professional Monitoring with your Ring Protect Pro subscription, sold separately, you can turn on Practice Mode anytime on the Ring App to simulate alarms and professional monitoring responses without dispatching the police or fire department.²

When Practice Mode is on, see how long it takes you and your family members to get inside and reach the Keypad. Then, you can customize your entry delay accordingly. You can also set off the Alarm and receive an automated call from the professional monitoring center, so you know what to expect if your system actually gets triggered.

Customize Your Alarm Response

When you’re enrolled in 24/7 Alarm Professional Monitoring with your Ring Protect Pro subscription, sold separately, the default police response is to send police to your home when your alarm is triggered, unless you or your emergency contacts answer the phone call from the monitoring center and provide the verbal password to confirm that there is no emergency. If you or your emergency contacts don’t answer the phone calls from the monitoring center, police will be sent to your home.^{2 3}

You can change your Police Response customizations at any time. For example, if you take your family on vacation, you may want the professional monitoring center to automatically request a police dispatch, even if you don’t answer the phone. Then, you can change this response when you return from your trip.

Know How to Cancel False Alarms

When you accidentally trigger your Alarm, the professional monitoring company won’t automatically contact the authorities. You have a chance to cancel the response a few different ways, depending on which sensor was triggered:

Using your Keypad: For accidental burglar and smoke alarms, you can cancel the response by disarming Ring Alarm from the Keypad within 30 seconds. Your first emergency contact will still receive a call from the professional monitoring center if you attempt to cancel a smoke alarm. That means if your teenager burns pizza rolls when they’re home alone after school, they can enter the alarm code on the Keypad, but whoever is listed as the first emergency contact will still need to confirm the cancellation.

Using the Ring App²: If you have a Ring Protect subscription, sold separately, you can also disarm your system from the Ring App to cancel a burglary response and attempt to cancel a fire response.² Your first emergency contact will receive a call to confirm a fire response isn’t needed.

Using your verbal password: You and other emergency contacts will receive a phone call from the professional monitoring center if you don’t disarm your Alarm in time. You’ll need to provide your chosen verbal password to cancel the response. Since time is of the essence for fire responses, only your first emergency contact will receive a call and get the opportunity to cancel.

Via text message: You and other emergency contacts can enroll in text messages from the professional monitoring center for burglary alarms. If your Alarm gets triggered, you’ll receive a text with the location of the Alarm event and a link allowing you to cancel or confirm the emergency.

Be sure to add the Ring Monitoring Center’s phone number (833-209-2159) to your contact list, so you don’t accidentally ignore the call. Check your settings to ensure you’ll see the call come through even if your phone is on Do Not Disturb mode.

Adjust Your Motion Detector Settings

If you have pets who roam freely around your home, you may need to change your Motion Detector settings to help prevent them from triggering your Alarm. There are two settings you can choose:

The medium setting is designed to help ignore heat sources under 30 pounds.

The low setting is designed to help ignore heat sources under 50 pounds.

We recommend using Practice Mode to test out your Motion Detector settings. Have your pets walk by and see if you need to adjust from medium to low. If your pet is still too large, consider installing a pet gate or closing doors to keep them away from the Motion Detector while your system is in Away mode.

Close Windows and Doors Tightly

Before you put your Alarm in Home or Away mode, get into the habit of firmly closing and locking doors and windows. Not only will it keep your home more secure, but it can also help prevent entryways from popping open and triggering a Contact Sensor.

Ring Has the Resources You Need to Prevent False Alarms

False alarms can happen to anyone — but you can significantly reduce your chances with the right resources, settings, and prevention tactics. That’s why Ring offers support articles with false alarm tips for your Alarm devices, details about 24/7 Alarm Professional Monitoring responses, and step-by-step instructions for setup and use. And since using your Alarm is one of the best ways to troubleshoot potential causes of false alarms, we make Practice Mode available from the Ring App to all users enrolled in 24/7 Professional Monitoring with their Ring Protect Pro subscription, sold separately.²

Visit Ring Support to find more resources about using your Ring security system and different ways to help prevent false alarms.

¹https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/servicesah/falsealarmsecuritysystems
https://www.sa.gov/Directory/Departments/SAPD/Services/Alarm-Response-Permits
https://www.chulavistaca.gov/departments/police-department/programs/security-alarm-program
https://www.honolulupd.org/police-services/burglar-alarm-registration/
https://www.redmondoregon.gov/government/departments/police/alarms-commercial-residential

² Ring Alarm and all Ring Alarm accessories require a subscription for in-app features and digital notifications, including digital arming / disarming and integration with other Ring, Echo, Alexa, and third party products. Subscription sold separately. View ring.com/protect-plans for pricing and details.

³ A compatible Ring Protect subscription is required to enroll in the Ring Alarm professional monitoring service. Professional monitoring service is available only within the U.S. (all 50 states, but not U.S. territories) and in Canada (excluding Quebec). Ring does not own its own professional monitoring center. Smoke and carbon monoxide monitoring is not available for a business or commercially zoned address. See Ring alarm licenses at: ring.com/licenses. Additional permit or false alarm fees may apply depending on your local jurisdiction. Additional charges may apply in areas that require permits or guard response service for alarm verification.