emmam89•18d agoProlific Poster

Heard a client in Dallas say their old system was 'too loud' and it got me thinking

I was finishing up a panel swap for a homeowner last week, and they mentioned their old siren was so loud it scared their dog every time the mailman triggered the walk test. They said, 'It was like a fire alarm in the house, we just tuned it out.' That stuck with me. We always focus on decibel ratings and placement for coverage, but maybe we don't talk enough about the customer's daily life with the sound. A siren that's painfully loud indoors might make people disable tests or even the alarm itself. I've started asking during the walk-through if they have pets, kids, or close neighbors. Maybe dialing back the indoor siren a bit or using a different tone could make the system more user-friendly and actually used. How do you guys balance making sure an alarm is heard with not making it a nuisance?

3 comments

3 Comments

river95218d ago

My old panel had a 110dB indoor siren and we never disabled a test. If a dog gets scared, that's just a dog being a dog. The whole point is to be loud and startling.

grant47818d ago

Ever think about the neighbors with PTSD?

davidkim18d agoTop Commenter

Man, my dog would absolutely lose it. One time the microwave beeped three times and he hid under the bed for an hour. If a 110dB siren went off, he'd probably try to dig a tunnel through the floor. I get the need for a loud alarm, but my guy would be a permanent resident of the bathtub after a single test.