Product FAQ's
The Product FAQ's include information on the following products: BASE STATION / SYSTEM What if the phone line is tied up?
- If phone line is tied up, the base dials out after waiting for 30 seconds, if it's still busy it will ramp back and keep trying every few minutes.
What do the lights mean?
- The lights will blink red until the base has initialized and started up, then they will display solid green.
- If the base has a HomeKey docked, it will blink the green light until the key is charged.
Where is the best place to locate a base station?
- It should be placed as centrally within the area of coverage as possible, near a phone line. If that's not possible, range extenders may be required to ensure coverage.
How many devices can be added to the system?
- The system can have up to 30 of any device, including HomeKeys.
Do I need a DSL filter on the base if I have DSL?
- Yes, just like any modem device.
Where can I hookup the phone cord?
- The phone line from the Base Station can be plugged in anywhere a normal analog phone can be.
When registering the product, is the serial number case sensitive? If the power goes out and I don't have batteries in my Base Station, will I need to reprogram everything?
- If you don't have backup batteries, the system will retain all the basic information about the system (which sensors it has, what their names are, etc.). Then, when it gets power again the HomeKey will show the sensors as missing until they Heartbeat (once an hour). However, to be safe, if a sensor has an alarm it will call out immediately
The Base Station lost power and now its showing the open/close sensor as a question mark, why is that?
- The base must wait for a heartbeat from each sensor so it can accurately know the state of the device.
- You can "force" a battery-powered sensor to check in with the base by removing and re-inserting its battery or by triggering it to change its state.
I receive alerts at 2 cell phones and 3 email addresses. When an alert occurs, such as my front door opening, does it cost me 5 alerts?
- No. You can register up to 8 alert addresses. Every time an alert occurs, only 1 alert is deducted from your account (not up to 8).
HOMEKEY I just got the product and my HomeKey won't work. Why?
- Much like other battery-powered electronics, the HomeKey takes 3 hours to charge the first time. If you remove it earlier, it may work, but the battery life will be significantly shorter.
Why does the backlight sometimes flash?
- When the key tries to heartbeat to the base to get updates it blinks (default is every minute). You can speed up the updates by using the key's training menu (but the more often it gets updates the shorter the battery life).
What does "automatic call me" mean?
- When the system is set to "auto call me" it uses the HomeKey as a proximity sensor to escalate alerts. So if set the system to "auto call me", and you carry the HomeKey on you, you will only receive text messages and email when you take the HomeKey away from home. If you have multiply HomeKeys, the system will send alerts when ANY one key is out of range.
Why does the HomeKey display sometimes turn amber or red?
- When you highlight a device that is low on power it will turn amber, when you highlight a device in an alert state it will blink red.
Why isn't my HomeKey isn't vibrating or beeping on alerts? You may have the beep/vibrate option turned off, or the battery is low. If the battery is low, the HomeKey doesn't perform these activities due to power conservation. Can I get a left-handed HomeKey?
- If the HomeKey is docked to the Base Station from the left side it will flip its display orientation for left-handed usage until docked to the base from the right side again. Also, if the HomeKey is docked to any other device it will try to orient its display to match the device. Once it's removed and in your hand it will revert to your preferred orientation.
RANGE EXTENDER Why does the green light on the range extender sometimes blink?
- When messages are being sent over the network the LED blinks. When the range extender has a very bad connection or no connection to the base it will go into "slow blink mode" until it can get a good connection again.
Is it ok to plug a range extender into a power strip?
- You can, but if someone turns off the strip you may drop other devices off the network (if they are using the range extender to communicate).
I slid my HomeKey into the Range Extender, but it won't find the device. Why?
- Is the device plugged in? The Range Extender and Power Sensor devices must be plugged in to be able to train to the system.
My range extender showed a "Good Mesh" when I first plugged it in, but now it's not working. Why?
- When you first install a range extender, if it can communicate with the base it will display "good mesh" initially and as the system gains a better sense of its communication ability it may change the rating. If a range extender goes missing a lot or displays "bad mesh" it should be moved closer to the base or another range extender.
If the power goes out will my range extender still work?
- When the power goes out, the range extender stops working and will go missing, as it does not have backup batteries. If there are devices that were using it to get to the Base Station, they will also go missing.
Why did my Range Extender get "found" first when the system came back from a power loss?
- The Base Station picks up the icons in this occurrence the next time they are triggered, or on the next heartbeat. While the battery powered sensors only heartbeat (check in) once an hour to prolong battery life, the powered sensors check in every 10 minutes.
OPEN / CLOSED SENSOR I have my "magnet pill" close to my sensor, but it won't change to "Closed".
- The "pill" needs to be within ¼" of an inch of the bottom-back piece of the main sensor piece. So, from the front view, the arrows will point directly towards one another, but the magnet pill will sit at the bottom-back of the sensor, so the arrows will NOT actually touch.
WATER SENSOR Can I use the water sensor in fish tank or dog bowl to know if the level is low?
- Yes you can use the water sensor to check for either the presence OR absence of water, but you'll want to clean it regularly so that it stays sensitive (and for health and safety reasons.)
Can I use outdoors on my pool to know if the level is OK?
- It's not advised. The "puck" is meant to be waterproof for obvious reasons. However, the main sensor (cube piece) is NOT water resistant and is meant only for indoor use.
Why doesn't my sensor alert instantly that it is wet?
- To extend battery life, the sensor checks for water every 5 seconds. So when testing you may get a slight delay.
Why didn't my sensor work when I placed it in the glass of water I just poured?
- The water sensor relies on the conductive nature of water to sense wetness. Water that is pure or de-ionized (like bottled water) is not conductive enough to sense. However, most all tap water is "dirty" enough to trigger it.
My Water Sensor was wet, but is not dry. Why does it still show wet?
- In rare cases, we've seen water find its way into the Water Sensor's puck and cause it to stay wet. Just shake the sensor to displace any remaining water.
POWER SENSOR My TV is off but the sensor reported that it was on for a moment, what happened?
- Some TV sets occasionally cycle on and off to recharge their capacitor so that they can be turned on rapidly. Set your power sensor to be less sensitive to fix the problem.
I slid my HomeKey into the Range Extender, but it won't find the device. Why?
- Is the device plugged in? The Range and Power devices must be plugged in to train to the system.
Why does my HomeKey keeps showing my Range Extender, and some other sensors as "Missing".
- Just like the Range Extender, if plugged into an outlet connected to a light switch, the device will be shown as "missing" when light switch is off. It will work fine otherwise. (Similar can occur when in a surge strip). Dually note that when the Range Extender is "missing", all other sensors that use it go connect to the Base Station will also go "missing".
Why does my Range Extender keep switching states (between Power On and Off) when I know I'm not turning the device its monitoring on/off?
- Some devices cycle on and off (like a refrigerator) regularly and may not be suitable for sensing.
I have my power sensor plugged in and the device is turned on, but the sensor isn't changing?
- Some devices draw more power than others; the power sensor can be set to be more or less sensitive which works for many common devices.
Why did my Power Sensor get "found" first when the system came back from a power loss?
- The Base Station picks up the icons in this occurrence the next time they are triggered, or on the next heartbeat. While the battery powered sensors only heartbeat (check in) once an hour to prolong battery life, the powered sensors check in every 10 minutes.
GARAGE SENSOR How does my Garage Sensor work? Can I use it for other things?
- The Garage Sensor works by sensing a "tilt" of 90 degrees. it can be used for other things that tilt as well (toolbox lid, top loading freezer, etc.)
ATTENTION SENSOR I clicked my Attention Sensor and got the alert, but how do I get the alert to stop flashing?
- The attention sensor acts like a toggle (on/off) button. So, when you click it once it turns it on (and sends the "attention requested" state) and when you click it again it turns it off. The simple answer Press the sensor again.
What are some unique applications I can use this for?
- Some home study participants used it as a remote doorbell for their studios. Others thought that if they had enough range they might give it to their next door neighbor to alert them to odd things happening around their home when they where not there.
Is there a momentary version of the attention sensor?
- Not currently. However, we are always open to suggestions. If this sensor would provide you more value by sending the alert and then turning back to a non-alert state, let us know.
REMINDER SENSOR I set my Reminder Sensor as a 12 hour sensor at 6am. However, everyday It goes off later than the day before? Is it losing time and defective?
- The product is not defective. The Reminder Sensor is meant to act as a timer from the moment you press (start) it. So, your 12 hour will begin counting when you press it, not when the alarm sounds. This is a better way to use the application for things like change air filters or batteries in the smoke alarm, since you want to do it in 3 months from when the task was actually performed.
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