Understanding Security System Terms - Security Command XR20 Executive Series User Manual

Understanding Security System Terms

Throughout this guide, and in some displays on your keypad, you
may see certain words or phrases that might be unfamiliar. Although
every effort has been made to use terms that are commonly known,
there are some for which there was no acceptable substitute.
Below are some terms you may see here and on the keypad
display.
Arming
This is the term used for turning on the burglary protection in one
or more areas of the system. Your system may require you to enter
a user code. When armed, the system can sound alarm bells or
sirens and, if monitored, send alarm reports to a central station
when a burglary zone is faulted.
Fire, panic, and other 24-hour devices are always turned on and do
not need to be armed.
Disarming
This means turning off one or more areas of the system. When
disarmed, the system does NOT sound alarms or send alarm reports
to a central station when a burglary zone faults.
Zone
A zone refers to one or more protected openings or protection
devices assigned the same zone number. Each door or window,
motion detector, smoke detector, or other device has a zone
number and a name.
Often, similar devices in the same general area share the same
zone. For example, the windows on the east side of the premises
can all be grouped together in a zone named E. WINDOWS.
8
Entry or Exit Zone
Almost all systems have one or more doors through which you can
enter or exit the premises. These doors are programmed with a
delay time to allow you to enter or exit while the system is armed
without setting off the alarm.
When you arm the system, activity on all burglary zones is ignored
until the programmed exit delay time expires. Once that time has
expired and the system is fully armed, opening the door causes the
panel to start the entry delay time. During the entry delay time,
you must enter a valid user code to disarm the system or an alarm
occurs.
Instant Zone
Exterior windows and non-entry doors, or interior protection
devices, are typically not programmed with delay times. If these
zones fault while the system is armed, an alarm occurs instantly.
24-Hour Zone
A 24-hour zone is not turned on or off by arming or disarming your
system. Some examples of 24-hour zones are fire zones, panic
zones, and temperature control zones.
Areas
An area is made up of burglary zones that can be armed or
disarmed together. The Perimeter area, for example, consists of
all the doors and windows on the outside of the building. When you
arm the Perimeter, these zones sound an alarm if tripped.
XR20 User's Guide Introduction