Reasons Why the Wired Alarm Contact on a Door May Not Work

[@wyattwashington2683]

My window contact had been showing open for nearly a month and I hadn't been setting my alarm. I was planning on calling an alarm company to repair it. Thanks to your excellent explanation on how to troubleshoot it, I was able to resolve the problem myself. (One of the wires to the window contact was no longer connected properly.) It was quite simple to repair as you explained and took me less that 5 minutes to resolve. Thanks a million for your video.

[@DKAlarmgridSupport]

Hey Wyatt, Thanks for watching and glad we were able to help!

[@herpderp5222]

Should be mentioned that the reed in the sensors can get stuck/magnetized closed. Symptom of this is when the door/window is opened, the alarm does not chime or start timing for disarm code. You can tap/smack/hit the sensor a few times with the back of a screwdriver (not very hard) and if it starts working again, replace the sensor.

[@mk2ingit]

Blows my mind that he didn't mention this..

[@Samlol23_drrich]

RODENTS??? How dare you, sir? . Truth is, I think the mice are using the alarm wire as a tightrope to get from point A to point B.

[@CHESS2U]

I had to re-install all the hardwire contact sensors after a new window installation, I bought the replacements but my question is: does the color code have to have a specific input in the wire sensors, do they have a polarity sensor like electricity (negative vs positive). I have experience with installation since I work for telecommunication ISP

[@joshuagriffin2807]

For most hardwired systems they do not have polarity, if the device requires polarity you would be using a different contact that is usually manufacture specific. The standard door/window contact does not.

[@SuperThunder911]

Thanks,great video

[@bl7127]

I have four window contacts all connected to the same zone. How do I test which of the contacts/wires aren’t working?

[@JebBushHimself]

How do you access the wires in a wired contact sensor?

[@DKAlarmgridSupport]

Hi @JebBushHimself, Wired contact in most designs will have terminals that allow wires to be screwed into the sensor. These terminals are usually covered by a top cover that can be opened. Depending on the contact these screw terminals can also be exposed and accessed by removing the sensor from the mounted location.

[@Rfinnshw]

👍Joe, Great video! Thanks for this helpful information.

[@DKAlarmgridSupport]

Hey Ron, THanks ! 😄 Glad we were able to help you with our video!

[@thomasj.dubberly5480]

Can that contact switch be used outdoors ? If not do you know of one that could ? I'm trying to install a blinking light on an automatic gate. Thanks

[@joshuagriffin2807]

it can I recommend putting silicone around cracks to prevent moisture from getting in

[@ricktech3867]

Where can I buy both contacts? I can't find at Home Depot .

[@michalispindarou5017]

Thanks for the video I have a door-wired sensor and it failed two to three times. Have in mind that when that happens the sensor shows open door No contact. The weird thing here is that I removed it to check the wires' contact(( there were tied )) suddenly worked for a couple of months but it has failed again! I did the same now it's ok. What do you think as an expert to do?

[@DKAlarmgridSupport]

Hey Michalis, If you are having issues with a wired sensor. It may be something in the overall wire run back to the system where there may be a break somewhere else in that wire run. If you have a multi-meter you could do a continuity check to confirm the wiring has no issues. Worst case scenario is that you would need to run new wire for that zone or switch to a wireless option if running wire will not be easy.

[@michalispindarou5017]

@@DKAlarmgridSupport thanks for your help again. Again its weird firstly I used a wireless sensor and experienced lots of trouble triggering the system saying kitchen door open etc I have switched to wired instead believing that is going to solve this issue! It has lasted a year and it happened again.

[@joshuagriffin2807]

If the resistor ius at the panel go to the lat one in line twist the wires to gether then test. if still faulted move to the next one until you locate the bad device

[@lfstudio1333]

Troubleshooting mine right now. My honeywell system stopped alerting me when a door opens. Anyone have this problem?

[@herpderp5222]

Could be the door sensor reed has gotten stuck/magnetized in the closed position. Try smacking/hitting the sensor to see if that makes it start working again. If so, replace the sensor

[@macrossman6577]

Is it possible the magnet has lost its strength?

[@nathangalarmgrid5205]

It's not impossible, but not a common case.

[@Rick-tb4so]

I closed the basement door and they alarm went off, could the door alarm senor be the fault ??

[@freddaniels8259]

More than likely the tamper got tripped. The alarm should indicate what sensor is causing the issue.

[@Tieupp]

What will happen if I just take off the sensors? Will the sensors just stop working or can the tamper alarm go off and how do I stop that if possible?

[@gabriellucero5312]

Strap it out

[@maryjohnson1676]

How can I reset my door to say front door if I open front door of if I open back door to say back door

[@dylanalarm_grid1038]

You'll need to change the name of the zone within the panel programming. If you're a current monitored customer with us feel free to email us and we can assist with this, the email is [e-mail].

[@eshankhan3350]

It shows the front door and back door while opening the door because these zones are programmed with zone descriptors. If you want to rid off that feature then you need to go into the panel programming and delete the zone descriptors. Panel programming needs to be done by the professional only. If you have Honeywell low-end panel, let me know I can tell you the steps. #Stay safe :)

[@godson0282]

you might to download compass 2.0 and just use that to do your programing. it's a free software

[@UnclecoolJ]

Can i add a wireless contact on to my wired system?