Shared Knowledge
"AT&T Home Security System - Detector and Keypad Batteries"
21 April 2007
Detectors and wireless keypads in the AT&T Home Security System are 9volt battery powered.
According to AT&T Home Security System literature, batteries in the system should last at least one year before a detector battery becomes so low in voltage that the resulting RF signal emitted by a detector or wireless keypad becomes so weak that the central controller (CC) can not receive it and alarms a "no check-in".
In my system, with the CC centrally located on the 3rd floor of my 3 story home and with a 75 foot antenna in the attic, I do indeed, get one year on a detector battery replacement. Like non-AT&T Home Security System battery powered smoke detectors, I replace all AT&T Home Security System detector and wireless keypad batteries on or around 1 January of each year.
Before I moved the CC to the third floor, I could get a detector "no check-in" after only 6 months or so and once I got one detector "no check-in" another was sure to follow within days or weeks.
From day one of my installation, one smoke detector just liked to eat 9volt batteries, never going more than 6 months without causing a "no check-in". Upon talking to a system technician about this once, I was told that some smoke detectors do consume more power than others. In my case, I eventually bought a replacement off of eBay and now, the new smoke detector will go a full year on one set of batteries like it is supposed to.
Smoke detector batteries. Marked on the back of all AT&T Home Security System smoke detectors is the information message that only Duracell 9volt batteries will work and they are not kidding. Believe it or not, Duracell 9volt batteries are just a little smaller than other 9volt batteries and the battery compartments of the AT&T Home Security System smoke detector is made to hold the Duracell and no other brand of 9volt battery.
Swap them all on the same day. Just a suggestion, but swap out all detector and wireless keypad batteries on the same day to avoid the endless game of responding to CC "no check-in's"
Why is it that "no check-in's" only occur in the middle of the night?
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