Operation

Owned by Charles Wernicke
Last updated: May 15, 2020
6 min read

Contents:

Starting the Alarm

Press and release the Start Button (marked on lid). 

  • LEDs 1,2,3 will simultaneously flash on for 1 second, then turn off.

Watch the indicators:

  • LED 1 on: communication with the GSM module started successfully, then 

  • LED 2 on: the alarm is registered in the GSM network and ready to receive and send SMS. 

If you get different results, check the troubleshooting section (below).

If your SIM card allows phone calls, test your alarm with a call. Your alarm will decline the call.

Arming & Disarming

These commands control the trigger, the siren, and Standby Mode.

ARM

Syntax:

arm

Arms the Alarm.

This command does not have any parameters, and must be sent from a telephone number that is programmed in memory.

  • See: Programming the Alarm

The Alarm will reply with:

  • "Arm successful", or

  • "You are not authorized to arm". 

If the securing pin is removed, the alarm is automatically armed.

  • This occurs in any state,

  • you must then send the disarm command,

  • the alarm will then confirm that is has been disarmed.

How to enable the trigger:

  1. If alarm is in standby

    1. Check if securing pin is not inserted, otherwise remove it

  2. If alarm is on

    1. Check if securing pin is not inserted, otherwise remove it

    2. If you disarmed before, send SMS “arm”

Note: the alarm exits standby mode after:

  • being triggered, or

  • pressing the Start Button on the alarm.

After the alarm has been triggered (and the siren is blaring), “arm”:

  1. Turns off the siren,

  2. Resets the Alarm,

  3. On battery power, sets the alarm to “Standby Mode”.

    1. If USB power is present, then “arm” won’t put the alarm in standby.

If you don’t “arm” your alarm while solely using the battery, your alarm will stay on until the battery power is critically low.

The alarm will then send SMS messages to all Alert Recipients, and

  • automatically “arm” to save energy.

DISARM

Syntax:

disarm

  • turns off the siren, and

  • disables the trigger.

This command does not have any parameters, and must be sent from a telephone number that is programmed in memory.

The Alarm will reply with:

  • "Disarm successful", or

  • "You are not authorized to disarm". 

Alarm Information

USERS

Syntax:

users

Lists programmed users.

This command does not have any parameters, and must be sent from a telephone number that is programmed in memory.

The Alarm will reply with a list of programmed telephone numbers in memory.

You may receive multiple, separate messages.

STATUS

Syntax:

Reports Alarm status.

This command does not have any parameters, and must be sent from a telephone number that is programmed in memory.

The Alarm will reply with:

  • the battery state (USB power supply or discharging), 

  • level of battery (%), and 

  • GSM signal strength.

GSM signal strength is a number from 0 to 31.

  • Higher is stronger.

  • This table contains values and the equivalent RSSI.

Returned value

Equivalent RSSI (dBm)

Condition

0 - 9

  • 113 - -95

Marginal

10 - 14

  • 93 - -85

OK

15 - 19

  • 83 - -75

Good

20 - 31

  • 73 - -53

Excellent

ABOUT

Syntax:

Reports Alarm information.

This command accepts no parameters, and must be sent from a telephone number that is programmed in memory.

The Alarm will reply with:

  • Serial number of Alarm, 

  • IMEI number of the Alarm GSM module, 

  • Firmware version of the Alarm.

LOCATION

Syntax:

Reports Alarm location.

This command accepts no parameters, and must be sent from a telephone number that is programmed in memory.

The Alarm will reply with:

  • Current or last known (with age) GPS location,

    • formatted as a link to Google maps.

  • LAC - Location Area Code

  • CID - Cell ID

Power management

The alarm is designed to work on both USB power or battery only. We added power management features to the firmware to ensure performance, safety, and maximize battery life. We highly recommend you operate on USB power.

USB power operation

Once USB power is connected, the alarm will automatically startup and come off Standby Mode. This allows you to program your alarm remotely without pressing the Standby/Reset Button. The alarm is also faster off standby when it needs to send an alarm SMS, since the GSM module is running and already connected to the GSM network. While USB power is connected, the built-in battery is charged until it reaches ~85%. Charging is slow (to minimise the risk of overheating and limited power provided by USB port) and from 0 to 85% can take up to 48 hours. Use the function status to determine battery condition. The alarm will periodically check battery status by itself.

When USB power is lost (i.e. the BATM power was disconnected from the grid during a robbery), the alarm will continue to operate in the same state as when it had power (the GPS will be trying to get an actual position, the siren will continue to honk, etc) however indicator LEDs (1,2,3) will be shutdown after a while to conserve battery power. 

The alarm will continue in this state until the battery is down to ~3%, then the alarm will send the SMS ("Battery critically low, alarm will turn off") to all Alert Recipients and automatically “arm” to save any remaining power. The endurance of the battery is almost impossible to predict as it depends upon many factors: siren use, GSM transmission power, GPS signal strength, and the initial status of battery charge. Depending on these things, it can last from hours to days.

Battery only operation (Standby Mode)

The alarm can run on battery only. Power consumption in Standby Mode is so tiny that the alarm could operate for up to a year. You can’t program your alarm remotely (since it is on standby), until you take it off standby (press the Start Button). The alarm also won’t check the battery status in this mode, so you are responsible for periodic charging of the battery. If the alarm is triggered, it takes about 10 seconds to boot the GSM module and register with a GSM network, and in the case of a weak network signal it can take even more time. The alarm checks the status of the battery right after the GSM module boots, and if it is weaker than 5%, the alarm will return into Standby Mode. This feature is present to save the battery from total discharge, because deep discharging harms the battery and significantly reduces life expectancy .

Operating Notes:

This manual is valid for FW version: 1.00 

Alarm SMS Retries

The alarm SMS is sent to all programmed telephone numbers once the alarm is tripped, and again every hour thereafter. This will continue until you disarm (turn off) the alarm.

Location Age

Once powered up, the alarm will be constantly trying to the get current GPS coordinates. Once the alarm receives an SMS location request, the alarm reply type depends on the age of the coordinates. If the coordinates were updated in the last 30 seconds, the alarm regards it as the current position. If the GPS coordinates are older, the alarm will send them as the last known location with the elapsed time since acquisition (e.g. 1540 s ago).

 

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