This guide is part of our series on home invasion in Switzerland: protecting your home and family.
You arm the alarm when you leave, then disarm it when you return. But what does it protect while you are having dinner, watching a film or sleeping? For a home invasion prevention project, this question should appear at the quote stage.
An alarm usable while people are at home requires three consistent choices: the areas monitored, the people alerted and the actions planned. “Night mode” is only one part of those arrangements.
What does an alarm’s night mode mean?
The principle is to arm part of the system while allowing certain movement indoors. Depending on the product, this may be called night mode, partial arming or perimeter protection. Exact functions depend on the equipment and configuration. Ajax documentation, for example, illustrates selecting detectors for its night mode. Technical source: Ajax Systems.
Do not settle for seeing an active icon. Ask for an understandable list of the access points and detectors that remain monitored. Also establish what happens if an opening is left open when arming: refusal to arm, a warning, exclusion of an element or another behaviour specified by the system.
An installation may work well at night but need a different setting in the evening when the terrace or garden is still in use. Describe these periods separately, without creating so many modes that nobody can tell them apart.
Design settings around the occupants
During preparation, ask each person to describe their usual movements. Include an adult child returning late, entering a bedroom, letting a pet out or a home care visit. The aim is protection that can actually remain active.
| Use to describe | Question to resolve during installation |
|---|---|
| Getting up at night | Which route remains possible, and which openings remain monitored? |
| Coming home after everyone else | Which control should you use, and which zones change state? |
| Opening a door to the garden | How can you do this without unintentionally disabling the whole system? |
| Having a guest stay | What simple instructions and temporary access rights are needed? |
| Living with a pet | Which functions suit its behaviour, and which tests will confirm this? |
Entry and exit delays also need explanation. Do not copy a setting found online: ask why it was chosen and what behaviour it produces. The manufacturer’s documentation on delays can support the discussion, but the decision must account for the actual installation.
Notifications, sirens and remote monitoring provide different responses
A notification informs you. A siren produces a signal on site. A remote monitoring service receives and handles events under a contract. These functions can complement one another, but none should be confused with automatic police attendance.
Ask the provider to walk through a concrete case: an event occurs while you are asleep; what does the centre receive, what does it verify, who does it call and what happens if nobody answers? Distinguish the time to receive a signal, process it and, if applicable, have a responder arrive.
In the canton of Vaud, police state that technical alarms require verification before they attend. This verification needs organising; it does not justify sending an occupant towards danger. For a directly observed threat, call 117. Source: Votre Police.
What if the phone, internet or power fails?
Do not just ask whether the alarm “has a battery”. Have the provider describe which functions remain available in each situation. A sensor may work while the route used to send a notification is unavailable.
A simple sheet can cover four situations: power cut, internet interruption, unavailable phone and a component reporting a fault. For each, the supplier should state the functions maintained, declared limitations, fault recipient and expected maintenance action.
If several communication routes are offered, ask what they share. Assess a backup against the failure it is meant to cover. Do not arrange a cut yourself that could disrupt medical equipment, building safety or a monitoring centre response: plan tests with the provider.
Complete these tests with the outage function matrix to check detection, records, transmission and reception separately.
Do you need an assistance button?
A button can be considered to allow an occupant to request help. Its usefulness depends on accessibility and the service behind the command. You need to know whether it triggers a sound, sends a message, calls an operator or starts another procedure.
Ask for an explanation suited to the person who will use it. A smartphone command may be impractical for a child or someone who does not keep their phone within reach. A physical button may also be poorly positioned or hard to operate. The test should answer these usability questions without simulating an assault.
This function is not an instruction to use it during a confrontation. In a real situation, the priority remains avoiding an escalation of danger and following emergency services’ instructions.
Acceptance checks before signing off the installation
Arrange an acceptance session announced to the monitoring centre, if there is one. Ask for the following points to be checked and recorded:
- Occupants can recognise the active mode and make authorised changes.
- Agreed routes are possible without unexpected triggers.
- Access points that should be monitored produce the intended signal during the test.
- Alerts reach the intended recipients with an understandable description.
- Faults and backup functions are explained and tested within the agreed limits.
- Contacts, responsibilities and maintenance procedures are provided in writing.
A recurring alert should not lead to permanently disabling a zone without understanding the cause. Record the context and have the problem corrected. Review the configuration when habits, occupants or the layout change.
Choose protection the family knows how to use
The best result of a demonstration is an explanation each relevant occupant can repeat in their own words: what is protected, what triggers an alert and who acts next. A collection of features does not replace this understanding.
To choose between equipment types, see our alarm and camera comparison. To place the installation in a broader approach, return to the home invasion guide for Switzerland or explore My Robot Guard’s approach.
To connect night mode with access points and alert recipients, our occupied-home protection assessment examines family habits and the tests to arrange with the project’s participants.