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SECTION 10
Limitations and Warranty
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WARNING
THE LIMITATIONS OF THIS ALARM SYSTEM
While this System is an advanced design security system, it does not offer guaranteed protection
against burglary, fire or other emergency. Any alarm system, whether commercial or residential, is
subject to compromise or failure to warn for a variety of reasons. For example:
• Intruders may gain access through unprotected openings or have the technical sophistication to
bypass an alarm sensor or disconnect an alarm warning device.
• Intrusion detectors (e.g., passive infrared detectors), smoke detectors, and many other sensing
devices will not work without power. Battery-operated devices will not work without batteries, with
dead batteries, or if the batteries are not put in properly. Devices powered solely by AC will not work
if their AC power supply is cut off for any reason, however briefly.
• Signals sent by wireless transmitters may be blocked or reflected by metal before they reach the
alarm receiver. Even if the signal path has been recently checked during a weekly test, blockage can
occur if a metal object is moved into the path.
• A user may not be able to reach a panic or emergency button quickly enough.
• While smoke detectors have played a key role in reducing residential fire deaths in the United
States, they may not activate or provide early warning for a variety of reasons in as many as 35% of
all fires, according to data published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Some of the
reasons smoke detectors used in conjunction with this System may not work are as follows. Smoke
detectors may have been improperly installed and positioned. Smoke detectors may not sense fires
that start where smoke cannot reach the detectors, such as in chimneys, in walls, or roofs, or on the
other side of closed doors. Smoke detectors also may not sense a fire on another level of a residence
or building. A second floor detector, for example, may not sense a first floor or basement fire.
Finally, smoke detectors have sensing limitations. No smoke detector can sense every kind of fire
every time. In general, detectors may not always warn about fires caused by carelessness and safety
hazards like smoking in bed, violent explosions, escaping gas, improper storage of flammable
materials, overloaded electrical circuits, children playing with matches, or arson. Depending on the
nature of the fire and/or location of the smoke detectors, the detector, even if it operates as
anticipated, may not provide sufficient warning to allow all occupants to escape in time to prevent
injury or death.
• Passive Infrared Motion Detectors can only detect intrusion within the designed ranges as
diagrammed in their installation manual. Passive Infrared Detectors do not provide volumetric area
protection. They do create multiple beams of protection, and intrusion can only be detected in
unobstructed areas covered by those beams. They cannot detect motion or intrusion that takes place
behind walls, ceilings, floors, closed doors, glass partitions, glass doors, or windows. Mechanical
tampering, masking, painting or spraying of any material on the mirrors, windows or any part of the
optical system can reduce their detection ability. Passive Infrared Detectors sense changes in
temperature; however, as the ambient temperature of the protected area approaches the
temperature range of 90° to 105°F (32° to 40°C), the detection performance can decrease.
• Alarm warning devices such as sirens, bells or horns may not alert people or wake up sleepers if
they are located on the other side of closed or partly open doors. If warning devices are located on a
different level of the residence from the bedrooms, then they are less likely to waken or alert people
inside the bedrooms. Even persons who are awake may not hear the warning if the alarm is muffled
by noise from a stereo, radio, air conditioner or other appliance, or by passing traffic. Finally, alarm
warning devices, however loud, may not warn hearing-impaired people.
• Telephone lines needed to transmit alarm signals from a premises to a central monitoring station
may be out of service or temporarily out of service. Telephone lines are also subject to compromise by
sophisticated intruders.
• Even if the system responds to the emergency as intended, however, occupants may have
insufficient time to protect themselves from the emergency situation. In the case of a monitored
alarm system, authorities may not respond appropriately.
• This equipment, like other electrical devices, is subject to component failure. Even though this
equipment is designed to last as long as 10 years, the electronic components could fail at any time.
(Continued)
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