SZB 316 Alarm System Instructions

Turning OFF the Alarm System

The alarm works like most home alarm systems; when you first walk into the room you will hear a long steady tone. The steady tone will last about 10 seconds which is the time you have to type in your code into the keypad by the door to disable the alarm. If you take too long the tone will change to a beeping sound and the system will automatically notify UTPD. If this happens, continue to type in your code to turn off the alarm but then call UTPD to let them know of the false alarm. The phone number for UTPD is 471-4441 and the number is printed on a label attached to the keypad. When you call UTPD they will ask you to give them your "Personal Identification Code" as proof of your identity. If you do not call UTPD, they will send a police officer to the room to investigate.

	If the keypad is closed when you arrive, you will need to open it to access the numeric keypad.

	After you open the keypad you can enter your numeric alarm code to turn on/off the alarm system. You use the single numeric code assigned to you to both turn on and turn off the system.

Turning ON the Alarm System

When you are done with your class, you'll need to turn the alarm back on. To do this, make sure the door is closed and then type in your alarm code into the keypad. You'll need to stand still while you are doing this so that you do not trigger the motion detector. You will not be able to enable the alarm if any of the alarm sensors in the room are being triggered. On the keypad is a light labeled “Ready”. When this is illuminated green then that means no sensors are being triggered and you can type in your code to turn on the alarm (see picture below). Once you type in your code the keypad will start beeping slowly and then gradually increase in speed as the system gets near to actually arming. While the keypad is beeping is the time you have to exit the room. The alarm will become fully activated when you hear the rapid beeping change to a steady tone which lasts about 5 seconds. You should already be out of the room by the time this steady tone occurs.

When you leave the room, confirm the door is locked by firmly grasping the door knob and trying to open the door by turning the knob clockwise and counter-clockwise. If the door does not open then it is locked. If it does open then that means it is toggled open and you need to toggle it locked again.

SZB 316 alarm keypad ready light illuminated

You can not turn on the alarm system until the "Ready" light is green.

What to Do if You Accidently Trigger the Alarm

If you take too long to turn off the alarm system, the keypad will start making a beeping sound which will beep at a constant rate and continue until you turn off the alarm by tying in your numeric alarm code. The steady beeping sound indicates that the University Police Department (UTPD) has been notified of an intrusion into the room and they will immediately send a police officer to investigate. Usually the police officer will arrive at the room within 10 minutes. If you accidently trigger the alarm system YOU MUST IMMEDIATELY notify UTPD of this. Failure to report the false alarm is technically a criminal offense. Once you notify UTPD of the false alarm, they will contact the police officer who is currently enroute to the room so that they will know they do not need to investigate the incident. Here is an overview of what you need to do in the event of a false alarm:

Attempt to turn off the alarm system by typing in your numeric alarm code. If after a few tries you are unsuccessful at turning off the alarm system, proceed with calling UTPD.
Call UTPD at 471-4441. If you call using one of the office desk phones in the building, then you only need to dial 1-4441.
When you call UTPD, tell them that you want to report a false alarm in Room 316 in the Sanchez building.
The UTPD operator will then ask you for your name and "Personal Identification Code". When you give your name, make sure it is your full legal name as it appears in the UT Directory. The "Personal Identification Code" is the secret code word that you received at the same time that you received your numeric alarm code for the room. The "Personal Identification Code" is how UTPD verifies you are who you say you are by looking it up in a list of people who have been assigned alarm codes for the room.
Once the UTPD operator verifies your "Personal Identification Code", they will ask you if you were able to "reset the alarm". "Reset the alarm" means if you were able to turn off the alarm. If you were unable to turn off the alarm, tell this to the operator and they will inform the responding police officer that you need assistance turning off the alarm.

Sounds the Alarm System Makes

Turning ON The Alarm - This is an audio clip of a room alarm system being turned on. At the beginning of the clip you can hear the alarm keypad user's numeric alarm code being typed in to turn on the alarm. You then hear the keypad slowly beep for 20 seconds. The last 10 seconds before the system becomes fully armed, the keypad beeps rapidly. The system then makes a steady 1 second tone. This steady 1 second tone signifies the system has become fully armed.

Turning OFF the Alarm - This is an audio clip of an alarm system being turned off. At the beginning you hear the room's door being opened which triggers the alarm system. You then hear a steady tone signifying the period for which you can turn off the alarm before UTPD is notified of an intrusion. You then hear the keypad user type in their numeric alarm code to turn off the alarm. After typing in the numeric alarm code, the tone goes silent signifying the system has been deactivated. IF YOU DO NOT DISARM THE SYSTEM IN TIME, the steady tone will change to a beeping sound which will beep at a constant rate. The beeping sound signifies UTPD has been notified of an intrusion into the area. Even if you turn off the alarm at this point YOU MUST call UTPD to report the false alarm.

Error Beeps - If you type an incorrect alarm code into the keypad or a motion sensor is tripped in the area while you are trying to arm it, the keypad will beep 3 times to signify an error. If this happens, repeat what you were trying to do. This sound clip is what the 3 beeps sound like.

Opening/Locking the Room Door

The lock on the SZB 316 room door can be toggled open. Unfortunately this feature has been the cause of too many false alarms which UTPD has had to respond to. What happens is someone opens the door not realizing they are toggling the lock open. When the person leaves, they forget to toggle the lock back to a locked state again but they do remember to turn the room alarm on. Then someone like a student comes along and attempts to enter the room which they can do since the door was left toggled open. When the person enters the room they trigger the alarm since they don't know a code which will turn the alarm off. UTPD then has to respond and turn off the alarm.

To toggle the door open you turn the lock key counter-clockwise to the left. To toggle the door locked again you need to turn the key clockwise to the right. In order to avoid any possibility of leaving the door unlocked, please only turn your key clockwise to the right when opening the door to the room. This will ensure the door lock stays locked which will eliminate any chance of forgetting the lock open when you leave. If you need to leave the door open during your class, you can prop the door open with something.

Open the door by turning your key clockwise to the right. This will ensure you do not accidentily leave the door toggled open when your class is over.

How to Get an Alarm Code for the Room

Access to the room must be approved by Stephen Flynn (Phone: 471-3747). If you need to be able to open the room door or lock it up when your class is over then you need an alarm code. Alarm codes are assigned to individuals and cannot be shared. This is because each alarm code and "Personal Identification Code" are uniquely assigned to each person and UTPD is given a listing of each person who has access to the alarm system along with their assigned "Personal Identification Code". If you need access to the SZB 316 room, then contact Stephen Flynn (Phone: 471-3747).

Once you are approved for access to the room, you will be contacted and given a numeric alarm code and "Personal Identification Code".

What To Do if You Forget Your Alarm Code or Personal Identification Code

Contact the Learning Technology Center technical support group by sending a help request to the College's helpdesk system at help@edb.utexas.edu. When you send an email to the helpdesk system, a help request ticket will automatically be generated for you. The first available technical support technician will assist you in retrieving your numeric alarm code and Personal Identification Code. Alternatively, you may create a help request ticket by logging into the helpdesk system's web interface at http://help.edb.utexas.edu.

What is the Personal Identification Code?

A "Personal Identification Code" is a code word that is uniquely assigned to individuals who can turn on/off room alarm systems. The purpose of the Personal Identification Code is so that UTPD has a way of verifying the identity of someone that calls them up to report a false alarm. UTPD is given a list of everyone with an alarm code for the room along with the person's assigned Personal Identification Code. When you call UTPD to report a false alarm they will ask you for your name and Personal Identification Code. They will then verify your information with the list that they have. Do not share your numeric alarm code or Personal Identification Code with anyone.

Last updated on December 6, 2011