How Do I Know If My 2GIG Wireless Alarm System's Battery Has Died?

You can know if your 2GIG Wireless Alarm System's battery has died because there will be a low-battery alert. This alert won't clear even after the battery has been given proper time to change. This is because the battery is no longer able to store a charge and needs to be replaced.

The 2GIG Wireless Alarm Systems include the 2GIG GC2 and the 2GIG GC3. Both panels rely on a plug-in transformer for primary power. If the electricity goes out, a battery backup will keep the system running. Most alarm system batteries last for about three (3) to five (5) years. At that point, the battery will no longer be able to store a charge, and it will need to be replaced. If the system loses both AC and battery power, it will shut down entirely.

There is one very important thing to keep in mind if your system has a low battery. The battery might not be dead yet. The system may have been running on battery power for an extended period of time, and it just needs time to charge. These batteries slowly store power while the system is running on transformer power. If the battery just needs to charge, you will be able to clear the trouble condition.

In nearly all cases, a system battery should accumulate a full charge after 24 hours of the system running on AC power. What you should do is wait out 24 hours and then see if the low-battery warning goes away, or if you can successfully clear the trouble condition. If that is the case, then your battery is not dead, and you don't need to replace it. You will often see low-battery warnings after long power outages when the system was running on battery power for a long period of time.

But if your 2GIG System still shows a low-battery alert that you cannot clear after 24 hours of running on AC power, then your battery most likely needs to be replaced. You can often determine this by seeing that the system has suddenly displayed a low-battery warning after running on continuous AC power. Also, a sudden low-battery warning after about 3 to 5 years is usually an indication of a dead battery.

You can see a low-battery alert on a 2GIG GC2 in the following picture:

And here is a low-battery on a GC3:

If you need to replace the battery for a 2GIG GC2, you can choose between the 2GIG BATT1X and the 2GIG BATT2X. The BATT1X will provide four (4) to six (6) hours of backup power. The BATT2X will provide up to 24 hours of backup power.

If you need to replace the battery for a 2GIG GC3, you should get a 2GIG BATTERY-GC3. This battery will provide up to 24 hours of backup power.

If you need to determine if the battery for your 2GIG System is dead, complete the following steps:

1. Check for the symbol. Check and see if your 2GIG GC2 or 2GIG GC3 has the low-battery warning shown above. If it does, then continue to Step 2. If it doesn't, then your battery is adequately charged, and it is not dead.

2. Wait 24 hours. Try giving the system time to recharge the battery. You should give the system 24 hours to do this. Make sure it is running on continuous AC power the entire time. Unplugging the transformer will prevent the battery from charging.

3. Clear the low battery. The low-battery trouble may clear on its own. Or you might have to acknowledge it. On a 2GIG GC3, from the main menu, choose Security > the yellow triangle > OK. This will acknowledge the trouble, and clear the low-battery warning if the battery is sufficiently charged. If the warning remains, you must replace the battery.

If you want to clear a trouble on a GC3, click the status button at the top of the main menu. Then choose Alerts. Then press the back arrow on the left. This will acknowledge the trouble. If the battery is sufficiently charged, then the condition should go away. If it remains, you need to replace the battery.

This picture shows the status button on the GC3 main menu: