How Long Does a Honeywell Siren Sound When it’s Activated?

A Honeywell siren that has been activated will sound for as long as the bell timeout setting is adjusted to on the security system. This duration of time can be set from four minutes to indefinite, meaning that it will continue to sound until the siren is disabled by disarming the panel.

On any Honeywell security panel, you can adjust the bell timeout from the system programming menu. There will be options for both the security bell timeout and the fire bell timeout. The burglary bell timeout refers to the length of time that the siren will sound for when activated by a security device, such as a door and window contact or a glass break detector. The fire bell timeout refers to the length of time that the siren will sound for when activated by a life safety device, such as a smoke detector.

Complete the following steps to adjust the bell timeout on a Honeywell Lynx Touch or a Lyric Controller:

1. Access system programming. From the home screen of the system, go to Security > More (if using a Lynx Touch) > Tools > enter installer code (the default code is 4112) > Program. You will now be in system programming.

2. Adjust the bell timeout. From the programming menu, select the option for "Sounder". You may need to use the up and down arrows at the right to find this option. Once you are in the sounder menu, click on the fields for "Fire Bell Timeout" and "Burglary Bell Timeout" to adjust their respective sounding periods. Once both settings are to their desired values, click "Save" in the bottom-right corner of the screen to save your changes. Valid options are None, 4 Minutes, 8 Minutes, 12 Minutes, or 16 Minutes.

3. Return to the home screen. Press the return button in the upper-right portion of the screen until you return to the home screen. Be sure to select "Yes" when the panel asks you if you want to allow the installer to reenter programming.