What Does AC Power Failure Mean on My Security System?

AC power failure on your security system means that the system is not receiving plug-in power from a wall outlet. To remain powered, the system has switched to its backup battery. A battery can only keep a system on for a limited period of time, so it is important to restore regular power.

An alarm system requires power at all times to remain powered on. Usually, this power comes in the form of AC or DC power from a transformer that is plugged-into a wall outlet. But if the transformer is unplugged or if the electricity goes out, then the system will no longer be receiving consistent electrical power. In this case the system will need to switch to its backup battery to remain powered on.

A system's backup battery will continuously charge while the system is receiving power from its plug-in transformer. This power will be ready in reserve for when the electricity goes out or the transformer is unplugged. But when this happens, it is still very important to restore transformer power as quickly as possible. This is because a backup battery can only keep the system powered on for a limited period of time. Once the backup power runs out, the system will power down completely, and the screen will go blank. Most backup batteries can keep a system running for about a day.

To clear an AC power failure trouble, a user must restore the plug-in power for their system. If the electricity is out, the user will need to either wait for the power to come back on or find an alternative power source, such as a generator. If the transformer is not plugged-in, they should plug it back into the wall outlet. If the transformer is broken, then they will need to replace it with a new one. Make sure to always use the correct transformer with an alarm system to prevent any serious electrical damage.