Alarmatics – Your DIY Security Partner!

Is your Bosch Alarm is beeping and showing an exclamation mark on the screen? No problem! I’ll show you how to stop the beeps, identify the cause and get your system back to normal…. ...QUICKLY Here's what to do. 1 – Press the AWAY button. That’s how you acknowledge the fault and stop the beeping. 2 – Press and hold the 5 button til you hear two beeps 3 – The codepad will now switch to ‘Fault Diagnosis’ mode. It will be display one or more numbers. Understanding What The Bosch Fault Codes Mean 1 – System Fault. This is a general description that is telling you there's a fault inside the alarm panel. There are eight possible faults inside so to get a break down of the exact fault, press 1 again. Now the screen will update and show one or more numbers between 1 and 8. Here’s what they represent: 1 - Low Battery Fault A low battery fault registers when the system detects a low capacity back-up battery. The system automatically performs a battery test every four hours and every time you arm the system. How To Fix : Replace the back-up battery. Watch this video to see how to do it. There's also a link to the cheapest, good quality replacement battery I could find on line. 2 - Date and Time The date and time fault registers every time the system is powered down and up again. This type of fault does not cause the FAULT indicator to display on the codepad unless your installer programmed the automatic arming time. How To Fix: 1. Enter your Master Code, followed by [6] and the [#] key. Don't know your Master Code? Go HERE to see how you can reset it Three beeps sound, and the STAY and AWAY indicators flash. 2. Enter the day, month, year, hour, and minute(DD, MM, YY, HH, MM format) (for example, DD = day of the month, MM = month of the year, YY = current year, HH = hour of the day, MM = minute of the day). To program the hour of the day, use the 24:00 hour format. 3. Press the [#] button to exit and return to the disarmed state. Two beeps sound, and the STAY and AWAY indicators turn off. If a long beep sounds, an error was made when entering the date and time. 3 - RF Receiver Fail The RF receiver fault registers once the system detects that the wireless receiver unit is disconnected. If you have wireless sensors (motion detectors or door/window switches OR remote controls, you will have a radio receiver. How To Fix: This will be either a cable fault between the radio receiver or a faulty receiver. It’s best to get a licensed alarm technician to tackle this one. You could try power-cycling the panel first to see if that clears the fault. 4 - Horn Speaker Fail (Solution 880) or Output 1 to 3 Fail (Solution 3000) This fault registers when the system detects that the horn speaker in the external siren box is disconnected. This fault clears once the horn speaker is reconnected. How To Fix: There are 3 possible causes. In order of probability: 1 – The cable between the alarm panel is damaged. Have you had a tradesperson up in the roof recently? A mouse chewing on the cable and damaging it is also highly probable in my experience. 2 – The horn speaker itself is faulty. If the blue strobe light still works this will almost certainly be the case because the siren and strobe operate from the same cable. 3 – The panel has a fault. How To Fix: Get your hands on an 8 ohm horn speaker. Jaycar or Radio Parts sell them or go here. Open the panel and disconnect the wire going out to the horn speaker – see diagram below this table Connect your ‘test’ horn speaker. Arm and disarm the system. Did the fault on the codepad clear? If it did, press and hold the 1 button on your codepad. This will test the external siren. Wear hearing protection. You’ve now confirmed that the panel is OK. That leaves only the cable or the speaker as the cause. Without a multi metre to test the cable, you’ll have to take a punt. You’ve already got a horn speaker, you may as well go up to the external siren box and replace it. You'll need some side cutters and a way to connect the speaker wires to the cable leading back to the panel. Solder and tape, a terminal block or some gel connectors are good options. If you’ve come this far I’m guessing you’ll know how to do that. When you’ve finished go back to the codepad. Press and hold 1 again to test the external siren. Did it work? Yes? Good! Put everything back together and you’re set. If it didn't fix the fault you’ll be pretty disappointed I bet. Hey, look on the bright side. Now you know that the fault is the cable! Replace this yourself using 4 core 14/.040 alarm cable If you’re really keen you could hop into the ceiling cavity with a torch and trace the cable inch by inch til you locate the damaged section. 5 - Telephone Line Fail This is redundant now as the NBN has replaced all the analogue copper phone lines. If you are experiencing this fault and have recently connected to the NBN, that will be the reason this fault has come up. To fix it you’ll need to go into programming mode and disable the dialler. Note: you’ll need the installer code. If you don’t have the Installer Code, you can default and reprogram your alarm system yourself. Otherwise you’ll need to contact a licensed security technician to fix the problem for you. It shouldn’t take longer than 30 minutes. 6 - E2 Fault or EEPROM Fail An E2 fault registers when the system detects an error in the internal 'opertaing system' of the alarm panel. How To Fix: You can try to power-cycle the system. To do this, disconnect both the mains power and the back-up battery. Wait a minute or two, then reconnect the power. If this doesn't fix the fault, it's best to contact your installer or an alarm technician. 7 – Fuse Fail (on older Bosch panels) or Power Supply Failure on later models. This fault occurs when either of the two 1 A fuses blow. Contact your installer as soon as this fault displays. How To Fix: On the older panels there a 3 x 2AG glass fuses on the main Bosch board inside the alarm control box. From top to bottom they are: Battery Fuse (3 amp) Accessory Fuse (1 amp) Codepad Fuse (1 Amp) You’ll need to inspect each fuse with a good light source (or use a multimeter) to see which fuse has blown. Don’t replace the fuse yet. You’ll need to instigate why it blew. If it’s the battery fuse, the battery could have failed and is drawing excessive current. The Accessory output on the main board is where the 12 volt DC power is connected to run all your motion sensors. If you’ve moved a motion sensor or had work done in the house that may be the reason it has blown. The same applies to the code pad fuse. If you can’t find any obvious cause replace the fuse. If it blows again immediately there is a problem that you may need a technician to come and rectify for you. 8 – AC fail Check that the alarm panel is plugged into a working 240 volt power outlet. Remember, the faults listed above are all part of the general System Faults which is Fault Code 1 Now we'll continue with an explanation of the remaining Fault Codes 2 - 8: 2 - RF Low Battery This fault occurs when any of the RF wireless devices (wireless PIR motion sensors, window switches, door switches vibration sensors) report a low battery condition to the control panel. While in Fault Analysis Mode, press and hold the [2] key until two beeps sound. This displays the zone reporting the RF Low Battery fault. How To Fix: How to Identify which wireless sensor is reporting ‘Low Battery’ from the above procedure. For example, if 3 appears you need to replace the battery in the wireless sensor connected to zone 3. Battery replacement is fairly simple. Check the User Manual for more information if you’re not sure. There are several videos on this site that demonstrate the process as well so check those out. 3 - Tamper Fail This fault occurs when any zone has a tamper alarm. Press and hold the [3] key until two beeps sound. This displays the zone reporting the tamper fail fault How To Fix: Check the detector that is showing a tamper alarm. It could be a wireless or hardwired device. A tamper alarm occurs when the cover of a detector has been removed, but not put back on properly If the Tamper Alarm fault has come on after changing the battery in a sensor, this will be the most likely cause 4 - Sensor Watch Fault A sensor watch fault registers because one or more detection devices failed to detect any movement during the disarmed state for the time period programmed by your installer. The fault clears once the zone in question detects movement and resets. Press and hold the [4] key until two beeps sound. This displays the zone reporting the sensor watch fault. 5 -Wireless Sensor Failed to Check In One (or more) of the wireless sensors in your system haven't communicated to the Bosch control panel radio receiver recently. The fault clears once the RF device in question successfully transmits to the RF radio receiver. Press and hold the [5] key until two beeps sound. This displays the RF detection device reporting the RF sensor watch fault. How to Fix: Go to the sensor that has failed to check in. Replace the battery and see if the fault has cleared. If not, try relocating the sensor to another corner of the room. Recent changes that have occurred in your building could suddenly cause the sensor to lose communication with the control panel. (such as an extension, a new TV or other appliance using a ‘noisy’ power supply) It could also indicate a faulty sensor. If you can’t fix the problem, you’ll need to get an alarm technician to investigate further. 6 - Communication Fail A communication fail registers when the control panel fails to communicate with the receiving party (such as a monitoring company if you have back-to-base monitoring or mobile phone in the case of a self-monitored system) The communication fault clears once the control panel successfully reports to the receiving party. To determine which receiver failed to communicate, press and hold the [6] key If you’ve had the NBN connected recently, this will probably be why this fault is showing up now. 7 - Output and Codepad Fail This fault only applies to the Bosch Solution 2000 and 3000. The output fault registers when the output expander B308 is disconnected or if it’s cover is removed. How to Fix: The expander board is an optional board that is used to control automatic gates or the garage roller door. In fact it can control anything that can be switched on and off. If you have this feature you can try power-cycling the alarm panel to see if the fault clears. If it doesn't it means you’ll need a technician to have a closer look. Possibly a wiring problem or a faulty output board. The codepad fault registers when any codepad is tampered or disconnected from the control panel. The codepad has a tamper switch that is triggered if you remove the codepad from its mounting plate. This can happen if you’re painting the house and need to temporarily unscrew the codepad from the wall. Check that the codepad is clipped in properly to it’s mounting plate. If you can’t clear it….yep, you’ll need a technician! 8 - Keyfob or Remote Control Low Battery This fault occurs when any of the remote controls (also called keyfobs) report a low battery to the control panel. To determine which keyfob failed, press the [8] key. Only keyfobs 1 to 16 faults display on the codepad using zone indicators 1 to 16 on the codepad. Conclusion The Bosch Solution control panels are an extremely reliable panel. If your system develops a problem, the fault diagnosis is pretty comprehensive. I hope this helps you get your system back to full working order. If you don’t feel confident in tackling the repairs yourself, contact a qualified and licensed alarm technician. Almost all technicians will be familiar with the Bosch range of panels. Most fault can be fixed in 45 minutes or less. In any case, hope you learned something!

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