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MaestroLM's profile

Monday, May 15th, 2023 3:57 PM

Three-tone chime from Base Station

I'm experiencing the same annoying problem as reported by others above.   I've had the unit and system in place in our home for about two years, but recently this behavior has begun.   At random times, the base unit will begin repeating that tune: a rapid F#, D, E (sorry - I'm the conductor of a symphony orchestra, so I hear the specific pitches) with a pulsing greenish/yellowish light.   It repeats about every ten seconds for a period of a few minutes, and then ends.   There are no sensors out of order, there are no windows/doors being opened during that time - and we have no doorbell sensor.

NO nearby speakers, the sound IS coming from the base station, all sensors have been checked and all are good, and yes, the base station sits near my work area in my home office and I can verify that the three chime notes are coming directly from that base station.
 
What is the explanation for this annoying behavior and better yet, what is the FIX?!   I would really hope that SimpliSafe's tech team would be able to experience and verify this situation reported now by so many people.   

Thanks - and the next time it exhibits this problem, I'll try to video the base station in the act and post it here.

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Official Solution

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2 years ago

Hi @MaestroLM ,

You describe something a little different to others in the threads you commented in, so I split off your comments into this new thread.


You're talking about the Trouble Signal, which warns of certain issues with your system's readiness (as part of the UL-985 support we added in Base Station firmware 2.10). For example, there could be a sensor that isn't working right, or your Base Station's backup batteries may not be charging properly. For more info, head over to the <!> Notification section on your Keypad.

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ok, i just went to the keypad and went to 'chimes' and set the volume to off. The chime stopped. Is that a good thing? What is the chime noise suppose to be there for? 

7 Messages

2 years ago

I'm experiencing the same annoying problem as reported by rbrodwin above.   I've had the unit and system in place in our home for about two years, but recently this behavior has begun.   At random times, the base unit will begin repeating that tune: a rapid F#, D, E (sorry - I'm the conductor of a symphony orchestra, so I hear the specific pitches) with a pulsing greenish/yellowish light.   It repeats about every ten seconds for a period of a few minutes, and then ends.   There are no sensors out of order, there are no windows/doors being opened during that time - and we have no doorbell sensor.

What is the explanation for this annoying behavior and better yet, what is the FIX?!

Thanks - 

Ours started doing the same yesterday, at random times during the day and this morning at 0430!

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7 Messages

2 years ago

Hmmmm.  I just posted a lengthy response, but - it seems to have disappeared.   I hate to take the time to write it out again, but - is it truly lost?

7 Messages

2 years ago

Well, I'll try again.

Thanks for your response, Davey_d.   I checked one of the keypads and received the <!> notices that three windows were open.   I shut them, and the notices went away.  But - here's the point: when we're home, we prefer to have some windows open, night or day.   The system is turned off.   We don't even have it on the "home" setting.   Does this mean that there's no way of bypassing that annoying chiming if - merely - a window is open?

And one last thing - even though I have the setting for the base station light set at "off", the light never turns off.   Is this a known bug or another indicator?

Thanks - 

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@MaestroLM​ ah, the Entry Sensor Open warning shouldn't be triggering a Trouble Signal, especially if your system is currently set to Off.

The Trouble Signal can be triggered by the following:

  • The Base Station detects an issue with charging its backup batteries
  • The Base Station is detecting Wireless Interference from another wireless device nearby
  • The Base Station has lost connection to Dispatch through both cell and WiFi
  • One of your Smoke, CO, or combo Detectors is malfunctioning, or is not mounted to the bracket correctly
  • Any of your sensors have a low battery
  • Any of your sensors have failed to check in with the Base Station due to a wireless communication issue

Most of the above should also generate an entry on your Timeline in the SimpliSafe app, the moment they're detected. Do you see anything there?

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1 year ago

I have the same issue developing after working with SS on the resolution 

of another problem  I've called the tech phone number again to report this.  He does not

know of a solution. They are sending another base station to me. In the meantime,  I have unplugged it but it is still chiming. Guess i will need to remove battery(ies) if the 'tune' is to stop. 

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@carolapmonn​ What you hear may be the Trouble Signal, a three-tone sound that warns you of potential system issues. The Trouble Signal goes off due to a variety of different reasons, like if a sensor has a low battery or the Base Station lost its Wi-Fi and cellular connection.

You can turn off the Trouble Signal in the Keypad menu, but you may miss important information regarding your system. I see that you turned off the Chime Volume in the Keypad, that pertains to the chime from the Base Station when an Entry Sensor is opened. 

If you want to keep the Trouble Signal sound on, the issue it is warning you about needs to be resolved, or else the Base Station will keep beeping. If you go to the <!> Notification section on your Keypad, it should tell you what the issue is.

1 year ago

Ours started doing the same yesterday, at random times during the day and this morning at 0430!

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@jeffandconnie2019​ This three tone sound you hear is the Base Station's Trouble Signal. The Trouble Signal alerts you of potential issues with your system - like if there's an issue with the Base Station's battery or a sensor is offline.

If you look at the <!> Notification section of your Keypad, it will tell you what the error is. Once the issue is resolved, the Trouble Signal will stop sounding.

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I just had this happen last night. There's an entry sensor not responding. Changing the battery on the entry sensor and base station doesn't work so I unplugged and took out batteries, until I'm able to call and troubleshoot. It'd be so much more helpful if it could tell is what's wrong like it usually does than playing a random tone and making us guess 

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1 year ago

I just had this happen last night. There's an entry sensor not responding. Changing the battery on the entry sensor and base station doesn't work so I unplugged and took out batteries, until I'm able to call and troubleshoot. It'd be so much more helpful if it could tell is what's wrong like it usually does than playing a random tone and making us guess 

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@jzh456​ The Trouble Signal alerts you to check your Keypad regarding a system error; but you can always turn if off in your Keypad settings if you'd like.

If replacing the battery in your Entry Sensor didn't help to clear the Not Responding error, the sensor may be too far away from the Base Station. The best way to determine this is by putting your system into Test Mode and testing this specific Entry Sensor. We list out the steps to test your sensor in this Help Center article. Of course, our Support team is always here to help you troubleshoot live, too.

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1 year ago

Recentlt, I experienced the same problem with the 3 tone. chimes ringing from my Base Station.

At first I thought it was the backup batteries so I replaced them only to find out that was not the problem. Prior to the 3-tone  chime I would get a warning from the the Base Station saying.  Entry Sensor Open. After a day or so  the Base Station would say, Warning, Entry Sensor Not Responding..  I thought maybe it was because I had  just replaced my  modem with a new Wi-Fi modem. So I logged into my Simply Safe with the new Wi-Fi password and username  but the 3-tone chime was still happening. The last resort was to go to Device Settings from my phones SimpliSafe app and remove the entry sensor which said Offline .  I selected and delete entry sensor after selecting  the entry sensor then click on SAVE.

Walla Wallaaaaa The 3 tone chime went away..  That Is strange though because I have had entry sensors to go off-line or to become unresponsive before but never have I had the Base Sttation to make the annoying 3-tone chime sound as a result of it. 

I hope this helps to resolve your issue. God Bless πŸ™Œ 

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1 year ago

This is ridiculous! I just got my Simplisafe alarm system, I installed it and everything was working fine. The next day I began hearing that 3 beeping noise and a green light flash from the base station every 10 ten seconds. I called Tech Support while it was beeping and they have no answer for this repeated issue and I am on the verge of sending it back!

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@bobq23​ The Base Station's Trouble Signal emits a three-note chime whenever it detects a potential problem with your system. It can warn you to things like a sensor isn't responding, the Base Station's batteries aren't charging, or there's a No Link to Dispatcher Error, among other things. 

When you hear the Trouble Signal, you can take a look on your Keypad to see what the problem is. Once resolved, the sound will stop. You can learn more about the Trouble Signal in this Help Center article.

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7 months ago

My base station just started doing this. I replaced the AA batteries hoping that would solve the issue. My keypad days it is not connected, though it is within inches of the base station. When I press a key to search, the keypad can't find the base station. 

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@jhdavis3​ the Trouble Signal tells you that there's a critical issue that needs to be addressed for your system, and you can see exactly which issue it is by looking either at your Keypad or the SimpliSafe app.

Since you Keypad is out of commission (probably related to the actual issue we're dealing with), the app is the next thing to check. If you pull down on the Overview tab, it will refresh and check for the current status. And if there's an issue, you should see it right at the top.

One last thing - you mention replacing your Base Station's batteries. I just want to make sure - did you use AA NiMH rechargeable batteries? If you use alkaline batteries, your Base Station may try to charge them, and that could result in damage to the unit. So it's important to use NiMH only.

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I have the same issue. When I did what you said to do in the Overview it says "Everything is OK". Yet the tone continues on and on and on. Please help make it stop!

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@mark0e7730​ If you look at your Keypad, do you see an exclamation mark <!> on the screen? If you do, that could also clue us in on what is causing the system's Trouble Signal to sound.

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3 months ago

I was fortunate to hear the initial tone of, "Warning, back-door battery low", before the annoying three-chime tone began to repeat. After changing the C2032 battery in the sensor, the chime went away!

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@yardmstr​ I have shut the warning charm off. My base stays dark and silent.  (Reminds me of a great movie "run silent, run deep) and I want this to be the same way. :-)

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2 months ago

I figured it out. It's because you alerts on your keypad. Possibly a low battery or some other warning. Go to your keypad and clear the alerts and the chime will stop. It doesn't show up on the app which is kinda dumb but is what it is.

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