Lesson 1Door/window contact types (reed, surface, recessed) and placement best practicesCovers reed, surface, and recessed door and window contacts, including wiring, gap tolerances, and magnet alignment. Emphasizes placement to avoid false alarms, tampering, and damage during normal door and window operation in typical homes.
Reed switch operation and ratingsSurface vs recessed contact selectionGap spacing, alignment, and tolerancesWiring methods and EOL resistor usePlacement to reduce damage and tamperingTesting contacts during door operationLesson 2Siren/strobe types, decibel ratings, indoor vs outdoor placementReviews siren and strobe device types, decibel ratings, and tone characteristics. Explains indoor versus outdoor placement, wiring, and power budgeting, plus code and neighbour considerations for sound levels and duration in residential areas.
Piezo vs mechanical siren designsDecibel ratings and tone frequencyIndoor siren placement strategiesOutdoor siren and strobe positioningCurrent draw and power calculationsCode limits on sound level and durationLesson 3Keypad and mobile app interfaces, indicators, and user feedbackDescribes keypad and mobile app interfaces, including display types, indicator lights, and audible feedback. Covers user codes, arming modes, and how interface design supports usability, training, and error reduction for everyday users.
Fixed vs alphanumeric keypad displaysLED indicators and status meaningsAudible beeps, chimes, and voice promptsMobile app control and notificationsUser codes, authority levels, and duressDesigning simple user flows and promptsLesson 4Glass-break sensors: acoustic vs shock, mounting and sensitivity settingsDetails acoustic and shock glass-break technologies, coverage patterns, and mounting rules. Explains sensitivity settings, environmental limitations, and testing methods to reduce missed breaks and nuisance alarms in various home settings.
Acoustic sensor principles and rangesShock sensor operation and mountingSelecting locations by glass typeSensitivity levels and dip switch setupEnvironmental noise and false alarm controlFunctional testing with glass-break testersLesson 5Environmental sensors and optional devices (smoke, CO, freeze, garage, panic)Covers smoke, CO, heat, freeze, water, garage, and panic devices used with alarm systems. Explains placement, wiring or enrolment, and reporting types, plus integration with life safety and insurance requirements in South Africa.
Smoke and heat detector integrationCarbon monoxide detector placementFreeze and water leak sensor usesGarage door and tilt sensor optionsPanic, medical, and hold-up devicesLabeling and priority of life-safety zonesLesson 6Control panel features and processor/firmware basicsIntroduces control panel hardware, processors, and firmware roles in system operation. Covers memory, zone capacity, communication buses, and firmware updates, emphasizing stability, security, and feature planning for reliable performance.
Main board layout and terminal functionsProcessor, memory, and speed basicsZone capacity and expansion modulesKeypad and device bus architecturesFirmware versions and change logsSafe firmware update proceduresLesson 7Wiring vs wireless tradeoffs, zones per loop, supervised vs non-supervised devicesCompares wired and wireless devices, including reliability, labour, and cost tradeoffs. Explains zones per loop, addressing, and supervised versus non-supervised circuits, with guidance on when each approach is appropriate for installations.
Advantages of wired device circuitsWireless sensors, batteries, and rangeZones per loop and point identificationSeries, parallel, and EOL supervisionNon-supervised circuits and risksChoosing wiring vs wireless by projectLesson 8Power architecture: AC power, backup battery sizing, battery chemistry and maintenanceDetails AC power sources, transformer sizing, and wiring practices. Explains backup battery chemistry, capacity, and maintenance, including testing, replacement intervals, and environmental factors that affect lifespan in local conditions.
AC source, transformer, and voltage dropAuxiliary power outputs and limitsBattery chemistry types and pros/consBattery capacity, load, and deratingRoutine battery testing proceduresStorage temperature and lifespan effectsLesson 9Motion detectors: PIR, dual-tech, pet immunity, mounting heights and coverageExplores PIR and dual-tech motion detectors, coverage patterns, and mounting heights. Discusses pet immunity, environmental factors, and walk testing to balance detection performance with false alarm reduction in homes with pets.
PIR sensing principles and opticsDual-tech PIR and microwave operationMounting heights and angle selectionPet immunity ratings and limitationsAvoiding HVAC and sunlight interferenceWalk testing and coverage verificationLesson 10Communication modules: cellular, IP (Ethernet/Wi-Fi), dual-path and supervisionExplores cellular, IP, and dual-path communicators, including path priority, encryption, and supervision intervals. Focuses on reliability, carrier and network selection, and how to meet monitoring and code requirements in South Africa.
Cellular communicator types and bandsIP over Ethernet and Wi‑Fi modulesDual-path routing and failover logicSupervision intervals and test signalsEncryption, APN, and firewall settingsCarrier selection and signal strength testsLesson 11Backup power configurations: tamper and low-battery reportingExplains backup power design, including battery sizing, charger limits, and runtime calculations. Details tamper switches, cabinet protection, and low-battery reporting to ensure the system remains secure during outages and power issues.
Battery capacity and runtime estimatesCharger current and load calculationsPanel and enclosure tamper switchesLow-battery thresholds and reportingTesting under AC fail conditionsService intervals and battery replacement
