Why does my alarm app say offline? A home checklist

When your alarm app says offline, your phone can't reach your alarm's communicator through the cloud. Your alarm system itself usually keeps working and can still sound the siren, but you can't see or control it from your phone until the link is back. Most causes are simple: power, WiFi, mobile signal or the subscription. This checklist takes you through them in order.

First: is it your phone or your alarm?

• Check your phone's own internet. Open a website or another app. If your phone is offline, the app can't update either.
• Close and reopen the app. Pull down to refresh the device screen.
• Ask someone else on the system. If another user sees the alarm online, the problem is on your phone, not at home.

Check the power at home

The communicator gets its power from the alarm panel. If the power has been off for a while, the panel's backup battery may have run flat and taken the communicator down with it.

• Check whether the power is on at home, including the plug or circuit the alarm runs from.
• After loadshedding or a long outage, give the system time to come back. A flat alarm battery can take many hours to recharge.
• If the keypad is dead too, the problem is power to the alarm itself. Call your installer.

Olarm MAX has a small built-in backup that gives it about 2 minutes to send a power-loss warning before it goes quiet, so you'll often get an alert before it shows offline.

Check the WiFi

Most offline reports start with a WiFi change.

• New router or new password? The communicator still has the old details. Enter the new WiFi name and password in the app's device setup.
• 2.4GHz only. Olarm MAX connects to 2.4GHz WiFi. If your router only broadcasts 5GHz, or splits the bands under different names, connect to the 2.4GHz one.
• Router restarted or blocked the device? Some routers block new or unknown devices. Check that the communicator is allowed on your network.
• Weak signal. Alarm panels often sit in a cupboard or garage far from the router. A WiFi extender near the panel can help.

Check the mobile signal

Olarm communicators also connect over mobile networks using built-in SIMs, so a WiFi problem doesn't have to take you offline. If both WiFi and mobile signal drop, the device goes offline.

• Metal cabinets, garages and steel roofs can block signal. Ask your installer whether the communicator or its antenna can be moved to a better spot.
• Signal can also drop during a local network outage, especially when towers lose power during loadshedding.

Read the lights on your communicator

The light on the device tells you which link is down. For Olarm MAX:

• Solid blue: connected to the alarm and the cloud. All good.
• Two blue flashes: online through mobile, but WiFi has dropped.
• Three blue flashes: online through WiFi, but mobile signal has dropped.
• Orange: connected to the alarm, but can't reach the cloud. Check WiFi and signal.
• Red: online, but can't find the alarm system. Usually a code, wiring or connection issue for your installer.
• Orange and red: can't reach either. Check power, WiFi and signal, then call your installer.
• Purple with another colour: a firmware update is running. Leave it plugged in. Updates can take up to 15 minutes.

Other Olarm devices have their own light guides on the Olarm help centre.

Check your subscription

Olarm communicators need an active subscription to stay connected, because it pays for the SIMs and the cloud service. If the subscription has lapsed, the device shows as locked in the app. Tap it to renew, or contact your armed response company if they bill you for it. See pricing.

Still offline?

• Note the serial number, found on the device and in the app.
• Note what the light is doing and when it went offline.
• Contact your installer or Olarm support. They can see the device's connection history and may ask you to send a diagnostics report from the app.

Frequently asked questions

Does my alarm still work when the app says offline?

Usually, yes. The alarm panel, keypad and siren keep working. What you lose is remote control and app notifications until the communicator reconnects.

Will my armed response still get signals?

Not through the communicator while it's offline. If your alarm has another way to signal your control room, such as a radio transmitter, that keeps working. Ask your armed response company how your system reports.

Why does my alarm go offline during loadshedding?

When the power is off, the alarm runs on its backup battery. If the battery is old or the outage is long, it can run flat. Mobile towers can also lose power, which drops the signal.

Can I connect my communicator to 5GHz WiFi?

Olarm MAX uses 2.4GHz WiFi. Most home routers broadcast both, so connect it to the 2.4GHz network.

Need help? Visit Olarm support.