Information provided by the Police - given the number of burglaries on the island generally, it is always useful to check that your intruder alarm is operating correctly. Advice has been given in the past regarding batteries, but this time the advice is regarding SIM cards.
If your alarm system sends out alarm activations or
alerts via GSM SIM card, please take some time to ensure that your SIM card is
working correctly. If it is not, then you will not receive a text message should
your premises fall victim to burglars.
In the case of a SIM 'pay as you go', this must be
topped up with €10 of credit every year. If it does not get topped up, the card
will be disconnected - and the first you will know about it will be when you do not get an alert text message in the event of a breakin.
If you have an annual contract SIM card, as long as
you, or your alarm company, pays the SIM card bill monthly, the SIM card will
never be disconnected and will always work.
There have been instances recently where it was thought that the alarm had not worked correctly. However, it was found that the problem lay with the SIM card. Despite being on an annual contract with an alarm company, some SIM cards had been deactivated - most likely because of non-payment of monthly accounts either by the homeowner or the alarm company - the system, therefore, was unable to send text messages to alert the homeowner and/or alarm company.
TO CHECK YOUR SIM CARD IS FUNCTIONING:
Set off the alarm. Let it ring for
about 30 seconds to give the SIM card chance to send out the text messages to the
numbers stored in the system. If you do not receive a message, then it is likely that the SIM has been deactivated.
You can also call the alarm SIM card number. It will
ring if it is working. If it has been deactivated you will get a Cypriot voice
message, followed in English, stating the number is not active.
It is recommended that a regular test is carried out so that you ensure your system operates correctly in the event of a breakin or attempt thereat.
