How does the DSC PC5601 function?

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The PC5601 has an LED that can tell you 5 different states of the alarm system at a glance:

1. Solid Green LED = System is ready to arm

2. Flashing Green LED = System is not ready to arm

3. Solid Red LED = System is armed in stay mode

4. Flashing Red LED = System is armed in away mode

5. Flashing Amber LED = System is in alarm

When the system is ready to arm, the PC5601 LED will be lit up green and the light will stay on solid. When you see this solid green light you know that all the active zones are in a secure state. So if no zones are bypassed, then all the doors and windows and et cetera are closed. If you bypassed some zones, then all the zones that are not bypassed are secure.

If you see the green LED lit up, but flashing this time on the PC5601 this means that the system is not ready to arm. This could mean that a door or a window is open. Or it could also be caused by certain trouble conditions that while active do not allow the alarm system to be armed. If you see this and you are wanting to arm the system or find out what is causing the system to not be in a secure state, you will need to go to a keypad for more details. Then close zones, bypass zones, or do some system troubleshooting as necessary before you will be able to arm the alarm system.

A red LED on the PC5601 means that the system is armed. The red LED will also flash or stay on solid to give you more detailed information about the arming state of the alarm system. A solid red LED means that the system is armed in stay mode. In the typical alarm installation this means that the perimeter is armed, along with 24 hour zone types of course, but the interior type zones are disabled. As the name suggests, stay mode is generally used when people are staying inside the house so it would not be good for things like motion detectors to trip the alarm from people walking around inside. If the LED is red and flashing, then the system is armed in away mode. In away mode, the alarm system assumes that no one should be in the house and so interior zones, primarily motion detectors, would be active in addition to perimeter zones.

And finally, if there is a flashing amber LED on the PC5601 then you know that the system is in an alarm state. It will stay flashing until the system is disarmed. So while the bell output may time out after 4 minutes for instance, the flashing amber LED can still tip you off there is an alarm on the system. If the police or fire departments have not been called, it may be a good idea to have them there before entering the home for your or your family's safety.