It is recommended and effortless to reset an ADT alarm panel by yourself and it is not necessary to call customer service or a technician. This is necessary if the panel is showing problems or faults, the time displayed is wrong, the zones or sensors are functioning abnormally, or you wish to set your panel to its factory state. You can perform a few different types of resets and the type you do will depend on the problems you are having or what you want to achieve. Here in this article, we shall provide specific guidelines on how to conduct ADT alarm panel resets for the three major types.

Soft Reset The basic reset option for an ADT alarm system is the soft reset, which involves flipping the switch manually. It just sends a signal to the panel to reset by switching off and on the panel itself.

Here is how you perform a soft reset:

  1. Find where the main keypad and the control panel of the entire alarm system is enclosed in a panel box. If you are still unclear about its place, trace the wires that run from the keypad to the main box which is located on the wall or in the closet.

  2. Look for the transformer that would look like a huge electrical socket coming out of the box. This is where you get the power supply for your alarm panel.

  3. Disconnect the power supply to your alarm panel by either removing the fuse from the transformer or turning off the circuit breaker that supplies power to the panel. After switching off the power, wait for fifteen seconds before turning it back on. It allows the system enough time to discharge and avoid becoming congested.

  4. The panel will take 1-2 minutes to reboot from the suspend mode to the state mentioned above. The power lights and the keypad will read “Powering Up Please Wait” and then go to the home screen after the reboot.

    A soft reset can solve many general problems such as when the keypad is unresponsive, false and fault alarms, incorrect timers, and so on. It restores the parameters in the alarm panel’s memory and resets all the settings and hardware.

    Hard Reset However, a hard reset erases all the configurations and settings that are programmed into the alarm panel when it is in the factory. This resets all the codes, zones, the programmed settings, the user's information and all the other options.

  5. When you get to the main alarm panel box, you should find a reset button somewhere on the surface. On most ADT panels like the Safewatch Pro 3000EN or Command, it will be red with the word ‘default’ inscribed on it.

  6. First turn on the power of the panel then press and hold the default button for about 5-10 seconds while the panel produces a beep sound.

  7. It will also state “Resetting to Factory Defaults” when in the process of resetting, “Powering Up Please Wait” and then the installer programming codes if it is done powering up.

    The hard reset erases all the information that was programmed permitting the panel to return to the first day of construction. So use this method with caution if your settings are already well configured to prevent interference with smooth communication. But it can be helpful when selling a home, resetting the user code, or deleting false information in the panel.

    Reboot From Trouble Menu In case the ADT alarm panel has random troubles or faults that do not clear, then there is a built-in Trouble Menu that you can use to reboot the system and also clear the default information. The steps include:

  8. Using your keypad, go to ADT Command, Safewatch Pro, or another keypad and input the Master passcode.

  9. Press 1 to connect to the Trouble Menu on your keypad.

  10. Use the arrow keys to scroll down the page to select the “Reset Alarms/Troubles” option. Select this with the * key.

  11. This assumes you are typing in letters.

  12. A confirmation screen appears. Select the first option that says: Reset Sensor/Levels and Reboot. "

  13. For the next few moments, the alarm panel will announce “Reset in Progress” while it undergoes a soft reset. It will then say “Powering Up Please Wait” on the keypad and the call will end and you will be taken to the home screen.

    Of all the resets available from the Trouble Menu, this type of reset wipes off all the current or remaining troubles/faults affecting detection sensors, zone equipment, and others. In this way, it serves both as a reboot and reset of only alarm communications functions.

    Master Passcode Resets If you have forgotten your Master passcode for accessing the panel programming, there is a factory default Master code that can restore access after a hard reset:If you have forgotten your Master passcode for accessing the panel programming, there is a factory default Master code that can restore access after a hard reset:

    ADT Command Master default code is 1234

    The Safewatch Pro 3000EN Master default code has been set to 888888.

    These Master codes are the factory default codes for your panel and the usage of these codes depends on the panel that you are using. However, when you are doing a hard reset The panel will request you to enter the new Master code, at this point, you would enter any of the codes provided above depending on the model of your ADT system. This will in turn effectively re-enable the command of the control panel.

    Getting Back into Your ADT Alarm Panel – Some Recommendations

    Here are some additional pointers when resetting your ADT alarm system keypad:

  • If there is water damage or any type of physical damage to your panel box or interior hardware, resets will not fix this. Anyone who has suffered damaged components will need to call ADT customer support or a security company to get them fixed or replaced.

  • Before resetting always ensure that you contact the alarm monitoring center; this will help to prevent false alarms and disruption signals.

  • The exterior configurations include all zone descriptions and user passcodes, all communication settings and everything else that has to be adjusted after hard resets that delete particular programming. We are talking to them about their car and the instructions are in the car’s manual.

  • If the ADT system being reset is an older model then it might need further steps as these keypads do not have buttons as seen in the DSC Impassa. Search for a small black or red pin-like button located near the panel transformer, which serves to reboot the panel.

    Pressing to reboot the panel from the device may take as little as a couple of seconds or as much as ten minutes for some rebooting methods. As mentioned previously depending on the version of the panel you use, and the reason for resetting, following the correct steps will enable the system to refresh to the required status. Understand when to perform a soft reboot, a factory default reset, or enter the trouble menu options as appropriate.