CAT Troubleshooting & Diagnostics 2

Question 1

A smoke detector repeatedly triggers false alarms only during early morning hours. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Condensation or temperature fluctuations at dawn

Answer

Early morning false alarms from smoke detectors are most often caused by condensation or temperature differentials that occur at dawn.

Question 2

When a zone shows a 'short circuit' fault on the control panel, what resistance measurement would you expect when testing the zone wiring?

Accepted Answer

Near zero ohms

Answer

A short circuit fault indicates the zone wires are touching, resulting in near-zero ohm resistance.

Question 3

A PIR motion detector triggers when no motion is present whenever a heating vent activates nearby. The best corrective action is to:

Accepted Answer

Aim the detector away from the vent or install a heat-shielded model

Answer

PIR detectors respond to infrared heat changes, so redirecting the detector away from the vent or using a heat-shielded unit eliminates false triggers from HVAC airflow.

Question 4

After restoring AC power to a security panel following an outage, the panel shows a 'battery trouble' fault. What should you check first?

Accepted Answer

Verify the battery is connected and measure its voltage

Answer

Before replacing the battery, verify it is properly connected and measure its voltage to determine if it is genuinely failed or just discharged.

Question 5

A keypad displays 'Communication Failure' but all zones are normal. Which component should be tested first?

Accepted Answer

The phone line, broadband connection, or cellular communicator

Answer

A communication failure fault points specifically to the reporting path (phone line, IP, or cellular), which should be tested first.

(CAT) Certified Alarm Technician Level I Practice Test

(CAT) Certified Alarm Technician Level I Practice Test

CAT Troubleshooting & Diagnostics 2