How to Arm & Disarm Your Paradox Magellan/Spectra Alarm

How to Arm & Disarm Your Paradox Magellan/Spectra Alarm

In this article, we will go over the different methods for arming and disarming your Paradox Magellan/Spectra alarm system, including Regular arming, Sleep arming, and Stay arming.
We will also provide instructions on how to disarm an armed system and deactivate an alarm
Please note that this article does not apply to systems with touchscreen keypads.
It's important to familiarize yourself with all the arming methods available to you in order to take full advantage of your system.

Quick Tips

If you are unable to arm your system because a zone is open, the system will enter Bypass Programming.
In this mode, you can enter the two-digit code for the zone you wish to bypass and press [ENTER], or press [ENTER] to bypass all open zones.

Partitions refer to separate areas within your system's zones. For example, you might have Partition 1 for the main house and Partition 2 for a granny flat. If your system is not partitioned, everything is considered to belong to Partition 1.

Arming Options

Now, let's go over the different arming options:

Regular Arming

This method will arm all the zones in the selected partition.
You can also activate Regular arming using Auto-Arming or One-Touch arming.

To Regular arm:
  1. Close all zones in the desired partition.
  2. Press [ARM] key.
  3. Enter your [ACCESS CODE].
If you have access to both partitions:
  1. Press the key corresponding to the desired partition, [1] or [2].
  2. For both partitions, press the other key after the confirmation beep.

Sleep Arming

This method allows you to roam freely within a protected area while providing a higher level of protection for the rest of the premises. Sleep zones are zones that are bypassed when Sleep arming. For example, you might Sleep arm your entire house except for your bedroom.
Sleep arming can also be activated using Auto-Arming or One-Touch arming.

To Sleep arm:
  1. Close all zones in the desired partition (except Sleep zones).
  2. Press the [SLEEP] key.
  3. Enter your [ACCESS CODE].
If you have access to both partitions:
  1. Press the key corresponding to the desired partition, [1] or [2].
  2. For both partitions, press the other key after the confirmation beep.

Stay Arming

This method allows you to roam freely within the premises while the perimeter is fully armed. Stay zones are zones that are bypassed when Stay arming. For example, you might Stay arm your house by arming the doors and windows but not the motion detectors.
Stay arming can also be activated using Auto-Arming or One-Touch arming.

To Stay arm:
  1. Close all zones in the desired partition (except Stay zones).
  2. Press the [STAY] key.
  3. Enter your [ACCESS CODE].
If you have access to both partitions:
  1. Press the key corresponding to the desired partition, [1] or [2].
  2. For both partitions, press the other key after the confirmation beep.

Disarming or Deactivating an Alarm

To disarm an armed system or deactivate an alarm, follow these steps:\

Disarm an armed system

For a Stay or Sleep armed system, go to step 2

  1. Enter through a designated entry point (e.g. front door).
  2. Press the [OFF] key.
  3. Enter your [ACCESS CODE].
If you have access to both partitions:
  1. Press the key corresponding to the desired partition, [1] or [2].
  2. For both partitions, press the other key after the confirmation beep.

Deactivate an alarm

  1. Press the [OFF] key.
  2. Enter your [ACCESS CODE].
Any user assigned with the Arm Only Option or PGM Only Option will not be able to disarm a partition they have been assigned to.
One final note: certain entry points, such as the front door, may be programmed with an Entry Delay Timer. When an entry point is opened, the keypad will beep until you disarm the system. If the timer elapses before you disarm the system, an alarm will be generated.


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