How to stop a Brinks/ADT alarm from beeping…even when it’s not active

So, for the past several weeks my landlord has said he would call about fixing the unused Brinks alarm system in our apartment. We’ve got two keypads and for the most part they were an eyesore when we moved in but otherwise worthless. Until they started beeping. Once every 12-18 hours long, loud beeps would occur until we pressed the cancel button on the keypad; in the middle of the night, as I was getting home from work and when I was home alone in the shower and thought maybe I was under attack…

Since my landlord was not moving fast enough (though apologetic) I decided to take matters into my own hands. In case anyone is running into the same issue, here’s how to disarm a disconnected alarm that won’t shut up!

1. Get a Phillips screw driver.

2. Locate the power box for the alarm. For me this was in a closet in my entryway. It looks like this:

3. Use the screwdriver to open the box, and once opened locate the battery. Pull the black cord off the battery (mine was pretty stuck, don’t be afraid to yank on it). Here’s what it looks like with the black cord unplugged from the top of the battery:

4. Look down from the box, or in my case if a hole with wires is drilled into the wall then look on the other side of the wall. You should see something that looks like a small white speaker plugged into an outlet. It’s screwed in, so grab that screw driver and unscrew it and the 4 wires on its backside once it’s free from the outlet/wall. Here’s what the box looks like.:

5. Push any wires into the wall, close up the power box and pour yourself a drink as you celebrate the lights on your alarm keypad going dead. No more beeping!! Your partner and nighbors will thank you.

And I thought I wasn’t handy. Boo-ya. Next up, trying not to die as I get a step stool at the top of my porch steps to figure out how to replace the light bulb in the Fort Knox of sconce lighting.