ESA Certified Alarm Technician Practice Exam

What action is described by setting a particular zone in a system to be inactive while the rest remains active?

1. Deactivate

2. Bypass

3. Ignore

4. Zone Lock

The correct answer is: Bypass

The action described by setting a particular zone in a system to be inactive while keeping the rest active is termed bypass. Bypassing a zone allows for certain areas or zones within a security system to be excluded from detection, either temporarily or under specific circumstances, while the rest of the zones continue to monitor activity. This is beneficial in cases where you want to allow access through a zone without triggering alarms, such as when maintenance is being performed in a specific area or when a pet is present in a zone. Other terms, while they may seem related, describe different functionalities. Deactivating traditionally implies turning off the whole system or disabling not just a zone but the entire system's capability to alarm. Ignoring might suggest a passive approach to a zone, but it does not officially disable it within the system's operation. Zone lock is generally understood to refer to securing a zone against any changes in its status rather than making it inactive. Bypass effectively communicates the targeted action of disabling a zone within the context of the whole system, highlighting its functionality in security management.