Generate Test Alarm creates a sample alarm event for a location without triggering a live alarm. Use the Generate Test Alarm feature to generate notifications to alarm contacts (SMS, email and mock call), and to test your on-site phone arm / disarm method.
Generating a test alarm does not arm or disarm the location or dispatch emergency services.
Note: This is different from VerifEye test mode. VerifEye test mode is used to walk through verification without dispatching police. Generate Test Alarm creates a labeled test event and sends test notifications.
Access Generate Test Alarm Feature
Generate Test Alarm is available in the web app only (unavailable in the Solink mobile app).
To see the Generate Test Alarm button, you need:
Access to the Alarms page
Permission to manage alarm settings (typically an Alarm Administrator role, configured by a Solink representative)
The Generate Test Alarm user permission must be enabled
The location must also have alarms turned on (not Disabled) and at least one alarm camera.
If you can open Alarms > Configure but do not see Generate Test Alarm, contact your Solink Customer Success representative or administrator to have it enabled.
How to Generate a Test Alarm
To create a new test alarm:
On the Alarms page, select the Configure tab.
Select the location you want to test from the location list.
In the Test Alarm card, select Generate Test Alarm.
Choose an alarm camera. Only cameras configured as alarm cameras for this location are available. One camera can be selected at a time.
Review the event details:
Title is set automatically to
TEST [ location name ]and cannot be edited. This makes the event easy to tell apart from a real alarm.Date is the current date and time at the location (shown in the location's timezone) and cannot be edited.
Notes are optional. Use this field to describe why the test was generated (for example, "staff training").
Select Generate:
A confirmation message appears: Successfully created test alarm event. See the following section to understand what happens next/test alarm event behaviour.
Generate Test Alarm: Expected Behaviour
Once you have created a test alarm, a test event is generated. The event includes video from around the time you generated it.
Navigate to the Recent Alarm Events tab to see your test event, indicated by a "Test" label as shown in the following image:
You can close the event and it will appear as a closed test alarm event on the Events page > Alarms tab.
Note: The location stays in its current armed or disarmed state. Nothing about the live alarm system changes.
Additionally, the following happens based on your alarm subscription and enabled alarm features:
Self-Monitored Alarms: The primary alarm contact receives an email and/or text message, based on whichever contact information they have provided within Solink.
Professionally-Monitored Alarms: The primary alarm contact receives a text message and a pre-recorded phone call.
Phone Arm/Disarm: A pre-recorded phone call is placed to the onsite phone listed in the Phone Arm / Disarm tab. To ensure the automated call reaches the on-site phone, you must make adjustments to bypass the store's automated message / IVR tree - see Arm/Disarm PIN for more information.
Please note the following caveats for generating test alarm events:
The alarm tablet does not receive any correspondence/notifications related to the test event.
Test events currently do not trigger any onsite alarm speakers.