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Set-up Tips for Sonic Alert and Simplicity Signaling Equipment There are three steps to make sure your Sonic Alert / Simplicity signaling devices function well without false alarms or missed signals.
 Plug the signaling equipment directly into an electrical wall socket. The transmitters and remote receivers both use the electrical wiring in the building as an antenna to send signals between rooms. If there are not enough electrical outlets in a room, it is possible to plug signaling equipment into electrical extension cords or simple power strips. However, both of these can sometimes weaken the signal between Sonic Alert and Simplicity transmitters and receivers. Power strips should not have any built-in surge suppressors, and electrical extension cords should be less than 25 feet long.
2) Isolate other electrical equipment with surge suppressors.
Large appliances such as televisions, computers and video phones, DVD players, vacuum cleaners, florescent or halogen lamps, etc should be plugged into a surge suppressor to prevent static electric charges from traveling back into the electrical wiring while they are plugged in. These random static charges can cause Sonic Alert and Simplicity equipment to flicker or vibrate any time of the day or night. Bathrooms and kitchens often have special electrical outlets with surge suppressors built into them. These usually have a red button built into them. Refrigerators, microwave ovens, hair dryers, and other high powered devices should be connected to these protected outlets if there are any available in the room. Note: Many high tech devices such as Video Phones and HD TVs also have surge suppressors installed inside them. If a room has a large number of electronic devices running in it (Video Phone, HD TV, computers, etc), it is possible that all the different internal and external surge suppressors in the room can add up to weaken or even block the Sonic Alert and Simplicity signals in the room and around the building.
3) Use standard room lamps. Touch lamps and florescent or halogen light bulbs will not work with Sonic Alert and Simplicity signalers and receivers. Both brands are designed to work with standard, incandecent bulbs up to a strength of 200 Watts. If standard lamps are not an option, strobe light receivers and attachments are available from both manufacturers. Some people have reported problems with receivers in rooms where the lighting is connected to dimmer switches. If there are dimmer switches in your building, keep the dimmer control at full power or completely off to prevent false alarms and random flickering.
4) Do not connect to digital (office) phone lines. Sonic Alert and Simplicity telephone signalers are designed for use on analog (home) phone lines. Digital phone lines often carry more electricty and can damage both the signaler and even the phone system itself. For use in a workplace or a home with digital phone lines, a Sound Monitor can signal when the phone rings. However, other loud noises in the room can also activate the Sound Monitor causing a false alarm. Troubleshooting Tips for Sonic Alert and Simplicity Signaling Equipment:
2) WEAK FLASHES: Electricity flows from the power lines outside the home, circles around each room in the building and then goes back out to the transformer on the power pole outside. It then flows back into the home in a repeating cycle ( click here for more information ) Some electrical outlets are closer to the end of this electrical cycle. That means that any signal from these electrical outlets will have to travel outside to the transfromer and then come back into the home before the Sonic Alert or Simplicity equipment can receive the signal. The result is a weak signal that causes a flickering instead of a strong flash or even a missed signal. If you find one or two electrical outlets that do not perform as well as others in the building, it is possible to have a professional electrician install a capacitor in your circuit box to improve the performance in those weak outlets (click here for more information). 3) FALSE SIGNALS: Random flickering and flashes can occur in Remote Receivers when static electric charges are present in the home electrical system. When used alone, the Sonic Boom clock should have its Receiver control turned off. This will prevent any false alarms from the clock.
4) SHARED EQUIPMENT: Roommates and family members often want to share some signalers like Doorbell, Phone signalers, and Remote Receivers.
If a neighboring apartment already has Sonic Alert/Simplicity equipment, you can order Sonic Alert equipment to run on a different frequency to prevent any false alarms from the neighbor's equipment. Simplicity does not offer different frequencies for their equipment.
Set-up Tips for Silent Call and Clarity Signaling Equipment
Silent Call/Clarity equipment operates with radio frequency signals and does not use the home wiring to send signals. Each transmitter broadcasts over an 80 to 100 foot radius. Silent Call is the only brand that offers a Fire/Smoke alarm.
Silent Call offers a variety of receivers for use by hard of hearing, Deaf, and Deaf/Blind people.  The Sidekick strobe light receiver requires that you look at the colored lights on its indicator panel to see which transmitter is active.The Crystal Reflections receiver flashes a built-in halogen light. It also has a small indicator panel to show which transmitter is sending the signal.
Troubleshooting Tips for Silent Call and Clarity Signaling Equipment:
Both transmitters are water resistant, but they should not be exposed to heavy rain or snow and ice.
2) FALSE OR LOST SIGNALS: On rare occasions, an outside radio signal can interfere with the operation of Clarity and Silent Call equipment and cause false alarms in receivers or block signals from active transmitters. Clraity AL10 and AL12 units have a small panel of radio frequency control switches on the bottom of the receiver. A matching panel can be found in the battery compartments of each transmitter. To avoid interferrence from outside radio signals, change the position of any one of the control switches. The same switch should be moved in both the receivers and all transmitters. The operating frequencies of Silent Call equipment also can be adjusted to avoid external interference from other radio sources.
3) SHARED EQUIPMENT: Roommates and family members often want to share some signalers like Doorbells, Smoke Detectors, and Remote Receivers but keep their Phone signalers separate.
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People have reported false signals when vacuuming or turning on their home entertainment systems. However, it is possible for large appliances such as televisions to cause false signals even when they are not being used. 
Both Sonic Alert and Simplicity wireless doorbell buttons are water resistant. However, they should not be exposed to heavy rain or snow and ice. They can be mounted directly on non-metal doors or glass with the double sided foam tape strip included with each doorbell signaler.
If there are different phone numbers in the home, a TR75VP can be used to flash in a different way for one or two of the other phone lines. The TR75VP has a flash pattern control with three different options.
Clarity's AL10 and AL12 systems will flash a standard lamp when a signal is received. You will have to look at the colored lights on the indicator panel to see which transmitter is active.
The Good Vibrations, OmniPage, and VibraCall personal receivers can be worn on a belt or carried in a pocket. 
The LampLighter receiver uses a standard lamp and will flash in different patterns to show which transmitter is active. It also includes a tabletop indicator panel with colored lights that indicate the source of the active signal.
If there are different phone numbers in the home, the Silent Call Telephone transmitters can be specially ordered to flash a different indicator light or any combination of indicator lights on the Silent Call Remote Receivers to show which person's phone, tty, or videophone is ringing.
