Comm Fault
Risco Home/Business Alarm System
Severity:What Does This Error Mean?
A Communication Fault on your Risco alarm means the panel can no longer reach the monitoring station. If your alarm triggers, the local siren will still sound but no remote alert will be sent to the control room.
Affected Models
- Risco LightSYS
- Risco LightSYS Plus
- Risco ProSYS Plus
- Risco WisDom
- Risco Agility
Common Causes
- Broadband internet connection is down (IP communicator path)
- Phone line is disconnected or faulty (PSTN path)
- GSM SIM has expired or lost signal (cellular path)
- IP module inside panel has lost its network settings
- Monitoring centre server is temporarily unreachable
How to Fix It
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Check your internet connection
For IP-connected Risco panels, verify your router is online. Try loading a website on a nearby device.
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Restart your router
Power off the router for 30 seconds and back on. Once internet is restored, the Risco panel should reconnect automatically within a few minutes.
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Check the phone line (PSTN panels)
Plug a handset into the socket used by the alarm. If there is no dial tone, contact your telephone provider.
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Contact your monitoring centre
Call your alarm monitoring company directly. They can test from their end and advise whether they can see the panel. They will also guide you on next steps if the fault is on the panel side.
When to Call a Professional
Yes, if the fault does not clear after restoring your internet or phone connection.
Risco Communication Fault
Comm Fault means the alarm panel’s communication path to your monitoring centre is broken. This is separate from the alarm’s detection and siren functions — those still work — but the remote response capability is gone.
Why This Matters
Modern alarm monitoring works by the panel sending a signal to a 24/7 control room when an alarm triggers. The control room then calls the keyholder and/or dispatches a response. Without communication, the control room never receives the signal.
Risco’s Multi-Path Communication
Many Risco systems support dual-path or triple-path communication (IP + GSM, or IP + PSTN + GSM). If one path fails, the others should take over. A Comm Fault appearing despite multiple paths means all paths have failed simultaneously — usually because internet and mobile signal are both down, or because of a configuration issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Comm Fault mean my alarm is off?
No — all local alarm functions continue. Intrusion detection, siren, and local notifications still work. You have only lost the remote communication to the monitoring centre.
My internet is working but the Comm Fault is still showing. Why?
The IP module inside the Risco panel may need to be re-registered with the monitoring station's receiver, or the module itself may have failed. Your installer will need to re-configure it remotely or on-site.