> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.chirpwireless.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.chirpwireless.io/alarm.md).

# Alarm

Your sensors watch your home around the clock, but you are not always looking at the dashboard. The Alarm section bridges that gap — when a reading crosses a threshold you care about, Chirp notifies you through the channels you choose so you can act before a small problem becomes a bigger one.

> **How triggers and response work together:** The [Rules Engine](/rules-engine.md) decides *when* an alarm is raised — it evaluates sensor data and fires an alarm when conditions are met. The Alarm section defines *what happens after* the alarm fires: who gets notified, through which channels, how often, how escalation proceeds if nobody responds, and when notifications are suppressed.

## What you will find here

The Alarm page has three tabs:

* **Inbox** — Every alarm event that has fired, with its current status. Filter by severity or status, search by title, resolve alarms, or jump to the originating rule.
* **Alarm definitions** — Your alarm configurations. Each definition sets the severity, escalation chain, notification schedule, suppression window, and message for a specific type of alert. Click **Add alarm rule** to create a new one.
* **Settings** — Your contact methods. Add or verify email and SMS contacts, enable or disable delivery per channel, and manage push notification delivery through the [Chirp Alerts app](/alarm/chirp-alerts-app.md).

A **Notification Severity** button in the page header (visible on all tabs) opens a separate modal for controlling how often each severity level repeats.

## Severity levels

Chirp uses five severity levels to prioritize alarms:

| Level        | When to use it                                                                             |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Critical** | Emergencies requiring immediate action — water leaks, fire alarms, security breaches       |
| **High**     | Urgent situations that need prompt attention — freezer temperature spikes, failing sensors |
| **Medium**   | Important but not time-critical — humidity drifting out of range, unusual energy use       |
| **Low**      | Routine awareness — minor fluctuations, scheduled check-ins                                |
| **Info**     | Background monitoring — status confirmations, periodic health reports                      |

Each level has its own notification repeat policy that you can configure in [Notification Severity](/alarm/notification-severity.md).

## Escalation

When an alarm fires and nobody resolves it, Chirp can escalate — notifying additional people through additional channels after a configurable delay. This means your home is never left unattended just because one person missed a notification.

For full details, see [Escalation Chains](/alarm/escalation-chains.md).

## Where to go next

* [Set Up a Home Alert](/alarm/set-up-a-home-alert.md) — Walk through creating an alarm definition: name, severity, escalation chain, schedule, message.
* [Escalation Chains](/alarm/escalation-chains.md) — How multi-step escalation works for unresolved alarms.
* [Notification Severity](/alarm/notification-severity.md) — Configure how often each severity level repeats.
* [Check and Clear Alerts](/alarm/check-and-clear-alerts.md) — Review what has happened, resolve alarms, and keep your inbox manageable.
* [Manage Contact Methods](/alarm/manage-contact-methods.md) — Add email addresses, verify them, and manage notification channels.
* [Chirp Alerts App](/alarm/chirp-alerts-app.md) — Install the mobile app for push notifications. Critical alerts ring with an alarm sound and vibration until silenced or acknowledged.


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