How Do I Edit the Chime for a Device on the IQ5 NS Panel?

To edit the chime for an individual device on the IQ5 NS, open the IQ Installer app, go to Installation, Devices, Security Sensors, select the sensor, then touch the Chime Type field and choose a brand new sound from the entire full list of all available sound options right here.

How Chime Editing Works on the IQ5 NS

The IQ5 NS (available in AT&T LTE and Verizon LTE) lets you customize each device's chime sound through the Chime Type field on that sensor's edit screen in the IQ Installer app. This is separate from Chime Function, which controls when a chime plays (on opening, closing, or both), and separate from overall Sound settings, which control volume rather than which sound is selected.

Giving each door or window its own distinct chime sound means you can tell which entry point was triggered just by listening through a paired keypad, without needing to check the Alarm.com app. A front door with a unique tone versus a back door with a different one lets you react appropriately for whichever security system zone actually triggered.

How to Edit the Chime for a Device

1. Open the IQ Installer app. This is the mobile app used to configure the IQ5 NS, since the panel has no display of its own.

2. Connect to the panel. The app communicates with the IQ5 NS over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to load its configuration menus.

3. Enter the Installer Code when prompted. The default Installer Code is 1111, though your account admin may have changed it to something else, like 2222.

4. Touch Installation. This opens the Installation menu, which lists Devices, Installer Settings, System Logs, Sirens and Alarms, Security and Arming, and Camera Settings.

5. Touch Devices. This opens the Devices menu, listing Security Sensors, Wi-Fi, Z-Wave Devices, PGM Outputs, Automation Devices, and Bluetooth Devices.

6. Touch Security Sensors. This opens the list of enrolled sensors available to edit.

7. Select the device you want to change. This opens that sensor's full field editor, including Chime Type, Chime Function, and Voice Prompts.

8. Touch the Chime Type field. This opens the list of available chime sounds for that device.

9. Choose a chime sound from the list. The selection updates the field automatically.

10. Save the change in the app. The new chime takes effect the next time that device triggers.

Chime Type vs. Chime Function vs. Sound Settings

It's easy to confuse these three related settings since they all affect the same chime experience. Chime Type, found on the sensor's edit screen, picks which sound plays for that specific device. Chime Function, found on the same edit screen, picks when that sound plays: on opening, closing, or both. Overall Sound settings in the app control volume and other global audio behavior, but don't change which sound is used or when it fires for a specific sensor. Getting the exact chime behavior you want for a given door usually means checking all of these settings rather than just one.

If a Chime Sound Doesn't Change

If a device still plays its old chime after selecting a new one, confirm you selected the correct device from the sensor list in the app, since it's easy to accidentally edit a similarly named sensor instead of the one you intended. If chimes seem to have stopped entirely rather than just sounding wrong, check that Chime Function for that device isn't set to Disabled, since a disabled Chime Function means no chime plays at all regardless of which Chime Type is selected.

Choosing Sounds That Are Actually Distinct

The value of customizing individual chimes disappears if the sounds you pick all blend together. Choose tones that are genuinely easy to tell apart by ear through a paired keypad, especially for the doors you monitor most closely, like a front entrance versus a garage access door. A sharp, distinct tone for a door you rarely expect activity from, paired with a softer or more familiar sound for a door used constantly throughout the day, gives you an intuitive sense of what's happening in your home without consciously thinking about it. It's worth testing each chime by triggering the sensor once after assigning it in the app, just to confirm the sound is what you expected and that it's actually distinguishable from your other configured chimes.

Available Chime Sounds

The Chime Type list includes a range of options beyond a single generic tone, from simple beeps to more musical selections like High Wire, On The Hunt, or Tinker Bell, giving you real variety to work with across multiple sensors. None is also available as an option, which effectively silences that specific device without needing to touch its Chime Function setting separately, useful if you want a permanently silent sensor without adjusting the timing logic at all.

Editing the Chime Type for individual devices on the IQ5 NS lets you tell which entry point triggered just by the sound, through a paired keypad on the IQ5 NS. For help with chime sounds or other sensor configurations or other configurations on your IQ5 NS, contact the Alarm Grid support team. We are here Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM Eastern Time. Email us at support@alarmgrid.com, call us at 888-818-7728, or visit our website and chat with a live support agent.