Frequently Asked Questions

Registration

Q: I’m trying to register and I received an error that says “Invalid login details.” What do I do?

A: This error means that you have chosen a login name that someone else has already chosen. Choose a more complex login name, such as a first and last name combination, or add a number to your name.

Q: Are there any restrictions to the user name and password?

A: User names need to be unique across the database. They are not case sensitive. Passwords are case sensitive and need to be between 7 and 17 characters long.

Q: I’m trying to register and I received an error that says my child cannot be located. What’s wrong?

A: A few things could be wrong in this situation. If it is the start of a new school year or you have just moved into your school district, we may not have you or your child loaded into our database. If it is the start of the new school year, you should wait a few weeks and try again when we will more likely have you added into the system. If you are new to the district, you should contact your school to have them add you into the database. One other possibility is that the information you are entering about your child is not matching the information we have in our database, which we receive from the school. You may either contact your school or Honeywell for this correction.
 

Parent Online Profile

Q: How many phone numbers can a family have?

A: A family may receive alerts on as many phone numbers as you want.

Q: How many email and text addresses can a family have?

A: A family may receive alerts on an unlimited number of email addresses and text devices.

Q: I am married, but my spouse's name isn't showing up in our profile. What should I do?

A: This is because the school only gave us one parent name for your family. You can contact the school to have them add your spouse's name in our database, and also request that they add the name into their records as well.

Q: I am divorced, but my ex-spouse's name is appearing in my profile. What can be done to resolve this?

A: Instant Alert was built with the flexibility to handle today's various family situations. In our database, a child may belong to multiple families in order to allow alerts to be sent to those who are allowed information about the child. Please contact your school, as they have the ability to "split" your profile and create two separate accounts for you and your ex-spouse. You may also have them add, for example, your new spouse to your profile, if you would like that.

Q: Not all my children are shown in my profile, and I can't seem to add them myself. What do I do?

A: Please contact your school to have your other children added to the profile.

Alert Receipt

Q: What happens if my line is busy or I don't answer and don't have an answering machine?

A: Should a call reach a busy signal, the system will try the call a total of 3 times, waiting 5 minutes and then 10 minutes between calls. On non-answers, the system will try the same number a total of 3 times, waiting 15 minute between calls. If the call reaches a voicemail system or answering machine, it will leave a message.

Q: How do the email alerts get through spam blockers?

A: We have made arrangements with some email providers to allow our emails into their system without the spam designation. Email systems also let users create their own list of allowable email addresses. if you are not receiving our email alerts, check your junk folder and put @honeywell.com in your allowable email list.

Q: Can your calls get through telezappers?

A: Yes. If you have a telezapper, you should submit a request to the InstantAlert help desk via the Help Request link to ignore the telezapper along with the associated phone number.

Q: Why didn't I receive a phone call from the last alert that was sent?

A: Make sure that your profile is set up to receive the type of alert that was sent.

Q: When I answered the phone call, the voice started over. What's wrong?

A: The phone dialing system detected noise on your line, such as coughing, talking, or typing. It assumed you were in a noisy area and you could not hear the message, so it started over for you.

Q: Why didn't I receive an email from the last alert that was sent?

A: Make sure that your profile is set up to receive the type of alert that was sent. Also be sure to check you junk email folder.

Q: I have my neighbor listed in my profile and set up to receive alerts. I received a phone call, but my neighbor did not the last time an alert was sent. What's wrong?

A: Even though you chose which alerts are sent to which people within your profile, the school still retains some control over who receives an alert. If the school sends an alert to the "All Students" group, the alert will go to the parents and everyone else the parents have designated in their profile. However, if the school sents an alert to the "All Parents" group, only parents will receive the alert. The school may choose to do this wehn sending an early morning alert to delay the start of school, so that only the parents are awakened at an early hour.
Note: This question and answer applied to installations done prior to August 15, 2010.

Browsers

Q: What browsers can I use?

A: As noted on the home page, Instant Alert works best on Internet Explorer, Safari, and Firefox.

Q: What if I have concerns about data security and data sharing?

A: Go to the InstantAlert homepage and click on the Privacy Statement at the bottom of the page. Instant Alert promises not to sell, rent, loan, trade, or lease any personal information of the members, the children for whom they are responsible, or others listed as contacts in the system.

Assistance

Q: How can I get help?

A: Go to the InstantAlert homepage and click on the Forgot User Name / Password if that is your issue, or on the general Help Request link.

Q: I filled out the form for a forgotten user name, but did not receive an email. What's wrong?

A: The email address the system sent your information to is the one registered in the system. If you do not use that email address anymore, you will not receive an email. Return to the home page and click on the Help Request link.