How to Change Door Chimes on a Qolsys IQ Panel 4

One of the most common questions we get after an install or a takeover: “the back door chimes every time it opens, but the front door says nothing — is something broken?” Nothing’s broken. On a Qolsys IQ Panel 4, chimes are set per sensor — every door and window has its own sound, its own voice announcement, or silence. Whoever set the system up simply left that sensor quiet. Two minutes at the panel fixes it.

Where the chime settings live

1. Swipe down from the top of the panel screen to open the menu
2. Tap Settings, then Advanced Settings
3. Enter your master code — the same code you disarm with. No installer code needed for this one
4. Tap Sound

The Sound menu is longer than it looks — volume sliders sit at the top, and the chime controls live further down under Edit Chimes and Chime Settings.

Give a door its chime — or change the sound

1. Tap Edit Chimes. Every sensor on the system is listed by name
2. Find the quiet one — say, Front Door — and tap the pencil icon next to it
3. Pick a sound from the dropdown. There are a couple dozen, from classic ding-dongs to short beeps — and None, which is why your door was silent in the first place
4. Tap Play to preview it out loud before you commit
5. Tap Save

The same screen has a Voice option per sensor — turn it on and the panel speaks the sensor’s name (“front door”) when it opens. Chime, voice, both, or neither: every sensor is its own decision. This is also the trick in reverse — if the pantry door driving you crazy is the problem, set it to None and enjoy the quiet.

If nothing chimes at all

Scroll to the Chime Settings section of the same Sound menu. The master switches live there — if Sensor Chimes is unchecked, the panel stays silent no matter what the per-sensor settings say. Check it and the individual chimes come back.

Good to know

• Chimes are set at the panel, not in the app. The Alarm.com app can arm, disarm and automate nearly everything — but per-sensor chime sounds are configured on the touchscreen itself.
• Chimes set but still silent? Check the volume sliders at the top of the Sound menu — chime volume is separate from voices and beeps, and it’s the one that gets zeroed by accident.
• Chimes only play while the system is disarmed. Once you arm, an opening door starts an entry delay or an alarm instead — the chime isn’t a security feature, it’s a courtesy announcement.
• New sensors arrive with a default. Add a door later and it gets a standard chime — same menu to change or silence it.

Still stuck?

If we installed your system, call (928) 843-7767 or message us — happy to walk you through it on the phone, it really is two minutes. If your current alarm company won’t pick up for questions like this, that says something — we take over Qolsys and Alarm.com systems across Utah, no contract required. More walkthroughs in the tutorial library.