May 2014 Archives

Alarm Grid is permitted to do alarm monitoring in Louisville, KY Under License #836.

It is not uncommon for heavily populated cities, such as Louisville, to take on the efforts of licensing and regulations for alarm monitoring companies. Alarm Grid is licensed in Louisville to monitor alarms.

While we do our best to make sure to stay on top of each city's rules and regulations when it comes to home security ordinances, the burden of ensuring that your system is in compliance with local laws is on the owner of the security system. Please double-check our posted process with those listed by the city itself.

If you find that Alarm Grid's rules are out of date or incorrect, please email us at support@alarmgrid.com so that we can correct the record in our municipal database.

Alarm Grid is permitted to do alarm monitoring in Virginia under license permit #11-9013.

We are proud to be working with the state of Virginia, and its municipalities to both reduce false alarms and to make sure that our users are in compliance with both state and local regulations at all times.

The great state of Virginia has granted Alarm Grid permission to operate within the state under permit #11-9013. This is a pre-requisite for Alarm Grid to obtain permits in any city in the state. Alarm Grid does our best to remain compliant with municipal rules, but it as the alarm system owner, it is your job to know the laws in your particular jurisdiction. Please check the ordinances within your city and county's limits to ensure that you are in compliance with the local jurisdiction.

In some cases, you will need to make sure that your security system is registered with the local police, though that is not necessarily the case. Additionally, in some counties within Virginia (Fairfax County for example), users are required to fill out a triplicate carbon copy sheet that is to be submitted to be held by the owner of the system, the county itself, and Alarm Grid. If you live in one of these counties, please ask us for the forms since they are specific to your security company and we will send out a pre-filled form to you that same day.

If you find that the licensing information for your city is out of date on Alarm Grid's municipal database, please email support@alarmgrid.com so that we can make sure to update the locale's information. We do our best to help you remain compliant, but local municipalities regularly change their ordinances. And with more than 9,000 municipalities nationwide, there are times when our database will be displaying out of date information.

Honeywell has told Alarm Grid that the non-WIFI version of the Tuxedo Touch is no longer available. The system was the hardwired version of the keypad, requiring a ethernet run to a router. And while some users liked the keypad because it was slightly cheaper than the TUXWIFI, it had some unfortunate drawbacks such as it wasn't always eligible for the flash upgrades that Honeywell released.

Honeywell is soon releasing a non-screen version of the Z-Wave controller that can be installed at the panel. So, for users who are concerned with the pricey system, the controller will allow much of the same Tuxedo Touch Z-Wave functionality, though it comes at the expense of the great looking screen. That said, Honeywell's alphanumeric keypads have come a long way as well as far as design goes, seeing a giant re-design in the release of the 6162 keypads.

So while we'll miss the non-WIFI version of the TUX, we're thankful that Honeywell has some great, much more affordable options coming down the pike!

We started Alarm Grid with the idea that starting a company that put good service above sales would lead to 1) a passionate customer base and 2) more sales. We threw the contracts out, and we have put all of our efforts into building an incredible experience from your first interaction with us online to your final checkout. And if you get monitoring, you'll get to see how amazing our on-boarding process is.

In the two years that we've been building this company, I have to say that we have had so few bad customer experiences. That's right, just like you have bad experiences with companies not treating you right, companies have the occasional experience with customers not treating them right. If you have ever worked in retail, you know exactly what I mean. But at Alarm Grid, things are different. We have had so few bad customer experiences and so many happy customers, that we generally leave our offices satisfied and feeling fulfilled.

That said, we are especially touched when our customers leave reviews for us. We ask for them because they help us out. And as our company grows, it helps you out. The bigger we get, the more staff and resources we can devote to helping our customers get what they want out of their security.

Today, we were especially touched though, when we saw that someone had asked about us in one of the DIY Security Forum. We don't know who the person is (though we will welcome them as a customer). But what we were astonished by was the responses that they got from our users.

The question was simply: "Has anybody order from alarm grid? How did you like the company and service."

And our customers answered with some of the kindest words we've ever received:

"I'm very happy that I decided to go with Alarm Grid.... customer service is exceptional, and I'm paying about 40% less per month. I couldn't be happier. Thanks Alarm Grid!"
"Alarm Grid is amazing.... To this day I have had zero problems with their service and HIGHLY recommend them."
"I have been extremely happy with AlarmGrid. Their team is super professional."
"Before $1 changed hands, AlarmGrid worked with me to help me understand what would be involved in augmenting my old 50p.... All good, couldn't be happier, highly recommended!"
"[Sterling] has been nothing short of amazing... Great guy and great service."
"I have been with Alarmgrid, and did a lot of research about both them and Criticom... The idea of support has been taken wholeheartedly by AlarmGrid.... It seems that there are many other people who have been helped by AlarmGrid, and I second everything they have said so far."

These little compliments are like energy drinks to us. Thank you so much for the kind words. We hope that we continue to live up to the high level of service we have provided so far. We are proud to put our philosophy to work when servicing your account, and we do mean what we say when we promise to provide better service than has ever been seen before in this industry.

Anyhow, I wanted to write this post as a thank you to all the incredible, passionate people we've worked with over the last couple years. We are really glad that you have given us the opportunity to prove to you that good companies run by hard-working honest people really do provide better value. We hope that we can continue to live up to those incredible expectations.

It's not compatible with the L5100, and as far as we know there are no immediate plans to make it compatible, but the technology is pretty awesome! The new WIFI Smart Thermostat that Honeywell is, reportedly, releasing in October takes interactivity to a whole new level, allowing users to actually talk to the device.

While it is the first consumer device that Honeywell will be releasing with such a capability, if it is successful, we're sure that the tech will begin seeping its way into some of Honeywell's popular security systems, ZWAVE thermostats and the like.'

CNET did a little video, and we thought it would be a great little introduction to the future. Hope you think it's as neat as we did, and let us know what you think in the comments below:

Although the LYNX Touch has a built-in 95dB siren it never hurts to beef up your audible output in the event of an alarm. Sirens are a great way to scare off intruders and inform any neighboring parties that an alarm event is in progress. Before the release of Alarm Grid's LYNX-EXT external siren kit, compiling the necessary parts for installing an external sounder was complicated and cumbersome. Now you can simply pick up this kit and be on your way to adding sirens to your wireless alarm system. When it comes time to install, check out the LYNX external sounder installation manual which has a detailed wiring diagram. You can also check out our FAQ: How do I add an external siren to my LYNX Touch wireless security system?

The Honeywell 5800RL wireless relay allows you to place the siren power assembly in the included Meir metal cabinet where it is most convenient and effective without any wiring runs back to the panel. The included Honeywell AD12612 auxiliary power supply has a max output of 1.2 amps which can power the brawny Amseco SSX-52S outdoor siren/strobe. You may want to just keep it simple by connecting a bullhorn style siren like the Honeywell 702 in your attic or outside the premises. There is also an included Honeywell 1361 AC transformer and an Ultratech 1240 battery backup unit which will carry low voltage DC to the power supply and keep it from losing power during outages.

Forget piecing together a kit of your own. Pick up an Alarm Grid LYNX-EXT external siren kit today and save your precious time and money!