2GIG wireless sensors are now compatible with the Honeywell Lyric!
Posted By Frank LongoHoneywell released the MR3 firmware update for the Lyric security platform. This is a critical update that repaired some bugs and added some cool new integrations. In our MR3 firmware announcement Sterling summarized all the features of the update. After the announcement Honeywell re-released the update with a patch to fix a bug with APL technology. Now you can request this firmware update from your alarm company. Since it is a critical update it does not require anyone at the panel to accept it.
Although we mentioned it in our general announcement, Lyric alarm systems running the newest firmware now support 2GIG sensors! We did not go into much detail on why this may be important and which sensors are supported. Well we have done some testing in our lab and confirmed that all the 2GIG 345MHZ sensors are now compatible with the Lyric Controller. Generally we feel that the Honeywell sensors are superior and offer a wider range of products but this is a great thing for converting existing 2GIG systems to the Lyric platform.
The 2GIG wireless sensors use a 345MHz RF transmission to speak to the Go!Control panels: GC2 and GC3. Now the Lyric is able receive these transmissions making the panel even more flexible. Before the MR3 update, the Lyric only supported both lines of Honeywell wireless sensors: SiX and 5800 series. This makes the Lyric the first Honeywell alarm system to support 2GIG peripheral devices. The GC2 and GC3 have always supported Honeywell 5800 series devices but this did not work the other way around. Well now it does with the Lyric specifically. Lynx Touch and VISTA series panels still do not support 2GIG sensors. However there is a third party translator that technically is capable of converting 2GIG to Honeywell and much more. It is the Resolution Products RE524x.
2GIG sensor compatibility may not be a feature that many Lyric owners will utilize and certainly get excited about. The general trend that Honeywell is opening up their systems to other technologies and brands is a wonderful thing though. Integrations like SkyBell's video doorbell and August's smart lock prove that even companies like Honeywell that tend to operate in a proprietary bubble sense the demand for more dynamic, multi-brand technology ecosystems that compose the "Internet of Things" aka IOT. This is the future and its promising to see that Honeywell is jumping aboard the train to IoT land.
Note: The local bypass function does not work on the DW40. It simply functions as a normal door/window contact. Also, we still need to test the 2GIG garage tilt sensor and flood sensor. If they are compatible we will get them up and add them to the 345MHz landing page linked above.