Frank Longo Posts

Honeywell 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.

Last week at ISC West, Honeywell received a SIA new product award for the newly released 5800COMBO. The Security Industry Association (SIA) rewards products that balance industry innovation with false alarm prevention. The 5800COMBO encapsulates this criteria almost perfectly. This is the first professionally monitored, fully UL listed wireless heat, smoke and CO combination detector in the industry. This feat alone is quite an accomplishment. The technology packed into the device makes this product even more deserving of this award.

Honeywell did not just integrate standard smoke, heat and CO detection into a single detector housing. They did much more. The individual technologies inside the COMBO are fairly standard. Photoelectric smoke detection, fixed temp (135F degrees) heat detection and electrochemical CO sensing. There is a new infrared (IR) technology designed to pick up ambient light levels and flame flickers. Also the CO detector does have a longer than average life expectancy of 10 years. Everything else is fairly common across other non-monitored combination detectors on the market. So what is it that makes the 5800COMBO so special?

(Photo: Honeywell's booth at ISC West just after the award was given by SIA.)

There are 3 programmable zones: smoke (loop 1 with serial), low temp (loop 3 with serial) and CO (loop 1 with serial + 1 on last digit). The low temp and CO zones are standard and only rely on a single sensing element to trip that zone on the alarm system. The smoke zone is much more advanced since this is the most common zone type for false alarms on these types of life safety detectors. This is especially the case in residential environments. It is the "multi-criteria algorithm" that sets this product apart. Yes Honeywell did it again and engineered a state of the art sensor.

The smoke zone requires two of the four sensing elements to be tripped in order to trigger a fire alarm at the alarm system and dial out to a central station. The four elements are photoelectric smoke detection, fixed high temp, CO and the new IR technology mentioned earlier. The first element must be photoelectric smoke detection. Then any of the other three elements in combination with smoke detection will trigger an immediate alarm and report if the system is monitored. If there is only airborne particulate detected the COMBO requires at least 5 minutes of alarm level contact before triggering.

This dual technology of sorts makes the 5800COMBO extremely versatile and less prone to false alarms. That means better protection for your property and more importantly life safety for anyone within the protected premise. False alarms are not only an issue for local authorities. End users are seeing increasingly higher fines per false alarm across the country. That means by using devices like the COMBO will potentially save you money in the event that your local authorities deliver fines for false dispatches.

All in all, we are very excited about the added value of the 5800COMBO to the Honeywell 5800 series line up. The barrier to monitoring smoke, heat and CO just lowered with the introduction of this simple to install, multi-faceted product. We believe that every Alarm Grid customer should have every form of life safety equipped in this device. If you do not already we recommend adding it today!

Note: This is a 5800 series wireless sensor that requires a compatible RF receiver. To confirm panel compatibility you can contact us at support@alarmgrid.com. There is a list of panels mentioned in the product description as well.

Our team had the pleasure of visiting the Honeywell booth at ISC West 2017 out in the city that never sleeps, Las Vegas. Tons of fun stuff being released but today we want to highlight a new line of HD security cameras. Yes high definition 720P and 1080P AlarmNet Total Connect 2.0 ready cameras will be released later this year. They seem to be branded within the Lyric family and we got the following insider information on the specific models they are planning to release shortly.

(Honeywell booth at ISC West displaying the new line of cameras)

The C1, C2 and OC1 are all Total Connect 2.0 ready and range from 720P to 1080P. The C1 is a 720P and the C2 is 1080P. They are both indoor rated. The OC1 is a 720P outdoor camera designed a bit better to take on the elements than the previous IPCAM-WO. This is a huge improvement from the current resolution offerings on the Honeywell IPCAM line-up. The video resolution is clearly the focus on this release but there are some cool other features involved.

EditEdit

(C2 Left and C1 Right)

Digital zoom and two way audio are touted to add serious value for home and business owners. 8 to 10 times digital zoom make it possible to get a closer look after being alerted via text, email or push notification from the Total Connect 2.0 app. Also we did not get details but it sounds like there will be a way to enroll this new line of AlarmNet cameras without WIFI protected setup (WPS) enrollment. Possibly through a local WIFI app. There is even local SD card storage (up to 24 hours) available. This inserts to a compartment on the backside of the camera.

The C1 is slated for May, C2 for June and the outdoor OC1 for July. These are approximate timelines offered by Honeywell and we cannot make any guarantees on release dates. If you want to be put on an email list to be notified upon their release please email us support@alarmgrid.com.

Scope out the OC1 outdoor camera below...

The Alarm Grid team is proud to announce some very exciting news fresh off our journey to Las Vegas at ISC West. For those already familiar with our DIY platform you will be happy to hear that our existing alarm system brands, Honeywell and 2GIG have made some giants leaps in technology. We would like to welcome those that are new to our DIY community! ISC West is a larger than life convention with incredible innovation announcements from our core alarm brands. Where to start? Let's start with our foundation, Honeywell.

Honeywell makes excellent alarm equipment but there is steep competition now when it comes to software on Total Connect 2.0. Ahem, Alarm.com... Thankfully Honeywell came through at ISC West and showcased their new line of HD AlarmNet security cameras. Yes, HD cams that will tie in with your existing TC account. Check out our Lyric HD camera press release.

Another product that Honeywell released at ISC is the 5800COMBO. The first wireless heat, smoke and CO detector that will communicate with any 5800 series receiver. That means the Lynx Touch series, Lyric series and any VISTA series panel with a compatible 5881 RF receiver. Similar to the 5808W3 the heat detector utilizes both fixed temperature (135F degrees) and rate-of-rise heat detection (15F degrees within 1 minute) along with a photoelectric smoke detector. The integrated CO detector makes this combo unit the ideal multi-functional device. Since it does not use the SiX series RF technology it is not encrypted. Honeywell plans on releasing a SiX combo detector at some point in the future. Check out our blog post: 5800COMBO Wins SIA New Product Showcase Award

Those with a Lyric Controller should be psyched to learn that the Samsung Smartthings Z-Wave hub is now compatible as a secondary controller. There are some very unique features to the way the Lyric and Smart Things hub interact as a “primary” and “secondary” controller. The Lyric seems to be learning into SmartThings as a virtual primary of sorts. That is a word I just made up by the way. The point is that the Lyric can be learned into the hub and all devices are shifted to it. The difference is that the Lyric can still include devices after it is paired and shift these automatically to the SmartThings hub. Normally "secondary" controllers can control devices from a primary but only the primary can learn devices. The relationship between the Lyric and SmartThings breaks this general rule. If you have a Lyric and are looking for a more advanced platform to expand your automation this may be the one for you! We have a FAQ on how to pair them on our website.

Enough about Honeywell. Nortek the parent company of 2GIG made some lofty announcements at ISC. We will briefly touch them here and get up some more details FAQs and blog posts shortly. First off, the GC3 has had more firmware updates in the past couple months than it has since the release! Exciting stuff already available and even more to come...

Firmware version 3.0.1 and 3.0.2 are officially available. V3.0.1 added support for the XCVR3-GC3 900MHz transceiver and the IMAGE2 Alarm.com image sensor. While this was exciting the 3.0.2 now supports future LTE communications, Schlage Z-Wave door locks and local WIFI technology. The LTE communicator has not been released yet. We will blog post when we have it available. Should be soon! "Local" WIFI in this case means that it will speak locally to a touchscreen keypad but not offer remote communications to a server. The touchscreen keypad is called the SP1 and it is a slim tablet design that will offer simple security control. It is slated to be released this summer. We will be getting up the V3.0.2 firmware on our website ASAP!

Rumors of a 3.1.0 firmware release are the real buzz. The DW40 push button bypass door sensor will begin logging bypass events with this update. More importantly, broadband WIFI support and a larger fully functional touchscreen keypad that supports full security features and automation control as well. This will be called the SP2 and seems to be the exact same physical design as the GC3 panel. It even has the cellular door which will never be used. They must have done this for production cost efficiency purposes. Although it could have just been a GC3 at ISC West since they did not have the plastics made yet. Who knows. The SP2 will be a sweet addition to the Go!Control family nonetheless.

(Top: SP2 Bottom: SP1)

We got our eyes on two completely new alarm system platforms from 2GIG. The Rely and Vario systems will offer two new vertical business models. The Rely panel will perfectly suit customers looking for an affordable, simple cellular alarm system. It is fully wireless and supports up to 14 of the 2GIG 345MHz wireless sensors (No 5800 series Honeywell like the GC panels). The Vario is a wired, bus based alarm system that supports up to 4 partitions. Prox tag keypads looks super slick! This will be more of a commercial system but will certainly be good for pre-wired residential environments as well.

Honestly Alarm.com has released so many products and third party integrations in the past couple of years I was little disappointed by their announcements at ISC West 2017. The flip side to that coin is the approach of other dealers to announce new products that do not reach the market for another year. I may prefer Alarm.com's strategy to simply push market technologies at full speed all year long. Release products when they are ready regardless of conventions like ISC. With all that said, Alarm.com does have some fun new toys.

Alarm.com currently offers water management tools in the form of flood protection and Z-Wave water valve control. However they announced adding irrigation control now. The Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller and the Rain Bird Irrigation Controller will be offered into the long list of third party integrators. Yes you will be able to schedule your irrigation from your security app from across the world. Alarm.com is relentlessly tackling every vertical market and inviting them into their ecosystem. The final result is an incredibly versatile offering for customers with a wide range of different protocols, technologies and brands.

Alarm.com also announced a partnership with Legrand's On-Q smart audio system. Yes they are now involving AV! Hoping for a Sonos integration in the future. My hopes were not met with any solid responses so don't get your hopes up for anything too soon. Anyways the Legrand integration offers the first audio device to be immersed into automation scenes. Set schedules or build rules to trigger the audio in your home or business. The Legrand system utilizes a network of twisted pair cable like CAT5 or CAT6 to connect the different amps and peripheral speakers. This makes it easy to install with a prewired home.

Lastly the Alarm.com team showed us the new slimline doorbell camera. Manufactured by SkyBell this product fits a specific need for those with small spaces to replace an existing doorbell. The existing SkyBell HD is already available and due to its larger size offers a1080P resolution. The new slim design bumps it down to 720P but it still looks great.

One of the most common questions asked by our customers is: Can I use my Honeywell WIFI thermostat with Total Connect? For years, this question required a complicated response that ultimately resulted in the answer, "No, they do not work with Total Connect 2.0." Well, Honeywell has responded to this customer feedback by integrating WIFI thermostat control with Total Connect 2.0! Before getting into the nitty, gritty details of how this integration works, let's take a step back and review the Total Connect Comfort and Total Connect 2.0 apps. For obvious reasons, these two apps are commonly confused with one another.

Total Connect Comfort is a free app which allows users to control and view status of their HVAC system. This app requires a compatible Honeywell thermostat that communicates using WIFI or Honeywell's RedLink technology. The WIFI thermostats simply to connect to the wireless internet in your home or business and connect to the TC Comfort app. RedLink is a proprietary technology that allows HVAC components to speak to each other wirelessly. Air handlers can wirelessly control boiler and condensing units without any wiring! RedLink thermostats require a RedLink Internet Gateway (RIG). Instead of communicating directly to the WIFI router, the thermostat wirelessly pairs to the RIG. After the RIG is connected to your router with an ethernet patch cable the RedLink thermostat will also be available for interactive control via TC Comfort.

Total Connect 2.0 is technically a free app in the app store but it requires a paid subscription with a Honeywell AlarmNet dealer. This app is designed to control and trigger customizable text and email alerts with a compatible Honeywell security system. The Honeywell system will need a compatible AlarmNet internet and/or cellular communicator in order to work with TC 2.0. This app also supports remote automation control in the form of Z-Wave technology. Essentially, a customer will add a compatible Z-Wave controller to their Honeywell alarm panel and be able to control and configure alerts for Z-Wave lights, locks, thermostats, etc.

Up until late April 2016, the only way to control a thermostat through TC 2.0 was to purchase and install a compatible Z-Wave thermostat. The issue here was that some TC 2.0 customers already had TC Comfort and wanted to keep their thermostats. Other customers required HVAC technologies such as "Dual Fuel" or remote thermistors and humidistats that cannot be found in Z-Wave thermostats. Unfortunately, the Z-Wave thermostat landscape is not very diverse and the technology built into these devices are not very advanced. Also, depending on your alarm system Z-Wave controllers can be expensive. Anyways, the WIFI and RedLink tstats offer a much wider range of features. For all these reasons we are extremely excited that TC 2.0 now supports TC Comfort (TCC) thermostats!

Currently this can only be accomplished through the iOS app on your mobile apple device (i.e. iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) running iOS 7.0 or higher. The last app update on April 27, 2016 (Version 3.10.5) added the ability to add TCC thermostats through the automation section on the app. Keep in mind that you will need to be enrolled in Total Connect 2.0 service and have "remote automation" services enabled. Some dealers may charge extra for this service but it will give you the ability to integrate Z-Wave devices and just recently the TCC thermostats and August locks.

Assuming you have already setup remote automation services with your alarm company now you can integrate your TCC devices with TC 2.0. After you click into the "Automation" tab on the app, press the icon on the top right (3 horizontal bars). Then press "Add/Remove TCC Thermostat." Now you can enter your login credentials (email and password) for your TCC app. After you login, you should be able to control TCC thermostat from the TC 2.0 app. This is a brand new integration so the details around setting up scenes, rules and scheduling are still being fleshed out. The good news is that Honeywell acted on customer feedback and now you can control even more devices in your home right from TC 2.0!

Total Connect 2.0 can be offered standalone for self monitoring customers or bundled together with central station monitoring for those interested in getting phone calls and dispatching the local authorities when needed.

**Please Note**

Your Honeywell VISTA system must have a Z-Wave module installed for you to use Total Connect 2.0 Automation features. On an all-in-one LYNX Touch or Lyric wireless system, TC2 automation can be added to any TC2 account. However, if you have a traditional VISTA security system, you will need to have a Tuxedo Touch WIFI touchscreen keypad or VAM module connected to your system to take advantage of the TC2 automation features. The Tuxedo and VAM are physical Z-Wave controllers for upgrading VISTA systems to home automation features. Even if the TC2 automation you are doing doesn't require a local z-wave controller (like integrating in the Honeywell WIFI Total Connect Comfort or Redlink Thermostats or integrating in WIFI August locks for instance), the automation TC2 feature can't be enabled without a Tux or VAM MAC/CRC combination being added to the TC2 account. While these cloud based TC2 integrations are a nice way to integrate various home automation into on application, you don't need to upgrade your VISTA panel with a Tux or WIFI if you don't plan to ever do any physical Z-Wave devices as you can always continue to control your TCC/Redlink thermostats and August locks through the existing separate apps that are offered for those devices now.

As a DIY friendly company we love the Honeywell LT-Cable. For those who are not familiar with the cable it is a prefabricated power supply cable with male spade connectors and a right angle DC barrel plug. The spades offer a clean and easy connection to the screw terminals of your AC transformer. The barrel plug simply plugs into the DC port on the back of your alarm panel. The best part of the device is that it offers an easy way to power cycle your alarm system without dealing with the transformer. Generally the transformer is hidden or screwed into your wall plate so the LT-Cable offers a safe way to disconnect power from the panel without the hassle of the transformer. Now, technically you can disconnect hardwired power to the screw terminals if your system was custom cabled. However we strongly caution against that since you are dealing with live power with your transformer still plugged in. Although it is only low voltage power it can damage or destroy the panel or transformer if you accidentally short it.

As you may have seen in our Honeywell Lynx Touch videos the LT-Cable plugged directly into the DC port which was great. Well unfortunately Honeywell decided to phase out the DC port which we are bummed about. However they did do us a big favor by revamping it to have a pigtail with a DC port adapter. By doing this they essentially made the cable universal. In other words, the cable now can be used as a power connection to any alarm system. Here is why.

The pigtail has two wires on one end that should be landed on the AC or DC power connections of your alarm system. Not all systems have a DC port but they all have screw terminals for custom cabling. On the back side of the pigtail there is a female DC port. This is where the right angle male DC barrel connector plugs into. Instead of removing the male DC plug from the panel now you are removing it from the back end of the pigtail in order to power down. This means a clean, safe way to reboot your system...

By adding this pigtail, the cable will work with any alarm system you want. This is not just limited to wireless self-contained panels like the LYNX Touch. You can now use the LT-Cable to connect the transformer to your wired alarm control cabinets as well! Some panels may require low voltage AC power which does not have any polarity. However on most systems it is low voltage DC so be sure to match the red wire with your positive connection and black with negative.

As a DIY outfit we just wanted to share that this potentially bad news (Honeywell stripping out the DC port on the LYNX Touch panels) really turned into great news! We are now selling the new LT-Cable on our site. The cable is still in-wall rated and remains to be 8 feet long. The photo on the product page will be updated shortly. Check out the release note for a visual on the new cable.

For those of you not familiar with Total Connect 2.0, it is an application in the form of an app on a smartphone or tablet and web version on your personal computer. The service is hosted by Alarmnet which is Honeywell's communications division. Alarmnet prides itself on offering a secure (encrypted), simple way for end users to connect to their alarm systems remotely and receive text and/or email alerts for just about anything that occurs on the system. 

Total Connect has seen several upgrades this year including a new SMS gateway for more reliable text alerts from the largest cellular providers: AT&T, Spring, T-Mobile and Verizon. The newest upgrades have come in the form a complete aesthetic overhaul and several updated features including auto-syncing for the LYNX Touch L5100, L5200 and L7000! This means that any newly added zones will be automatically pushed to Total Connect after you exit programming on the panel. There is also a new wizard for creating "smart scenes" for remote automation. If you are an existing Total Connect user you will need to update the app on your smartphone and tablet in order to experience the new features. The web version on your computer has already been updated and will not require any changes on your computer. 

The most popular feature upgrade is the smart scene automation wizard. The wizard is designed to be more user friendly and walk you through the steps creating a scene for any enrolled Z-Wave devices. This feature requires that you have a Z-Wave controller and are enrolled in the remote automation service. Tap the + icon on the top right of the Automation module on Total Connect. First, name your scene. Then select command(s) for any Z-Wave device(s) you would like to be involved in the scene. The wizard will offer three trigger types: scheduling, rule, and manual execution. If you click "On a recurring schedule" you will be given the option to set a schedule to execute the scene. "Based on another device" is known as a rule. A rule allows you to trigger a scene based on a security system action (i.e. arm, disarm or alarm) or a security sensor fault (i.e. motion detector tripping or door/window opening). The last selection (when you tap it) is designed for manually triggering a scene from the Total Connect app. 

After you update the app on your mobile devices you may notice that the new version supports "Touch ID." For example, the iPhone 5S and 6 models support "Touch ID" which is way to log into apps using your fingerprint. You will need to first enroll your fingerprint by going into Settings > Touch ID & Passcode. Here you can scan in your fingertip(s). After you update and launch the new app, you will need to login with your username and password for the first time. When doing so, be sure to enable the "Remember Me" toggle button before logging in. Then you can log out. Going forward, you will be prompted with a pop message with the following when you launch the app: 

Simply press your finger that you already scanned in on the home button. This will launch you directly into the app! 

All in all, we are seeing that Alarmnet is continuing to develop the Total Connect 2.0 platform as they promised. We will continue to see updates that will make the application easier to use with more features that make controlling your alarm system remotely easier than ever. We will be sure to keep you posted as more features develop! 

Back in January of 2013, we discussed the compatibility issues with earlier revisions of the VISTA-21iP alarm system with the VISTA-GSM4G. Traditionally, Honeywell creates a new firmware revision to clearly mark which panels are compatible with specific features. In this case, we found out that revision 3.13 had some panels that supported the 4G communicator and others that did not.

At the time, we explained that Honeywell started tagging the panels with stickers that read, "Supports VISTA-GSM4G." Although Honeywell offers PROM chip upgrades for the VISTA-15P and VISTA-20P there are no PROM upgrades for the VISTA-21iP. The update meant that VISTA-21iP owners without this sticker would need to upgrade their entire alarm panel in order to integrate 4G cellular connectivity.

 The biggest factor in this discussion is the "2G sunset." AT&T announced that they have already started phasing out their GSM 2G cellular network. The kicker is that every 2G cell tower in the nation will be upgraded by the end of 2016. This may have seemed far way but it is only around the corner. So this discussion relates to any VISTA-21iP system owner using cellular communication; not just those looking to upgrade to a faster 4G communicator. The original post seemed like a doomsday if your panel did not have the sticker. Well think again...

Now for the good news! The VISTA-GSM4G is considered an internal communicator for the VISTA-21iP. It is designed to be used as a backup to the built-in IP communicator. However it can be used as a stand alone cellular communicator as well. The important thing here is that the VISTA-21iP supports external Honeywell communicators as well.

The GSMV4G is an external cellular communicator which can be used with any VISTA-21iP revision. If you plan to use the internet as your primary communication path with cellular as secondary, you can use the iGSMV4G instead. In order to tell your panel to use an external communication path you need to disable the internal communications by physically moving a jumper pin on the board. 

There is an "Internal IP/GSM Jumper" that is in the 'on' position by default. This jumper powers the internal communicators: Internet communicator on the panel, the VISTA-GSM4G or both if you have a dual path setup. The jumper is located just beneath the RJ-45 jack which can be found on the top left side of the board. In the 'on' position, the panel powers the internal communicators. In the 'off' position, the panel cuts off power to the internal comm paths.

If you would like to use an external communication path like the iGSMV4G you must power down the system and move the jumper to the 'off' position. Doing this will shut down both the IP and GSM internal communication paths. So if you were already using the on board IP communicator simply disconnect the ethernet cable from the panel and land it on the iGSMV4G!

Similar to a wired keypad, external communicators require a 4 wire connection to the panel's ECP bus which is located on terminals 4-7 on the VISTA-21iP. There is a power connection on terminals 4 and 5 on the panel and a data connection on terminals 6 and 7 on the panel. Although the communicator is already connected to ECP power, it still requires an AC power connection on terminals 1 and 2 of the communicator.

The GSMV4G and iGSMV4G are shipped with their own Honeywell 1361 AC transformer. You can wire the communicator directly to the transformer or you can use a shared transformer with the panel. If you do the shared transformer setup, you need to swap in the beefier 1361 that comes with the communicator. Simply swap the wired connections over to the new transformer. Then land terminals 1 and 2 from the communicator on terminals 1 and 2 on the panel. You can land them in parallel, right on top of the existing connections to the transformer. 

We have made available detailed instructions for installing the iGSMV4G. The wiring is exactly the same for the GSMV4G. The only difference is that you need to connect an Ethernet cable on the RJ-45 port on the iGSMV4G. 

We've already begun to see an increase in people with the older non-4G capable VISTA-21iP panels asking us for upgrade opportunities. We don't like being the bearers of bad news and having to tell those people that they need an entire new alarm control panel and a new cellular communicator so we have begun offering this as a less expensive alternative to upgrade to 4G cellular communications.

While Honeywell engineers didn't design the original VISTA-21iP panel with the option to support the future VISTA-GSM4G communicators, the flexible design of the 21iP, which allows for an internal or external communicator means that their oversight won't have to cost you anymore than the price of a new external 4G communicator.

Today we executed step 1 of building our new DIY video lab! We will be adding some heavy duty, locking casters to turn our faux wall into a mobile video lab. You say 'green screen' we say 'wall on wheels.' 

This means more nitty, gritty DIY installation videos using real sheetrock cut-ins. Who knows, we may even break out some cable snaking tricks that will save you time and aggravation. The beauty of the faux wall is that we can offer realistic installations on a true surface! 

As the Alarm Grid DIY community grows we plan to offer simple, professional techniques and solutions for all your alarm system needs. Be sure to check out our Youtube channel for the latest and greatest details on everything Honeywell! 

https://www.youtube.com/user/AlarmGrid

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!