Joshua Unseth Posts

We're proud to say that Puerto Rico is one of our biggest areas of service. That said, in recent weeks, as most of you know, Puerto Rico has been devastated by a hurricane. Our sympathies and empathy go out to those affected. As a South Florida company, Alarm Grid understands full well the gravity of hurricane force winds and the damage they can do.

We know that for those affected, their alarm monitoring bill isn't at the top of mind. And, honestly, we would rather that you devote your time, energy, and finances to re-building the island and your homes. To that end, we are going to give every one of our current Puerto Rico accounts free monitoring for the next 6 months.

We have seen a higher number of failing signals from our accounts in Puerto Rico than usual. If you are one of those accounts, and you are worried about the status of your account, don't worry. We will apply your free 6 months automatically starting today. If you happen to be one of the lucky individuals with a generator, your system should continue to function as normal and you will not see us on your bill for at least 6 months.

Alarm Grid is an American company. We are proud of the opportunity that we have been given here, and we want to make sure that we look out for our brothers and sisters to the south. We simply do not feel good about charging a group of people for service that they are almost certainly not using. And this way, once power is restored, all that you will have to do to be monitored again is plug the unit in. Once it powers up, you will be back online.

We wish you all well in Puerto Rico, and our prayers continue to be with you!

We would like to also thank Honeywell's AlarmNet who has given Alarm Grid a deep discount during this time.

Alarm Grid has just launched its store on Amazon.com. While a majority of our customers buy on Alarm Grid, we know that a lot of you have a strong desire to use your Amazon.com advantages to purchase from us. Since we can't offer the free shipping of Prime on Alarm Grid, or the vast selection available to you from other retailers, we are excited to be able to give you the ability to buy here or there.

There are significant advantages to purchasing from Alarm Grid's site. If you order on Alarmgrid.com, our system lets us marry all your orders together, and lets us process returns in a lot more orderly way should you need to return. Moreover, we will be charging the same amount on all products here as at Amazon.

Alarm Grid uses Amazon's fulfillment already, and has been for about 6 months. So if you have ordered from the site in recent days, you've already experienced Amazon's shipping process. There are also a lot of products that we have not made available on Amazon yet. Our wired door/window sensors, for example, are only able to be purchased on Alarm Grid - and that will be the case for at least the foreseeable future.

We hope that you are as excited about this development as we are!

Alarm Grid is making firmware pages available for upgradeable AUI security systems and touch screens that we sell. As a large number of them, including the older Tuxedo Touch, allow the software on them to be upgraded, an end user can extend the life of their system and get all the newest features simply by adding the latest and greatest software to the device. Moreover, any pesky security-critical problems can be easily solved without having to replace the panel.

For now, we've got the the following pages setup:

• Honeywell Tuxedo Touch Firmware Updates
• GC3 Firmware Updates
• GC2 Firmware Updates

If you have any questions about how you might install the firmware onto these systems, please email support@alarmgrid.com. We'll be glad to help any of our monitored customers.

Hey everyone! It's hurricane season, and this year, things are turning out to be a real doozie. Irma's heading right for our Florida office. And if it does hit, we're very likely going to have to shut down the bulk of our support team for a few days.

That will mean longer wait times on the phones, limited activations during that time, and longer wait times for tickets. We apologize, but ask you to bear with us while we prepare for the storm. There is a chance that we will lose power for a few days as well, which will further limit our support.

In the meantime, the best way you can help us get you faster support is by doing the following during the hurricane...

• Before getting in touch, check to see if we have a FAQ or YouTube video that answers your question.
• email us instead of calling us. support@alarmgrid.com
• If you call, please leave us a message. Those get converted to support tickets. We can see them and deal with them quickly that way.

Please do your best to keep our phones clear. We can work on support tickets as a team much more quickly than we can get to phone calls.

If you are in the path of the storm...

• Don't call us. Take cover. In case of an emergency, call your first responders.
• Consider putting your system on test for the remainder of the storm or completely powering it down by disconnecting the battery and unplugging the transformer from the wall.
• If you are in a flood zone, consider putting your system in a high enough place to avoid damage.

Apart from that, we appreciate your good thoughts and prayers as we prepare for what is looking like it's going to be a monstrous storm.

AT&T has been announcing a deprecation of the 2G radios for a number of years. At midnight January 1, 2017, the network was turned off.

If you're one of the many Americans who has a 2G alarm system, and you've been caught flatfooted for one reason or another, Alarm Grid is here to help. For those who upgrade their 2G radio programmed to a different company's service to a new radio, Alarm Grid will provide 2 months of free monitoring.

If you have a bf error showing on your panel or a Check 103 error, we have some great FAQs explaining what you need to do to fix the error. Additionally, below, you will find a guide explaining how to go about fixing the problems. Generally you will need to replace your radio - a move that is dependent on the type of system you have. The following alert is on our FAQs pertaining to this issue, and will walk you through what you need to do to upgrade.

Happy Holidays! And whatever holiday you celebrate, we hope that you have a wonderful weekend.

Alarm Grid is taking today off.

Everyone is at home all snug in their beds. If there's something you need, call the central station instead! Or perhaps, if you need something they just can't do, send an email to support@alarmgrid.com, and on Monday when we're back, we'll promptly get back to you.

We hope that the holidays treat you all well. That you're safe and secure. And that the holidays end for you with lots of stories to tell. Perhaps when we're back, the next time you call, you can tell them to us. We'll listen to them all. :)

Honeywell has discontinued the 5811 sensor and magnet. This popular sensor is the unit that has always been sent out with our most popular kits. It has been replaced by the Honeywell 5800MINI, a smaller, slightly sleeker device with a number of added benefits and improved range.

While not as common in the field as the 5816, the 5811s have, to date, been the contact that anyone looking for a small profile unit have purchased. And while not as thin as the 5820Ls, which are perfect for applications where a window has a very small lip, the discreet 5811 sensors are a well-loved mainstay of the Honeywell line. We are sad to see them go, but are excited about the new 5800MINIs that have replaced them.

For those ordering kits, our images show the old sensor. You will, however, from now on, be receiving the 5800MINIs. We'll be replacing the product shots in short order, but for now, please be aware of the change.

Unfortunately, for those looking to replace old 5811 sensors with new 5811 sensors, we are completely out of stock as is Honeywell. The new 5800MINIs should suffice.

The Alarm Grid team is going to be enjoying the holiday. If you are in need of service, please email us at support@alarmgrid.com.

As usual, Alarm Grid's monitoring partner, CMS will be open through the Thanksgiving holiday, and will make sure that your homes are being looked over while you are gone. You can reach the central station by calling the Alarm Grid main phone number, and dialing "1".

If you're in charge of cooking this year, don't forget to turn off your oven. And if you're one of the intrepid souls who is deep frying your bird, do it safely. While we have confidence in our life safety devices like the 5808W3 or the 5809, our hope is that you never ever ever need to use them.

Oh, and before I forget, here at Alarm Grid, we are thankful that you have given us the opportunity to protect your home and family. Thank you for being part of the Alarm Grid family. And we hope that next year, when this holiday comes back around, that you are still here.

The 6150 series keypads have always been the non-programming version of the 6160s. Mimicking many of the features, the 6160s allow users many of the same functions the 6160s have minus the simple programming. They are usually used as a companion keypad, for that reason. The 6160 used to program, the 6150 used as the peripheral keypads.

The 6150V, the voice annunciating version of the 6150 has been discontinued. For those who are after a voice annunciation option, the 6160V is the replacement that will work on a VISTA wired security system.

The IPCAM-WOEXT is being kicked to the curb. This useful unit was an extension cord for Honeywell's popular Alarmnet outdoor camera. But as Honeywell is slowly upgrading their line of cameras, everything is changing. And while this piece has been one of the simplest ways to get an extra bit of range from your electrical outlet to the camera, it is not going to be with us in short order.

At this time, Honeywell has not indicated whether the part is going to be replaced by anything new. But we suspect that once it is gone, it will be gone for good. It is a piece that is included in the IPCAM-WO box, though that may come to an end as well. We shall know very soon. Though we suspect it is going to continue to be included in the camera box, and not available on its own.

For those who need it, now is a good time to pick one up. We have a few left, and as supply gets exhausted, the cords will be doled out on a first come first serve basis.