Home Security Blog

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.

There are many factors that you should consider when choosing a home monitoring plan. You will want a plan that is affordable, offers all the necessary features, ensures protection for you and your family and provides you with all the support and help required for maintaining your system. With all of this in mind, the Gold-level monitoring plan from Alarm Grid is an ideal solution for many users. This $35 per month monitoring plan will provide you and your family with everything that is needed for you to stay protected and feel completely safe at home, all at a very affordable price.

When you choose Alarm Grid, you will receive the best technical support in the entire industry. We provide our customers with all the resources they need to install their own security systems and to make any important changes to their equipment. In the event that help is ever needed, outstanding support is just an online chat or a phone call away. Our technical support is completely free for monitored customers, and we will never charge you any additional service fees. Once you get started setting up your system, you will find that it is very easy to self-install with just a little bit of help and support from our experts. In the long run, this will save you a large amount of money, and it will allow you to become more familiar with your security system.

Alarm Grid also provides users with top-quality central station monitoring. Our company is proud to partner with Criticom Monitoring Services, a company dedicated to protecting more than 800,000 people across the United States. Criticom features three central monitoring stations located in California, Florida and New Jersey, ensuring that you and your family are always kept safe and secure. With Criticom service, you have the ability to connect with a live operator 24/7 who can contact emergency personnel in the event of a confirmed alarm. Help will always be available if you need it, and there will never be any hidden charges or fees. The support that you need will always be there - when you need it and how you need it.

In addition to outstanding customer support and fantastic home security and protection, the Gold Plan from Alarm Grid also includes several other amazing features that make it a phenomenal value. With the Gold Plan, you will receive cellular monitoring, which is substantially more reliable than standard IP monitoring. This will ensure that your system is always able to send outbound signals in the event of an alarm, making it a must for users who want to know that their home is always protected.

Our Gold Plan also provides connectivity with either Total Connect or Alarm.com, depending on which type of panel is owned. These great platforms allow users to remotely arm or disarm their security panel, check the status of their devices and remotely activate any home automation Z-Wave devices. Using these platforms can provide users with significant peace of mind when they are away from home, and they make interacting with your home security system more exciting than ever before.

Although the Gold Plan from Alarm Grid is not the cheapest monitoring plan available, the exceptional service you receive, the guaranteed protection for your home and the plethora of features that are included make it well worth the price. For home security, choosing the cheapest option available isn’t always the best option. With Alarm Grid, you will receive an affordable service that has all the tools and resources required for protecting your home and your family. We hope that you will consider Alarm Grid for all your home security needs, and our team looks forward to serving you and your family in the future.

Last Friday, Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc on parts of Texas and Louisiana, spreading intense winds and unrelenting rainfall.

The Alarm Grid team wishes to extend our deepest condolences to those affected by the severe Category 4 storm. Our thoughts and prayers are with those in Texas and Louisiana, who had to bear the brunt of Hurricane Harvey’s devastation. Though the Alarm Grid team is based in Florida, and were lucky enough to escape Hurricane Harvey’s path, our hearts are with the residents of those affected and their friends and family, as the aftermath of the storm sets in. During times of need such as this, it is important that we support one another, and exhibit patience and understanding as everyone attempts to get back on their feet.

Due to the extreme nature of the hurricane, we want to let everyone know that shipping in these areas is affected. Please note that packages being delivered in the affected zones will most likely arrive later than their scheduled dates.

Tracking numbers will also be in disarray because of Hurricane Harvey. We ask that you bear with us as these conditions are entirely out of our control. With any luck, shipping will be back to normal soon, and all packages will be delivered within a few days of their scheduled shipping dates.

If you have any questions or concerns about the status of your packages, please don’t hesitate to email the Alarm Grid team at support@alarmgrid.com. And if you are one of the many people in the pathway of the storm, we send our best wishes to you and hope that you and your family are safe and secure.

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.

While the recent Honeywell Lyric security system MR3 firmware release brought enhanced functionality and improved performance to the Lyric controller, Honeywell's engineers unearthed a strange occurrence where the Lyric system would send a false APL report after the first system disarm following a system reboot.

Certain conditions had to be met for the false APL alarm to occur. The Lyric Controller had to have a Lyric-3G or Lyric-CDMA cellular communicator installed and activated. Also, the system's arm away, arm stay and disarm reporting had to be disabled (that reporting is on by default and here at Alarm Grid, we always encourage leaving that reporting enabled). As this was a unique anomaly with a very specific and unique configuration that had to be present for it to occur, Honeywell didn't realize the bug until after the MR3 firmware was released. As the firmware causes the panel to reboot once the update was complete, their technical support team quickly heard reports of the phantom APL alarms once the MR3 was released and the engineering team worked quickly to implement a patch fix.

You may have noticed that your Lyric system wasn't allowing you to update to MR3 firmware between when that firmware was released and today. That was because they pulled that firmware back once they uncovered the APL bug.

The new firmware version 01.03.06586.482 which was released today implements the patch fix to the bug and all Lyric controllers should be able to be firmware updated once again.

We encourage all Lyric users (especially those that did get the MR3 firmware update before it was pulled back from Honeywell) to update their system firmware and we've been told Honeywell will start forcing firmware updates to all installed Lyric panels over the coming weeks.

Hi DIYers! Today we are reviewing the brand-new 5800COMBO from Honeywell. The 5800COMBO is a versatile life-safety sensor that is great for any alarm system. It offers smoke, heat and carbon monoxide, all in one convenient device. This reduces the number of life-safety sensors a user will need to install. The device was very reliable in tests, and we have already received great reviews from end users. It definitely lives up to the quality one would expect from a Honeywell sensor. We recommend the sensor for anyone who is starting fresh with new life-safety devices.

The 5800COMBO is a great addition to the Honeywell 5800 Series of wireless sensors. These sensors are easy to program, and they work with a large number of alarm systems. Any LYNX Touch, Lyric Controller, 2GIG GC3 and 2GIG GC2 can use this sensor. The sensor can also interface with Honeywell VISTA Systems using a wireless receiver. But Qolsys System owners must look elsewhere for a wireless life-safety device.

The sensor programs with an alarm system in a somewhat unique way. It requires two wireless zones on the system. One zone is for smoke and heat detection, and the other is for CO detection. Both of these zones use their own 7-digit serial number. The final digit of the CO zone is one digit higher than the fire zone. For example, let's say that the fire zone is 2222222. In that case, the CO zone is 2222223.

Each sensor on the device has shown in testing to operate in a consistent manner. The 5800COMBO smoke sensor will trigger after detecting a small amount of smoke. But this will not set off an alarm on its own. Instead a second trigger must go off for an alarm to occur. This can occur in one of three ways. The first way is for the heat sensor to activate. This will happen if the sensor detects a temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. The second way is for the device's built-in infrared (IR) sensor to detect a fire. The IR sensor will look for the flickering glow of flames. It will trigger an alarm upon sensing this type IR energy. Finally, an alarm will always occur if the sensor detects carbon monoxide.

All this makes the 5800COMBO a very balanced device. You won't have to worry about the sensor triggering any false alarms. That said, it will still activate in the event of a real emergency. Our extensive testing process proved this. One minor concern about the device is that it is a very large sensor. The bulky size will put off some users. But the fact that the 5800COMBO serves dual purposes more than makes up for this. The device also features two prominent test buttons for easy testing. We recommend testing this device on a yearly basis.

The 5800COMBO is UL-listed and CP-01 approved. It can request central station dispatch in the event of an emergency. By installing one, a user can receive a discount on their homeowner's insurance. The amount of this discount will vary between different states and insurance companies. A user should speak with their insurance company to find out more about a possible discount. This is another huge benefit of owning a 5800COMBO.

Alarm Grid completely endorses the 5800COMBO as an outstanding life-safety device. It is one of the most versatile sensors we have ever seen. The device is reliable, and you can count on it in any emergency situation. False alarms are very unlikely to occur, and the insurance benefits you can receive are great. If you already have a standalone smoke or CO detector, then the 5800COMBO isn't for you. In that case, it makes more sense to get a sensor that only includes the function you need. But if you are starting from scratch, the 5800COMBO is second to none. The ability to receive both fire and CO protection in one device in phenomenal. And with the device's reliability and proven performance, you cannot go wrong.

The 5800COMBO is available for sale on our website right now. It is the perfect addition to almost any alarm system. Protect your home and your loved ones with this top-quality Honeywell sensor.

With heavy hearts, we are sorry to announce that the Total Connect 2.0 service, powered by Honeywell, no longer supports the slide show feature.

While most Total Connect 2.0 users probably never even knew this feature existed, it was a pretty cool option for turning a LYNX Touch security system (models L5100, L5200, L5210 and L7000) into a digital picture frame.

From the TC2 Locations module, you could edit the house icon and click on the 'Edit Slide Show' button to upload images to your account from your computer. Honeywell's servers then download to the LYNX Touch system associated with that TC2 account/location (as long as the system had an ILP5 or L5100-WIFI internet communicator installed and online). Once the images were downloaded to the system, you could use the master programming mode (Security > More > Tools > enter Master Code) to go to the Slide Show option and setup your images to display on the panel's touchscreen when the system was sitting idle.

Honeywell indicated that the feature was removed due to "cyber security concerns" and while you can no longer use your LYNX Touch system as a digital picture frame, the new Lyric Controller does still offer the Slide Show feature. You just have to use a USB stick to load the images to the Lyric locally as the feature has been removed from Total Connect 2.0 on all systems. We have an FAQ on how to use the slide show feature on a Lyric system online at https://www.alarmgrid.com/faq/how-does-slide-show-... and if you have a LYNX Touch system now that was using this feature and want to discuss upgrading to a Lyric, we'd be happy to help. You can email us at support@alarmgrid.com or call us M-F 9-9 EST at 888-818-7728.

Honeywell has recently announced a change in the way that their Total Connect 2.0 video surveillance feature will work and the change will be implemented on or about April 19th (next Wednesday).

Currently, if you have Honeywell AlarmNet IPCAMs, you have the ability to view them remotely and have them record 10-second video clips based on a change in pixelation if you have the right Total Connect 2.0 service plan. We offer the TC2 video features without a contract required through our Self Platinum and Platinum plans at https://www.alarmgrid.com/monitoring and we even have a standalone TC2 video plan available at https://www.alarmgrid.com/video-monitoring for those that don't have a security system but want the TC2 video services.

Using a mobile device running the Total Connect 2.0 app, you can log-in and view up to 6 IPCAMs per TC2 location from wherever you are as long as the cameras are powered on and connected properly to the internet and you can watch any recorded videos.

Using the totalconnect2.com website, you can use the Video module to view the cameras remotely and you can also set up more advanced settings such as 10-second video clip recordings and alerts when video clips are captured. These clips are customized by the user and you can use the wrench icon on each camera to set up the areas of detection for each field of view and the sensitivity selections for how much movement is needed to trigger a clip. You can also setup schedules to determine when you want the cameras to record clips and when you only want live viewing capability with no recording happening.

Once you have the camera recording settings configured properly so that the cameras are recording clips of movement that you feel is important while ignoring other movements that aren't important, a new video clip will be stored to your TC2 account and will be available as a event in the Events & Notifications module. Currently, each TC2 location allows storage of up to 500MB of clips and auto-deletes the oldest available clip once the limit is reached. You do also currently have the option to "lock" certain clips that you don't want to be auto-deleted.

Here's where things change (on or about) April 19th, 2017...

While only Honeywell/AlarmNet IPCAMs currently work with Total Connect 2.0, Honeywell is (with great anticipation!) working on a new line of next generation cameras that will integrate with Total Connect 2.0 (we will have more details on the cameras at a later date) and they should be available sometime towards the end of this year.

New Seven Day Storage for Recorded Clips

In anticipation of the next generation cameras, Honeywell is transitioning all existing Total Connect 2.0 video accounts to a new 7 day plan where clips will only be available through the TC2 website/app for 7 days. The 500MB storage will go away and any clip that is older than seven days will be automatically deleted. Once the change is implemented, any currently recorded clip will be set to expire seven days later with the oldest clips being deleted first.

Regular non-TC2 video events will continue to be stored for 90 days,which is how the service works now, and first-in, first-out logic is employed when deleting the older clips.

No More Locking of TC2 Events

In addition to the changes to the video storage feature, Honeywell is removing the ability to "lock" a TC2 event (all events inclsuding security and video) so that you won't be able to save any event beyond the normal expiration (90 days for security and 7 days for video once the change is implemented).

The existing lock feature that allows you to permanently store a TC2 event/video clip:

They are providing a year grace period so that any currently locked events will stay locked up until April 15th, 2018 when all locked events will be deleted. We encourage all Total Connect 2.0 users to start saving all locked video clips outside of TC2 if you want them to still be available after April 15th of next year.

Also, we encourage all TC2 video users to start setting up email alerts with video clip attachments through their TC2 account so that each recorded clip can be saved/archived through email so that the clips are available beyond the new seven day limit.

While we are excited about the new cameras that are coming and the upgrades to Total Connect 2.0 and the video service, some of these changes may have an adverse affect if you don't update your account now to adjust for these changes. As always, let us know if you have any questions by emailing support@alarmgrid.com or calling M-F 9-9 EST.

4/19/17 - Updated: Honeywell has now scheduled the change to the video storage feature for sometime in May and the removal of the lock feature on the TC2 events is now scheduled for the week of the 24th.