Honeywell Home PROWIFIZW Posts

The Resideo LTEM-PA and LTEM-PV are dual-path capable communicators that use the LTE Cat-M1 network. During the global chip shortage, these radios have come to prominence because of their availability in the absence of other LTE communicators. They provide nearly the same speed as LTE comms.

Another feature that differentiates the LTEM-PA and LTEM-PV from other communicators is their modular design. These radios are considered a part of the ProSeries lineup, which includes the Honeywell Home PROA7 and PROA7PLUS and the Resideo PROA7C and PROA7PLUSC. The reason for this is that many of the add-on modules that can be used with the ProSeries panels can also be used with the LTEM-P communicators. Including the PROWIFI or PROWIFIZW, the PROLTE-A or PROLTE-V, and the PRODCM.

The LTEM-P Series communicators support an ethernet connection, but if you find yourself in a situation where a wired connection is not possible, then you can install the PROWIFI or PROWFIZW, which will give you WIFI, or WIFI and Z-Wave Plus capabilities. The ability to add a modular cellular unit is exciting as it allows you to install a separate LTE communicator to use instead of the built-in LTE Cat-M1 communicator. This will come in handy if you purchase an AT&T LTEM-PA, but find out later that Verizon would provide a better signal in this particular installation. Also, far in the future, when LTE is eventually phased out, whatever takes its place can easily be installed in the unit, rather than having to replace the entire communicator.

The PRODCM is a dialer-capture module. It allows the LTEM-P Series communicator to work with an alarm panel that has a built-in dialer and can report using Contact ID Format. The PRODCM installs inside a slot in the LTEM-P Series communicator, then two wires are connected between it and the Tip and Ring terminals on the alarm panel. The panel believe's it is dialing out over a phone line, but the module captures the signal, and transmits it via IP, or Cellular. Many of these add-on modules are also compatible with the ProSeries panels, which is why the LTEM-P Series are considered a part of the ProSeries lineup.

Tip 1: Power Wiring

The LTEM-PA and LTEM-PV come with a 9VDC power supply. Depending on the communicator you may be replacing there could be an existing AC Transformer in place. Do not make the mistake of trying to use the existing transformer. You have two (2) options when it comes to powering the LTEM-PA or LTEM-PV. You can use the included power supply, making sure to observe proper polarity with the power wires, or you can wire it so that the communicator receives all its power from the alarm panel. If you choose the latter option, be sure to calculate the current draw for the communicator correctly, and if you decide to leave the battery out of the LTEM-P Series device, turn off the radio's Low Battery Reporting.

Tip 2: Installing A WIFI Module

If you want to add support for WIFI to your LTEM-P module, you can add the PROWIFI module. When the PROWIFI module is installed, the ethernet connection becomes unavailable, so you can only use one or the other of these, but not both. If you want to add both WIFI and Z-Wave Plus capabilities to your system, then you can choose to install the PROWIFIZW.

Using the PROWIFIZW can add Z-Wave support in a situation where it would otherwise be unavailable, such as when using the LTEM-P with a non-VISTA panel. The PROWIFIZW cannot be used as a secondary controller, so it can't be used to extend the range of another controller such as the Tuxedo or VAM. Using the PROWIFIZW also doesn't give you an option to create scenes through Total Connect 2.0, only manual control of Z-Wave devices is available.

Tip 3: Always Default the Communicator

We've found, through painful experience, that it is a good idea to always default the LTEM-PA or LTEM-PV once all the wiring is completed, prior to account creation and activation. To default, hold down the red button on the upper right side of the main communicator board for at least 20 Seconds. The LEDs on the communicator should begin going through their initial power-on sequence. This is how you can tell the default has completed.

Once the communicator has booted completely up, then do one last power cycle. Do this by unplugging the transformer and disconnecting the red battery lead. If the communicator is being powered completely by the panel, simply power the panel down and back up by unplugging its transformer and backup battery. If the communicator battery is still connected though, be sure to disconnect this battery as well to completely power the communicator off. Wait about 30 seconds, then power back on as you normally would. For VISTA panels, plug in the transformer, then the battery. If the communicator has its own DC Power Supply, plug in the communicator battery, then plug in the power supply. Now you can proceed with programming and activation.

The ever-evolving WIFI industry can sometimes present challenges to alarm equipment. The steps manufacturers take to protect privacy, and streamline connections, can sometimes interfere with an alarm system's ability to get connected. Here, we'll discuss ways to keep your WIFI system online.

Resideo and Honeywell Home have not embraced the 5 GHz WIFI band as some of the other alarm manufacturers have. Both 2GIG and Qolsys have panels that can connect to either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz WIFI. While 5 GHz WIFI offers slightly greater speed, it also offers a shorter range. Its main advantage is that it offers more channels and less congestion than its 2.4 GHz counterpart. The 2.4 GHz band is slightly slower, mostly because it's more crowded, but with a greater range and better solid object penetration.

Many customers may be afraid to purchase Resideo or Honeywell Home equipment because they believe that soon WIFI routers may stop supporting the 2.4 GHz frequency. However, most IoT (Internet of Things) devices that use WIFI currently only support the 2.4 GHz band, so you can expect network equipment manufacturers to continue producing equipment that supports 2.4 GHz for some time. Also, many older devices, such as older smartphones or tablets, don't support 5 GHz WIFI.

Users with dual-band routers that support both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WIFI, and who also have Resideo or Honeywell Home WIFI products, may have experienced issues with their security device losing its WIFI connection. If that is the case, disabling a feature in the router called Band Steering may help the system to stay connected. Routers that support dual-band WIFI often use Band Steering in an effort to make switching from one band to the other seamless.

In theory, with Band Steering enabled, and the SSID, Password, and encryption settings for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands set to the exact same parameters, any device capable of using both bands can switch between them on the fly as the device moves through the location. Consider using a tablet or a smartphone as you walk through your home. When you're close to the router, 5GHz is likely the best band for the device to use. But as you walk away from the router, the 2.4 GHz band may become a better option. Band Steering will take care of switching from one to the other with no further input from the user and without the user even knowing that the switch has occurred.

If Band Steering worked as well in practice as it does in theory this would be an excellent solution. However, for some routers that support this feature, in certain cases, if a client WIFI device can only support 2.4 GHz, and the router supports both bands with both having matching SSIDs and Passwords and Band Steering is enabled, often the client device can't connect to the network because it is blocked by the router.

The router does this because it believes the client device is capable of connecting using the 5 GHz band, and in most cases, the router is trying to steer as many devices as it can to 5GHz. By disabling Band Steering, the Resideo or Honeywell Home WIFI capable panel will be able to see and connect to the 2.4 GHz network. In fact, it's the only network that it will be able to see. All other devices that support both bands will still be able to connect to whichever SSID the user chooses.

You can disable Band Steering on your dual-band router without having to change either SSID or password. The drawback to doing this is that you won't immediately be able to tell which WIFI band a device that supports both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands is connected to. If you need to be able to determine this, then you will want to disable Band Steering and then change the SSID and Password for one or the other WIFI Band so that you can easily determine which WIFI band a device is using. This will assist you, particularly on mobile devices, where you may need to manually switch between bands to achieve the best WIFI outcome.

It's time for our weekly video recap, this time covering releases from Monday and Tuesday of last week. We only have four (4) new videos for now, but we promise there are many more on the way. This week's releases all feature myself, and they cover the Honeywell Home PROA7PLUS. Let's begin!

Honeywell Home PROA7PLUS: Add a Z-Wave Device

I show you how to add a Z-Wave device to a Honeywell Home PROA7PLUS. The PROA7PLUS has a built-in module called the PROWIFIZW that provides the system with both WIFI and Z-Wave control. Paired Z-Wave devices can be controlled from the panel, and remotely from Total Connect 2.0 if the system is monitored with a plan that includes automation services. You can also use TC2 to create smart scenes for your Z-Wave devices so that they activate automatically based on a schedule or with system events.

Honeywell Home PROA7PLUS: Remove a Z-Wave Device

I show you how to remove a Z-Wave device from a Honeywell Home PROA7PLUS. Removing a device clears out its Z-Wave network data so that it can be paired with a new network. That is why you typically remove, or clear, a Z-Wave device before you attempt the pairing process when adding it to the network. This is done even if a Z-Wave device is brand-new, as many Z-Wave devices have residual network data leftover from factory testing.

Honeywell Home PROA7PLUS: Adding a Z-Wave Lock

I show you how to pair a Z-Wave door lock with a Honeywell Home PROA7PLUS. Like all other Z-Wave devices, a Z-Wave lock is paired with the PROA7PLUS by putting the system into its Z-Wave pairing mode and then activating the inclusion/exclusion function on the lock. For best results, it is advised that you clear the lock from the network before attempting to pair it. Most Z-Wave locks have a button that is used for inclusion/exclusion, or they require you to enter in a specific pairing command code using a push-button or touchscreen keypad.

Honeywell Home PROA7PLUS: Resolve WIFI Connection Issues

I explain some of the reasons why a Honeywell Home PROA7PLUS may be experiencing WIFI connection issues. One reason is that the password for the WIFI network may have been entered incorrectly. Another reason is that you are using a Ubiquiti Access Point (AP) with the PROA7PLUS, and you have the Auto-Optimize feature turned ON for the Ubiquiti device. Lastly, there could be something wrong with the PROWIFIZW module inside the PROA7PLUS, and it may need to be replaced.

We have a quick and easy tip for those using Z-Wave locks with Honeywell and Resideo ProSeries Panels like the Honeywell Home PROA7PLUS. You can have your panel user code pushed down to your Z-Wave lock, and you can also have your system automatically disarm when you enter that code into the lock.

Setting this feature up will offer some great convenience in your life. You can imagine walking up to your home, entering your panel code into your Z-Wave lock, the door unlocking, and then your system disarming, without you needing to interact with the panel at all, and then going about your day. We'll show you how to make it happen.

You can set this feature up for any panel code that you have programmed on your ProSeries System. Begin from the main screen, and choose the three (3) horizontal bars button at the bottom, followed by Settings, then User Management. Enter your Master Code (default 1234, but usually changed) or your Installer Code (default 4112) to get in. Then select the user with the code you want to use at the lock. Scroll down to Z-Wave Lock Control, and you can choose one of the following three (3) options:

• None - Turns the feature off
• Sync User Code to Lock - The code will be pushed to the lock so that you can unlock using the code.
• Sync User Code to Lock & Disarm - The "money" option! The code will be pushed to the lock so that you can unlock using the code, AND the ProSeries System will disarm when you enter the code and unlock the lock!

Just choose the option that you want for that code (you know which one we recommend), and then press the black Save button in the upper-right corner. You will need to provide the system's Master Code to confirm the change, and then you're all set! We can't state enough how cool this feature is, so take advantage of it!

But before you go and make your life more convenient, why not make your life more EXCITING by leaving a comment on the Alarm Grid Blog? Let us know what you think of the feature. Have you tried it out before? Are you going to test it now. Do you need to buy a Z-Wave lock first? How about the Yale YRD226? We think that's a handsome lock, and it will look great in your residence. We promise! Anyway, stay tuned for more great content like this on the Alarm Grid Blog, coming soon!

Alarm Grid would like to make you aware of a possible issue when using a ProSeries Panel (PROA7PLUS, PROA7PLUSC, PROA7, or PROA7C) with an Ubiquiti Wireless Access Point (AP). Connection problems may occur if Auto Optimize is turned ON for the AP. To avoid issues, turn Auto Optimize OFF.

You may recall a similar issue that affected the predecessor panel from Honeywell Home and Resideo, the Honeywell Lyric. In that case, users had to disable the Auto Optimize Network feature for an Ubiquiti UniFi AP in order for a Lyric System to connect successfully. If a Lyric Panel was connected with an Ubiquiti UniFi AP, and then the Auto Optimize feature was enabled on the AP, then the Lyric would lose its WIFI connection with the Ubiquiti device. This would occur even if the Auto Optimize feature was turned ON due to an automatic update for the Ubiquiti AP. It was then later reported that Ubiquiti corrected the issue so that security systems were not booted from the network when the Auto Optimize feature was enabled.

In this case, it is the Honeywell Home and Resideo ProSeries Security Panels that are having issues with the Auto Optimize feature for Ubiquiti AP devices. Reports indicate that if the Auto Optimize feature for the Ubiquiti AP is turned ON, then the system may have trouble maintaining a stable WIFI connection. When the feature is enabled, a ProSeries Alarm Panel may be unable to connect with the network, or it may fail to reconnect with the network if the connection becomes lost. With that in mind, it is advised that you keep the Auto Optimize feature turned OFF for an Ubiquiti Access Point if a ProSeries System is connected. Please refer to the manual for your Ubiquiti AP for more information on how to do this. Alarm Grid has also released a very general FAQ outlining potential WIFI issues for ProSeries Panels, which you can view here.

Don't forget that a ProSeries Panel needs a WIFI card in order to connect with a WIFI network. This can be a Honeywell Home PROWIFI, which is a standalone WIFI module, or a Honeywell Home PROWIFIZW, which doubles as both a WIFI card and a Z-Wave Plus home automation controller. The Honeywell Home PROA7PLUS and Resideo PROA7PLUSC both contain a PROWIFIZW from the factory, so no add-on module will be needed. On the other hand, the Honeywell Home PROA7 and Resideo PROA7C do not have a WIFI module pre-installed from the factory, so you will need to add one of the aforementioned units in order to get one of those systems connected to WIFI.

Hopefully this post has helped at least one user in correcting issues between their ProSeries System and their Ubiquiti Access Point. If you have any experience using a Honeywell Home or Resideo ProSeries Security System with an Ubiquiti Access Point, or if you just want to discuss ProSeries Alarm Panels in general, then please share your thoughts in a comment down below. We are always interested to hear what you have to say. And remember to stay tuned to the Alarm Grid Blog for more helpful news and updates coming soon!