Honeywell iGSMV4G Posts

Hi DIYers! Have you activated your 3G or 4G cellular communicator yet? If not, you are running out of time. All 3G and 4G communicators must be activated by June 26, 2019 for AlarmNet and June 30, 2019 for Alarm.com. After that, it will no longer be possible to activate these modules.

This is your very last chance to purchase a 3G or 4G communicator. If you wait much longer, we won't be able to guarantee that it will arrive to your address in time for you to install and activate it. And if you are still sitting on a 3G or 4G communicator, the time to activate it is now. You should reach out to Alarm Grid as soon as possible to get started with monitoring service. The following plans will work for cellular communication - Gold, Self-Gold, Platinum, Self-Platinum, Cellular-Only. Please read this blog post for more information about our monitoring plans.

Alarm Grid is still holding a sale on the iGSMV4G Communicator and the iGSMV4G-TC2 Kit. These products are currently available for $50 and $60, respectively. Buying a iGSMV4G from Alarm Grid right now is a strong choice if you want to get a VISTA Series System connected for cellular monitoring service for a very affordable price. More information about this sale can be found in this recent blog post.

Keep in mind that deactivating a communicator and then reactivating it counts as activating. If you discontinue monitoring service at any time after June 26th for AlarmNet and Total Connect 2.0 or June 30th for Alarm.com, you will not be able to reactivate your old 3G or 4G communicator. This is something to consider if you expect that you may move or relocate your system sometime in the near future. At this time, it is no longer possible to activate a CDMA communicator.

Remember, a 3G, 4G, or CDMA communicator is only a temporary solution at this point. AT&T will be shutting down their 3G/4G cellular network in February 2022, and Verizon is expected to shutdown their CDMA network around this time as well. Any already-activated alarm monitoring communicator that connects with one of these cellular networks provide reliable monitoring service until that time. After that, it will be obsolete.

Getting a 3G or 4G communicator in the next few days for a quick activation is a viable option. However, the best option is to get an LTE cellular communicator for your system. Both AT&T and Verizon have stated that they will support their LTE networks for many years to come. An LTE cellular radio is the best way to ensure that your security system will receive fast and reliable monitoring service well into the very distant future. We have many LTE communicators available for purchase on our website.

If you need help choosing a communicator, or if you are trying to activate a communicator before the cut-off date, please contact us as soon as you can. The best way to get a hold of us is to email us at support@alarmgrid.com. Our team will check your email at our earliest convenience and respond as soon as possible. If you would prefer to call us, we are available at (888) 818-7728. Remember that our business hours are 9am to 8pm EST M-F. You must schedule an activation during these hours. We look forward to hearing from you and activating your system for monitoring service.

Hi DIYers! We are happy to announce that we are offering a sale on the iGSMV4G and the iGSMV4G-TC2 effective immediately. The iGSMV4G can be purchased for $50. The iGSMV4G-TC2 is available for $60. These are AT&T 4G Cellular Communicators that allow VISTA Panels to connect with AlarmNet360.

Earlier this year, AT&T announced the sunset of their 3G and 4G networks. By February 2022, it will no longer be possible to use an AT&T 3G/4G with your alarm system. You must upgrade to an LTE communicator by then. Additionally, AlarmNet will no longer allow activations for AT&T 3G Communicators and AT&T 4G Communicators starting Wednesday June 26th, 2019.

We still have some iGSMV4G and iGSMV4G-TC2 products in stock. We want to get rid of them before they become unusable. This is a perfect opportunity to get your Resideo VISTA System online for a very low price. With these communicators, you can access Total Connect 2.0 and use all of the available features. Please note that you will need a Gold Plan or higher to activate a cellular communicator with Alarm Grid. Also, we cannot offer overnight orders for these products.

If you do get one of these communicators, you must activate the module before June 26th. After that date, it will be impossible to activate the cellular portion of the communicator. Additionally, if you deactivate the communicator or discontinue service for any reason, you will not be able to reactivate this unit for cellular service after June 26th. You will still be able to use the communicator for Internet Communication only after this date.

Resideo has stated that more recently manufactured modules will be able to be activated for up to 180 days after June 26th. However, we cannot guarantee that a new iGSMV4G will be able to be activated after that date. For your own planning, you should not expect an AT&T 3G or 4G communicator to be activated after June 26th.

The Honeywell iGSMV4G is a dual-path AlarmNet Communicator for Resideo VISTA Series Systems. It uses AT&T 4G and hardwired ethernet to connect with the AlarmNet Servers and provide access to Total Connect 2.0. This module will provide fast and reliable connectivity until February 2022. The cellular portion of the module will no longer work after February 2022. At that time, you will want to upgrade to a newer LTE communicator. We are offering the iGSMV4G for $50.

The Honeywell iGSMV4G-TC2 is a bundled kit that includes the iGSMV4G module, as well as the necessary PROM Chip upgrades for the VISTA-15P and VISTA-20P Alarm Systems. You should purchase this kit if your 15P or 20P System is running a firmware version of at least 2.0, but less than 9.12. Any 15P or 20P system running less than version 9.12 will not be able to be used with Total Connect 2.0. We are offering this kit for $60.

If you aren't sure what firmware version your system is running, you can check the current PROM Chip. This is a small black chip located in the middle of the system. This FAQ can teach you how to replace an old PROM Chip if needed.

Here is an example of a PROM Chip for a VISTA-20PSIA System. This is basically a VISTA-20P System with some added features put in place to prevent false alarms. Note that this system is running v10.23, which is high enough to use TC2.

If you want to future-proof your VISTA System with an LTE communicator, then we can certainly help you with that as well. We currently offer the Honeywell LTE-XA (AT&T LTE), the Honeywell LTE-XV (Verizon LTE) and the Honeywell LTE-IV (dual-path Verizon LTE and IP ethernet). All of these communicators will extend the life of your VISTA System well into the very distant future.

Keep in mind that a VISTA-15P or VISTA-20P System will need to be running at least firmware version 9.12 to support Total Connect 2.0. A VISTA-21iP must be running at least version 3.13 to support TC2. We offer PROM Chip upgrades for VISTA-21iP Systems here. We do not offer bundled kits for VISTA-21iP PROM Chips. The PROM Chips included in the iGSMV4G-TC2 Kit are for 15P and 20P Systems only.

Remember, we cannot offer overnight orders for either the iGSMV4G or the iGSMV4G-TC2. You must activate these communicators before June 26th. They can remain active until February 2022. After that, you must upgrade to an LTE communicator or use IP only communication. If you have any questions about this sale or these communicators, please contact us at support@alarmgrid.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

Alarm Grid wants all of its customers to be aware that AT&T is now taking steps to formally discontinue their 3G and 4G networks. This is very important for anyone looking to activate an AT&T 3G or 4G communicator, as well as those who currently use either network with their alarm system.

Starting Wednesday June 26th, 2019, it will no longer be possible to activate a new AT&T 3G or 4G Communicator with AlarmNet. If you want to activate an AT&T 3G or 4G Communicator on a Honeywell System for use with Total Connect 2.0, you must do so before this date. Additionally, if you deactivate an AT&T 3G or 4G Communicator for a Honeywell System on or after this date, then you will not be able to reactivate it. Trying to reactivate a deactivated communicator is considered the same as an activation.

Please note that this only applies to AT&T 3G and 4G Communicators on Honeywell Systems that are used with Total Connect 2.0. Alarm.com has not announced any deadline for activating an AT&T 3G or 4G Communicator. Alarm Grid will post any new information as it becomes available. For now, the deadline only affects communicators being used with AlarmNet.

A sole exception applies to any AT&T 3G or 4G Communicator that was manufactured within the past 180 days. These communicators come with SIM cards that are pre-activated by AT&T, and they can continue to be activated for the next 180 days, even after the June 26th, 2019 date has passed. You will not be able to activate the communicator after the 180 day period has elapsed. You will also not be able to deactivate the communicator and then have it reactivated. You can check the manufacture date both on the box and on the radio label sticker on the communicator.

Additionally, the AT&T 3G/4G Network is set to be shutdown in February 2022. After that, all AT&T 3G and 4G Communicators will stop working entirely. This applies to any AT&T 3G or AT&T 4G Communicator, including those used with Total Connect 2.0 or Alarm.com. End users will need to upgrade to a new communicator or alarm system to maintain cellular communication. This does not apply to AT&T 4G LTE Communicators.

In order to maintain an active cellular communication path, it is crucial that you upgrade to an LTE communicator. LTE stands for "Long-Term Evolution", and AT&T is expected to support their LTE network for many years to come. Most alarm systems that we support currently have an LTE communicator available, while others should be releasing one in the coming months. We recommend checking through our selection of cellular communicators to see if an LTE communicator is available for your system.

If you are affected by the AT&T 3G/4G Sunset, now is the time to take action. You still have an opportunity to keep your system monitored or upgrade to a new system if necessary. The best thing you can do is contact Alarm Grid immediately. We can verify which communicator your system is using if you aren't sure. If you do need an upgrade, we can make a recommendation of which communicator to go with.

Some systems may have an LTE communicator readily available, while others may have one set to be released in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, some users may need to upgrade to a new system entirely. The experts at Alarm Grid know exactly what you need to stay monitored, and we can present you with all the possible options. Remember, by upgrading to a newer LTE communicator, you are guaranteeing that you equipment can stay monitored for many years to come. We fully expect that LTE networks will remain active and in-service even as 5G technology begins to emerge.

Alarm Grid is on your side. We want you to stay monitored and protected. That is our absolute top priority as a company. If you are affected by the AT&T 3G/4G Sunset, we urge you to reach out to us. Likewise, we also urge you to reach out to us if you are not sure. We can check your equipment and confirm whether or not an upgrade is needed.

The best way to reach us is to send an email to support@alarmgrid.com. Our team will reply to it as soon as possible so that you receive the support you need. You may also call us at (888) 818-7728 during our normal business hours of 9am to 8pm EST M-F. We look forward to helping you determine the best solution for your home or business.

Note: For information on the Verizon CDMA Sunset that went into effect last year, please click here.

We strive to have some of the best pricing on the internet for security products. When prices are reduced for us, we do our best to quickly pass off those savings to anyone who has made a purchase here.

In the last week, we have reduced the prices on over 100 items an average of 6%. Our Lyric kits have all seen price reductions between 6% and 19%.

Below is the list of all items whose price has been reduced. We hope you enjoy the savings!

Alarm Grid has reduced the price on almost all of our VISTA GSMs!

Our best selling dual path unit, the iGSMV4G has gone from $239.99 to 190.99. If you need the upgrade chips, the iGSMV4G-TC2, has gone from $252.99 to $199.99. A 20% reduction across the board. It is now the same cost to go dual path with an upgrade chip as it would be to do GSM only!

The GSMV4G was $213.99 and is now $187.99 (12% reduction). If you need the upgrade kit, the GSMV4G-TC2, it's gone from $239.00 to 199.99, a 16% reduction in price.

The at-the-panel communicator has seen a big reduction as well. While we generally try recommend the GSMV4G units to any new customers since they do not require you to do a power calculation, there are people who prefer to use a device that goes on the panel itself. For you, the GSMX4G or the upgrade kit the GSMX4G-TC2 are the perfect option - not to mention the GSMX series communicators is seeing our biggest price reduction. From 200.99 to 141.99 for the GSMX4G, and from 213.99 to 154.99 for the GSMX4G-TC2, the units have been cut in price by 29% and 28% respectively.

These options are great for anyone who wants to add a little bit extra security to their system for a modest amount of money. For those who aren't sure whether they want to add cellular monitoring to their system, but definitely want to be monitored over IP in the short term, rather than purchasing the 7847i, which is the IP communicator option for VISTA panels, the iGSMV4G will allow for single path monitoring as well as dual path monitoring thus allowing maximum flexibility to any alarm system owner.

The iGSMV4G is the dual path monitoring communicator for the VISTA series panels (except the VISTA 21iP which uses the VISTA-GSM4G). Until recently, the iGSMV4G could only be used as a dual path communicator or as a cellular communicator. But since the upgrade to 2.12, the communicator now has the ability to be used as an IP-only communicator as well.

So why would anyone want to buy a dual path communicator if they want just IP monitoring or just GSM monitoring? Very simple. The VISTA 20P, 15P, and 10P cannot be setup to run both a GSMV4G and the 7847i - the cellular and IP communicators respectively. Until now, an user must pick either one path or two. The only way to switch from one path to two if it's something an user would want to do in the future, was to replace the entire communicator.

But not anymore!

Now, for $139.99, an user can purchase the 7847i, which will lock them to IP. Or, for an extra $70, the user can add the option to add GSM at some point in the future should they want to. For those who think there is even a slight chance that they might want to use the cellular communication pathway, the new and improved iGSMV4G is a great choice.

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.

Ever since AT&T announced that they would be discontinuing their 2G cellular network, Honeywell security system owners have been eagerly waiting for a new 3G / 4G dual path alarm monitoring communicator. While the 7847i internet alarm communicator provides a sole path internet solution and the GSMX4G and GSMV4G devices provide an option for cellular communications, AlarmNet has been lacking a 4G capable dual path option to round out it's fleet of alarm communicators.

A LYNX Touch security system could use both an L5100-WIFI internet communicator and a GSMVLP5-4G cellular communicator for dual path alarm monitoring and a VISTA-21iP with an added VISTA-GSM4G module was available as well, but for anyone with a VISTA-15P or VISTA-20P security system, there hasn't been a good dual path option up until now. Considering the VISTA-20P is arguably the most popular security system in America, there were a lot of people relying on the discontinued iGSMV, wondering when their cellular back up would stop working. Now, all of those people can upgrade to the iGSMV4G with confidence knowing that the 2G / 3G / 4G capable device will continue to provide industry leading alarm communications for their systems for many years to come. 

At the same time, anyone that has been holding off on signing up for monitoring service because they couldn't decide between the faster internet alarm monitoring path and the more reliable cellular path can now order the iGSMV4G without having to make that decision. With both an internet and cellular alarm communicator built into one device, the iGSMV4G brings together the advantages of both communication paths. The internet communicator is the primary path and provides the added speed of IP communications for anyone that has Honeywell's Total Connect service. With an iGSMV4G, your Total Connect remote control commands and instant email and text messages notifications will come through faster than if you just have a cellular alarm communicator. At the same time, there is a back up cellular communicator ready to take over if the less reliable internet path fails for any reason.

Honeywell has not released a Total Connect 2.0 upgrade kit for the iGSMV4G but we anticipate that will be coming soon. In the meantime, if you want to add dual path alarm communications to your VISTA Series control panel and you also want to upgrade your system to be compatible with Total Connect 2.0, you can add a PROM chip upgrade to your iGSMV4G order. There is a chip upgrade available for the VISTA-15P and VISTA-20P panels so that you can bring your system up to speed with the latest technologies without having to change out any equipment or reprogram your entire system!