Industry News and Discussions Posts

Resideo has announced that 17 million shares of common stock will soon be available in a public offering. According to Resideo, the proceeds will be used to repay borrowings and to help fund growth and acquisitions. The news comes after Resideo posted abetter-than-expected Q3 for 2020.

Resideo trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker REZI. The security, automation and comfort company had its initial public offering (IPO) in late 2018 after being spun-off from Honeywell. The news of the 17 million shares being available in a public offering resulted in a 14% decline in the company's stock price during Monday trading.

For the transaction of 17 million shares, Morgan Stanley and Evercore ISI will act as lead joint book-running managers. Additional bookrunners on the transaction include Bank of Ameria Securities and JPMorgan. Underwriters are being given the options to purchase an aggregate of up to 2.55 million additional Resideo common stock shares.

In the company's most recent earnings report, $1.36 billion in revenue was said to have been achieved in Q3 of this year. This greatly exceeded the consensus expert estimate of $1.15 billion. Year over year revenue for Resideo has increased by 10%. Resideo President and CEO Jay Geldmacher has recently expressed great optimism in demand trends for the security industry as the market enters into the final stretch of 2020.

Resideo is arguably best known for its state-of-the art Honeywell Lyric Alarm System, which boasts 128 wireless zones, encrypted sensor options, backwards compatibility with legacy Honeywell 5800 Sensors, integrated WIFI, built-in Z-Wave home automation, Apple HomeKit compatibility, a 7-inch touchscreen display, and local end user programming. The company also offers the new Honeywell Home PROA7PLUS Alarm Panel, the Honeywell LYNX Touch Panels, and the Honeywell VISTA Alarm Systems.

If you are interested in setting up a Resideo Security System in your home or business, then please feel free to email us at support@alarmgrid.com with any questions you might have. We check our email from 9am to 8pm ET M-F. Also remember to check out our monitoring page to learn more about the services we offer. We look forward to hearing from you!

In an act of deja vu, next year's ISC West is being pushed back from its scheduled dates in March to new dates in July. The group in charge of organizing ISC West, Reed Exhibitions, says that the decision was made based on the current state of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic.

ISC West 2021 was originally scheduled for March 23 - 26. With this postponement, it will now occur July 19 - 21. The event will still be held at the Venetian Resort and Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. A unique aspect of the 2021 edition of the event is that it will occur in a hybrid format, with both in-person and virtual conference passes being available. Extra measures are being taken to ensure the health and safety of those involved.

Reed Exhibitions and the Security Industry Association (SIA) released a statement that reads, "We’re pleased to have a plan in place to produce ISC West in 2021, and after a long respite, the ISC and SIA teams look forward to welcoming our customers back to Las Vegas for strong education, demos, product announcements, awards ceremonies, networking opportunities, special events, and more."

This isn't the first time the tradeshow was postponed from March to July. The event for last year, ISC 2020, was originally set for March 18 - 20, before being rescheduled to July 20 - 22. It was later postponed a second time to October, before finally being cancelled entirely. There was an entirely virtual event held in its place. Unfortunately, we found the virtual event to be pretty lackluster, and we didn't obtain any useful announcements to post on our blog.

We really hope that the in-person ISC West conference happens this year. It is always a nice event for meeting key industry insiders and checking out some of the latest technology and upcoming products. It just doesn't transition easily to a virtual event, especially as security equipment manufacturers aren't likely to save their big surprises and unveilings for an event where people can't actually see the fruits of their labor in person. Although Las Vegas is hot in the summer, we'll take a summertime ISC West in the desert over no ISC West at all!

If you have any questions about ISC West, or if you are interested in learning more about monitoring service from Alarm Grid, please email us at support@alarmgrid.com. We're here to check email from 9am to 8pm ET M-F. We look forward to hearing from you!

If you are a Honeywell VISTA System user, then you have likely heard about the Honeywell Home Tuxedo Keypad. The Tuxedo serves as a touchscreen keypad controller, and also as a Z-Wave Plus hub. But one limitation for the unit is that it cannot be configured as a secondary Z-Wave controller.

Setting up a hub as a secondary Z-Wave controller involves pairing it with a separate Z-Wave hub, which will serve as the primary. When you do this, all Z-Wave devices paired with the primary controller will be automatically pushed over to the secondary, as long as they are compatible. These devices will also remain on the primary controller, meaning that you can operate them from both hubs.

If you decide to use this type of setup, it is advised that you clear all Z-Wave devices enrolled with the secondary controller, and instead enroll them with the primary controller beforehand. Then perform the process of setting up the secondary controller to the primary. This will ensure that all of the Z-Wave devices you want to use are available on both controllers.

Remember, Z-Wave devices paired with the secondary controller will not be pushed over to the primary. When you get a new Z-Wave device, you must enroll it at the primary Z-Wave controller, not the secondary. In most cases, Honeywell Z-Wave Hubs are used as secondary controllers, and Z-Wave devices paired directly with the primary controller are then shared with the Honeywell Z-Wave Controller. One of the most common primary Z-Wave hubs to use for this type of setup is Samsung SmartThings. Other popular third party Z-Wave hubs should work just as well.

Being able to set up a Z-Wave hub as a secondary controller, is technically one of the more advanced Z-Wave functions that you would ever try to perform on a smart home automation network. But while it is quite advanced, it is also very standard. It is somewhat unusual to encounter a Z-Wave automation controller with no primary and secondary configuration options. But that's exactly the case with the Honeywell Home Tuxedo. You can't set it as a secondary Z-Wave controller, which is a big letdown for anyone who wants to use the device in conjunction with a different Z-Wave hub, such as Samsung SmartThings.

According to Resideo, the ability to set the Tuxedo as a secondary Z-Wave controller will come from a future firmware update. At this time, we do not have any estimate for when such a firmware update would be made available. If you want to learn more about firmware updates for a Tuxedo Keypad, please refer to this FAQ.

However, we can speculate that once the feature is available, you will be able to configure Tuxedo primary/secondary options by starting from the main keypad screen, and choosing the Devices option, followed by the Z-Wave Setup button at the bottom of the screen, and then selecting More in the lower-right corner. If you do that now, you will notice that the "Learn Mode" option currently does not exist.

Remember to stay tuned to our blog for future updates on the Honeywell Home Tuxedo. We will be sure to let you know about any new features made available for the keypad. If you have any questions about the Tuxedo or Z-Wave home automation, please feel free to email us at support@alarmgrid.com. We check our email from 9am to 8pm ET M-F. We look forward to hearing from you!

Security system users in Panama City, FL may soon have to think about alarm registration and newly enforced fines for false alarms. Reports indicate that city council members approved the first reading of a new ordinance, with a second ordinance reading set to follow sometime soon.

Concerned citizens and officials in Panama City, FL are considering a new city ordinance that would allow the city to fine businesses and residents who intentionally or unintentionally cause false burglary/intrusion alarms and/or false fire alarms. The purpose of such a new ordinance would be to make first responders more readily available and to cut down on a high rate of false alarms.

Vice Mayor of Panama City, FL Geoff McConnell said of false alarms, "This is a huge drain on resources that could be better spent responding to emergency calls... We don’t want to spend money on chasing these false alarms when the public isn’t going to benefit from the safety of them.”

According to McConnell, more than 11,000 total false alarms are reported in the city each year. That reported figure comes from combined reports from the Panama City Beach Police Department and Panama City Beach Fire Rescue. McConnell went on to state that most of the city's false alarms are from repeat offenders. The majority of these repeat offenders are neglectful businesses with faulty alarm systems.

The ordinance being considered would not only enact fines for false alarm offenders, it would also make registration of alarm systems mandatory. In particular, alarm system owners, monitoring companies like Alarm Grid, and central stations, such as Alarm Grid's central station partner CMS, would be required to register with the city. Officials state that while the majority of alarm calls end up being false, responders are trained to respond to all calls with the same seriousness every single time.

Alarm Grid understands the frustration experienced by Panama City, FL officials. But we urge the city to take a step back and not enact a new drastic policy that would only make it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to get alarm systems. We think it's perfectly reasonable to require alarm systems to be registered, and it's also fair to fine users who repeatedly cause false alarms.

We hope that any registration fees for installing and maintaining security systems are kept to a minimum. Such fees make it more challenging for innocent end users to install alarm systems, and they are ultimately detrimental to alarm businesses. If the city decides that a registry of alarm systems will help prevent false alarms, then just please keep registration fees to a minimum. We understand that some small fees are necessary for maintaining the registry in the first place. But excessive fees will only deter everyday users from installing systems. We have found that low, reasonable fees, such as those in Pompano Beach, FL, tend to work best.

And if the city decides to fine users who cause false alarms, we hope that is also done within reason. One possibility is to give a warning for the first false alarm on a registered system, and then fining users for repeated offenses, or for those who fail to register their systems. Alarm Grid takes false alarm prevention very seriously, and we would expect other monitoring companies to do the same. We do our part to make sure that our customers are properly trained in this aspect of using their systems, and we highly doubt that anyone monitored through Alarm Grid is repeatedly making the same mistake. However, we do realize that mistakes happen, so we ask any city considering a false alarm policy to consider the issue with some leniency and understanding. Remember, the overwhelming majority of end users are not intentionally causing false system alarms.

If you want to learn more about false alarm prevention, we strongly recommend checking out these tips to prevent false alarms. That link is a great resource whether you are monitored through Alarm Grid, are considering signing-up for alarm monitoring, or even if you are monitored through a different company. We also invite any Alarm Grid monitored customers, as well as those who are still exploring their options for alarm monitoring, to email our team at support@alarmgrid.com to learn more about false alarm prevention. We are here to check your emails during our usual business hours of 9am to 8pm ET M-F. As always, we look forward to hearing from you!

Nortek has announced discontinuing various 2GIG products, likely in an effort to make room for bigger and brighter things. The end of sale date for these products is November 30, 2020. This news comes after Nortek just recently discontinued a large selection of 2GIG products in September.

Starting November 30, 2020, it will no longer be possible to order the 2GIG products listed below. The last possible shipment date for these products is December 14, 2020. We will likely be discontinuing these products on our website when this happens, and we would expect other retailers to do the same. The complete list of products is outlined below, along with any appropriate replacement options, when applicable. Please note that many of these products were for use with overseas 2GIG equipment and not sold by Alarm Grid.

If you have any questions about 2GIG products, including those set for discontinuation and/or their replacements (when applicable), please reach out to our team by emailing support@alarmgrid.com. We check our email during our usual business hours of 9am to 8pm M-F. We look forward to hearing from you!

Resideo, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the acronym REZI, saw its stock price increase by more than 40% during market trading on November 5, 2020. The substantial price boost occurred thanks to an excellent third quarter (Q3) that greatly exceeded expectations.

In the company's most recent earnings report, Resideo stated that it had achieved roughly $1.36 billion in revenue for Q3. This is much higher than the consensus estimate of $1.15 billion. Resideo has enjoyed a 10% increase in revenue year over year. The company says that it expects Q4 revenue to be between $1.36 billion and $1.41 billion.

Thanks to this positive news, REZI opened Thursday at $14.20 after closing at just $11.35 the day prior. REZI enjoyed further increases throughout most of Thursday trading, as the stock price soon rose above $15. The price stayed in the $15 range during most of the day, though it did exceed the $16 threshold at times.

Resideo President and CEO Jay Geldmacher said in a recent press release, "Our revenue performance and the progress with our ongoing transformation and cost reduction initiatives enabled us to strengthen our liquidity position, and in late October we made all outstanding reimbursement agreement payments to Honeywell... While we are closely monitoring our operations and supply chain for impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are encouraged by the strong demand trends we are seeing across our end markets as we close out 2020.”

The reimbursement agreement payments that Geldmacher is referring to come from an agreement between Honeywell and Resideo after Resideo was spun-off from Honeywell in late 2018. At the end of October 2020, Resideo paid Honeywell $35 million for a payment that was deferred on April 30, 2020, as well as an additional $35 million for a regularly scheduled payment.

Resideo also mentioned some highlights in its earnings report. Their ADI Global Distribution segment saw an 11% revenue increase to $790 million. Their Products & Solutions segment enjoyed a 12% revenue increse to $572 million. Their gross margin rate increased by 200 basis points (BPS) to 27.2%. Operating income for the company is up 122% year over year, with net income up 838% year over year, and diluted earnings per share (EPS) up 900% year over year. And their adjusted EBITDA increased by 65% to $188 million.

Alarm Grid supports many Resideo Security Systems for alarm monitoring service. If you want to learn how you can monitor your home or business, please contact our team via email at support@alarmgrid.com. We check our email from 9am to 8pm ET M-F. We look forward to hearing from you!

A few months ago, we made a post stating how a recent batch of Encore FF345 Smoke and CO Detector Listening Modules were not compatible with Honeywell Alarm Systems. It now appears that this issue has been fixed, and new units should properly work with Honeywell Systems as intended.

Due to the original issue, FF345 units with a date code of 01/2020 are unable to enroll with Honeywell Alarm Systems. These units will work properly with 2GIG Alarm Panels, but they are incompatible with the Honeywell Systems that they are advertised to work with. These units may also be incompatible with the 345 MHz Qolsys IQ Panel 2 Plus, which should also support these units, but this has been neither tested nor confirmed. Additionally, FF345 units with date codes ranging from 02/2020 to 08/2020 are likely also affected, but we are unable to confirm this.

Starting with date code 09/2020, a fix was implemented to make these units once again compatible with Honeywell Alarm Systems. Any FF345 unit with a date code of 09/2020 or later should be able to enroll with compatible Honeywell Panels. We have tested units with the 09/2020 date code, and we found that they were able to enroll with Honeywell Lyric and Honeywell LYNX Touch Systems as intended. However, our testing revealed that using these sensors may result in an E380 Sensor Trouble Condition occurring. The trouble condition may appear after a Fire Alarm or CO Alarm has been cleared on the system. The alarm condition is cleared by disarming the system twice. Upon further investigation, we found that the trouble Condition may clear on its own after some time, or a user can get it to clear manually with a third system disarm. This shouldn't have a major impact on performance, but it is important to keep the issue in mind if you intend on using an FF345 device manufactured from 09/2020 onward with a Honeywell Security System.

Remember, FF345 units with a date code older than 01/2020 should have no issue working with Honeywell Security Systems. Units with a date code of 01/2020 are known to not work with Honeywell Systems, and any unit with a date code from 02/2020 to 08/2020 is believed to be impacted as well. Units with a date code of 09/2020 or newer should work with any compatible Honeywell System, but they may experience the E380 Sensor Trouble Condition after an associated Fire Alarm or CO Alarm has been cleared. To check the date code on an FF345 unit, please refer to this helpful FAQ. That guide will tell you everything you need to know about checking the manufacture date on your FF345 so that you can determine if the unit is affected by the aforementioned issue.

If you have any questions about the FF345, or if you are looking to set up monitoring service for fire and/or CO detection, please email us at support@alarmgrid.com. We check our email from 9am to 8pm ET M-F. We look forward to hearing from you!

Security, Sales, & Integration recently published an article outlining the 3G Sunset and the importance of upgrading to LTE. One question we are often asked is how long LTE networks will be kept in-service. Thanks to this informative article from SSI, we now have a pretty good estimate.

According to the information presented in the article, LTE networks are expected to have a lifespan that extends through at least the mid-2030s, if not longer. We have said many times before that LTE networks should be kept in service well into the very distant future, and now we have somewhat of a more precise timeline. It is also important to note that we understand this "mid-2030s" estimate to be on the conservative side. There is a good chance that the LTE networks might be supported even beyond that point in time. But given that we are in the year 2020, and have a "mid-2030s" estimate for the LTE lifespan, we can say that anyone who purchases an LTE communicator for their security system at this point in time should expect it to work for at least the next 15 years.

We need to stress here that this is nothing official. This is just information being published in an SSI article. This is not an official statement from a cellular service provider, and we advise taking it with a grain of salt. But given our understanding on the subject, this mid-2030s estimate strikes us as legitimate. The article also states that all 3G cellular networks will be shut down no later than December 31, 2022. This also lines up with what we have been hearing. At the time of this writing in late October 2020, we are slightly more than two (2) years away from the final end of 3G. We have said it many times before, and we will say it again. You need to upgrade to LTE as soon as possible to avoid a loss of monitoring service.

On that note, it's also fair for us to begin thinking about what lies beyond LTE. It's no secret that 5G networks are being rolled out across the country, and they will soon become the norm for cellular communication. At this time, we have not heard of any alarm manufacturer offering a 5G communicator, though we wouldn't be surprised for it to happen soon. But it's not a sure thing that a 5G communicator would be available before the end of 3G. That is why we are pushing so hard for users to make the upgrade to LTE. We don't want any of our monitored customers to be left behind in the transition. While the eventual promise of 5G might seem exciting and flashy, the important thing here is keeping your security system working and having your home or business stay protected. And from what we can tell, LTE will provide exactly that until at least the mid-2030s, possibly even beyond that.

If you are interested in getting starte with alarm monitoring service, or if you are needing to upgrade your existing system to LTE, please email us at support@alarmgrid.com. Our team is here to check email from 9am to 8pm ET M-F. We look forward to hearing from you!

2GIG has recently updated their logo to provide a more "modern" look. The change is very subtle, as it only includes thinner text, with virtually no other adjustments. This comes ahead of the release of the new 2GIG Security System, the 2GIG Edge, which should be available in February 2021.

Our main takeaway here is that 2GIG is really trying to invoke a "modern" and "clean" image, without making any major changes that may result in a loss of identity or brand recognition. The company most likely wants to refresh its branding ahead of their new panel release. We're sure 2GIG is hard at work on their new alarm panel, though it will take an incredible effort to overthrow the existing Qolsys IQ Panel 2 Plus as the top security system option for use with Alarm.com. It seems 2GIG is holding nothing back ahead of the anticipated release.

Unfortunately, we don't have any new details on the 2GIG Edge at this time. We promise to check-in with 2GIG soon to see if we can learn more. We also have no word on how the new Edge will affect the existing 2GIG GC2e and 2GIG GC3e Security Systems. It's fair to expect that the 2GIG Edge will have a completely revamped programming setup, so it may or may not replace their existing offerings. For now, we strongly recommend checking out our prior post with an in-depth discussion on the 2GIG Edge, which can be seen in its entirety here.

You may also recall that the parent company of 2GIG also performed its own rebranding, as Nortek Security & Control simply became Nortek Control. We're not entirely sure if that name change has anything to do with 2GIG revamping its logo, or with the upcoming release of the 2GIG Edge in February 2021, but we wouldn't rule out that possibility. You can learn more about the name change for Nortek Control in this prior blog post.

Remember to please email us at support@alarmgrid.com if you have any questions about the upcoming 2GIG Edge System, any of the other great systems we support, or about alarm monitoring services in general. We check email during our usual business hours of 9am to 8pm ET M-F. We look forward to hearing from you!

We actually missed this about a month ago, but it appears Alarm.com has updated their website camera video feed viewer to use native browser streaming. This replaces the old Adobe Flash video viewer. This change does not come as a surprise, as Adobe Flash will soon reach its end of life.

Being able to live-stream the video feed for Alarm.com Security Cameras is one of the most important features of these devices. This can be done using the Alarm.com website or the mobile app. The change being discussed here affects streaming through a web browser and the Alarm.com website. Before, it was only possible to stream Alarm.com Cameras on the website by using the Adobe Flash video viewer. The update provides support for native browser streaming. This will make it easier for most viewers to access their camera feeds.

With Adobe Flash reaching its end of life by the end of the year, this update was basically a no-brainer for Alarm.com. Users will still have the ability to view their cameras using Adobe Flash until the end of the year. At that point, only native browser streaming will be supported for camera streaming through the Alarm.com website. Native browser streaming is easier to maintain, and it does not require users to install and update a Flash plug-in. Native browser streaming support was actually made available towards the end of September, but we never covered the news in our blog prior to now.

When you access your Alarm.com account through the website, the Video section will appear on the left if Video Surveillance has been added to your account. By clicking on this section then Live Video, you will be able to choose a camera for streaming. In the upper-right corner there will be a toggle bar for you to enable or disable the "New Viewer. When the bar is blue, the New Viewer is enabled, and native browser streaming will be used. This is the default option. You can click the toggle bar to turn off the New Viewer and use Adobe Flash streaming. This will only be available until the end of the year. After that, no Flash streaming will be available.

Please note that the New Viewer and native browser streaming only allows the live video stream to be maintained for a few minutes at a time. After that, you will get a message that the stream has "timed out". You will need to refresh the stream to resume viewing. This is normal, and it's just a limitation that comes with Alarm.com Camera streaming. Simply click the "Play" button that appears on the screen to refresh the stream and continue watching.

Also note that while the camera viewer now has native browser streaming available, the streaming video recorder (SVR) timeline page still uses Adobe Flash. Native browser streaming is not yet available for SVR functions on the Alarm.com website. We expect that to change in the near future, as Alarm.com continues to make their transition away from Flash. We do not have an ETA on when that will become available, but we will be sure to provide an update once we learn more.

If you have any questions about Alarm.com Camera streaming, or if you are interested in monitoring service to gain access to Alarm.com, please email us at support@alarmgrid.com. Remember that Alarm Grid customers need either a Platinum Level Plan or a Video-Only Plan to gain access to Alarm.com for camera streaming. Our team is happy to address any questions or concerns you may have via email. We check our email during our usual business hours of 9am to 8pm ET M-F. We look forward to hearing from you!