Industry News and Discussions Posts

Alarm.com has won a 2020 New Product of the Year Award from Security Today for their Wellness Camera, also known as the Alarm.com ADC-V622-WELL. The Alarm.com Wellcam won the award in the Fire & Life-Safety category. We congratulate Alarm.com and their Wellcam for their continued success.

With social distancing guidelines still in effect due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Alarm.com Wellcam has proven to be highly effective in helping many doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff communicate with patients, while still maintaining a safe distance. The product was actually first unveiled at ISC 2018 a couple of years ago, but it's good to see it really shine during an era of social distancing.

Alarm.com Vice President of Products Steve Chazin said of the award, "The need to stay connected with family and loved ones is greater now than ever before. Wellcam extends the power of modern security systems to help protect and connect people wherever they live. We're thrilled that Security Today deems Wellcam a New Product of the Year. This recognition underscores just how critical innovations like Wellcam are in helping all of us look after one another, regardless of whether we're feet or miles apart."

The Alarm.com Wellcam is loaded with excellent features that help it to thrive both as a wellness camera and as a security camera in general. The device offers 1080p recording capabilities, a 180° viewing angle, 6 MP zoom, and IR night vision of up to 15 feet. This helps ensure that the camera captures detailed video of any activity that occurs in the room. The camera also has a call-button on top that a patient or monitored individual can use to call for help, if needed. A built-in microphone and Bluetooth speaker allows the individual to engage in a two-way voice call with the monitoring party through Alarm.com. The speaker can also be used for entertainment purpose, including streaming music and podcasts.

Alarm.com originally designed the Wellcam for use with the Alarm.com Wellness Platform. But the capabilities of the device have really been put to the test with the ongoing pandemic. Needless to say, the Alarm.com Wellcam has passed with flying colors. Like all Alarm.com Cameras, the Wellcam is designed exclusively for use with the Alarm.com platform. You can get started using the camera by getting an Alarm Grid Platinum Plan or an Alarm Grid Video Monitoring Plan. More information about our monitoring plans can be found in this post.

If you have any questions about the Alarm.com Wellcam, or any other products or services relating to Alarm.com, please don't hesitate to reach out to us! The best way to contact us is to email support@alarmgrid.com. We check our email from 9am to 8pm ET M-F. We look forward to hearing from you!

HomeKit users may notice two (2) new device categories in the platform. Apple iOS 14 has added device categories for both TV Set Top Boxes and Streaming Sticks. These categories will appear when you go to add an accessory and have a compatible TV Set Top Box or Streaming Stick within range.

The two new device categories have appropriate icons to go with them. It's possible that the new categories could have other implications for Apple HomeKit. Some have speculated that Apple may be in the process of providing HomeKit support to various streaming devices, other than their own AppleTV.

It is likely that HomeKit-compatible TV Set Tox Boxes and Streaming Sticks will behave in a similar manner as HomeKit-compatible televisions when used with the platform. The devices appear in the Apple Home App so that you can navigate and control the connected device through the app or by using the Siri Voice Assistant.

You will only find the new device categories when using HomeKit on Apple iOS 14, which was just made available last week. Alarm Grid previously covered how iOS 14 was set to introduce a new look for HomeKit on the iPad and facial recognition for HomeKit-compatible security cameras. Alarm Grid recommends the Honeywell Lyric as a HomeKit-compatible security system.

We are impressed with how Apple continues to update their HomeKit platform. We think it is a great resource for Apple users. If you have any questions about HomeKit, including the compatibility between the Lyric and HomeKit, 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!

2GIG and Nortek have announced that many of their products have been discontinued, effective immediately. This list is headlined by the 2GIG GC3, which has been replaced by the 2GIG GC3e. These products are no longer being manufactured, and new models will no longer be available.

Most of the products on this list are older products with proper replacements, as well as some unpopular products and products designed for markets outside of the United States. Although the list is quite extensive, there's really nothing too surprising here. Many of these products weren't even available through Alarm Grid, so not much will change in terms of our product offerings. The move simply allows 2GIG to dedicate more resources to manufacturing newer and more robust products.

The list of discontinued items can be seen below:

• 2GIG 2GIG-ANT1X External In-Wall GSM Antenna
• 2GIG 2GIG-CAM-101-NET Indoor WiFi Camera, Powered By Securenet
• 2GIG 2GIG-CAM-HD100 Camera HD100 Indoor W/Night Vision
• 2GIG 2GIG-CP22-345B GC2 345MHz security, 921 Z-Wave, Brazil
• 2GIG 2GIG-CP61-345C Control Panel 345 Mhz GoControl Pr
• 2GIG 2GIG-DW10-120PK Thin Door/Window Contact, 120 bulk pack
• 2GIG 2GIG-GC3-345 GC3 Panel (North America) 345 MHz
• 2GIG 2GIG-GC3GA-T GSM 3G AT&T Telular GoControl
• 2GIG 2GIG-GCKIT30IMG GC2 Image Sensor Kit; 1 GC2 Panel, 3 DW10 Sensors, 1 Image Sensor
• 2GIG 2GIG-GCKIT311 GC2 Kit 3-1-1
• 2GIG 2GIG-GCKIT410 GC2 Kit 4-1-0
• 2GIG 2GIG-GC-POTS GC2 Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) Module
• 2GIG 2GIG-KIT311-GC3 GC3 3-1-1 Kit
• 2GIG 2GIG-KV-T-GC3 GC3 Telus VKit: GC3-345 Panel and GSM/3G Telus cellular radio (2GIG 2GIG-3GTL-A-GC3)
• 2GIG 2GIG-LAN-GC3 GC3 Ethernet Module
• 2GIG 2GIG-LTEV-A-GC3 Alarm.com Verizon Cat-3 4G LTE Cell Radio For 2GIG GC3 With 2 LTE Antennas
• 2GIG 2GIG-MNT-250B 2GIG Camera Mount For Outdoor Mini-Dome, Series 250, Black
• 2GIG 2GIG-MNT-250B 2GIG Camera Mount For Outdoor Mini-Dome, Series 250, Black
• 2GIG 2GIG-RELY-KIT3 Rely 3-1-1 Kit for SecureNet Backend with Camera. Note: A KIT3 includes KIT2 (3-1-1 Rely for SecureNet) and the Camera
• 2GIG 2GIG-SDS1-345 Wireless Smoke Detector Sensor 345MHz (Smoke Ring)
• 2GIG 2GIG-TS1-SLO 2GIG 2GIG-Ts1-Slo (This is not the 2GIG TS1, which is still available)
• 2GIG 2GIG-Z-CT100 Ct100 Thermostat
• GoControl GD00Z-4A Garage Door Controller : GoControl Z-Wave Plus Garage Door Control. Plain white box. Frontpoint.
• GoControl WD1000Z-1 GoControl Z-Wave White In-Wall Dimmer Switch. 1000 Watt Max
• GoControl WD1000Z-R4 Retail Replenishment pack of 4 WD1000Z-1. Z-Wave white wall dimmer switch. 1000 Watt max. 300 Series. North American product
• GoControl WD500Z-1 Z-Wave white wall dimmer switch. 500 Watt max. 300 Series. North American product.
• GoControl WD500Z-R6 Retail Replenishment pack of 6 WD500Z-1. Z-Wave white wall dimmer switch. 500 Watt max. 300 Series. North American product
• GoControl WDKIT-AL WD 4 PC Trim Kit Almond, 1ea
• GoControl WDKIT-AL-R4 Retail Replenishment pacK of 4 WD ALMOND trim kits
• GoControl WI15VZ-1 Z-Wave 15 Valve Irrigation Controller. US

If you have any questions about these discontinued products, or if you are needing suitable replacements for any discontinued product, 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!

The Z-Wave Alliance has announced the specifications for the Z-Wave Long Range protocol. Users will be able to take advantage of a greatly extended wireless range and utilize many more nodes on their smart home networks. We're excited about what is coming to the world of home automation!

Z-Wave Long Range (aka, Z-Wave LR), will provide up to roughly four (4) times the range of existing Z-Wave Plus technology. This equates to roughly 200 feet between signal hops! The protocol will also allow for networks of more than 2,000 nodes, whereas the current limit is 232 nodes. Battery life is also being improved, as a typical Z-Wave LR device will be able to run for up to ten (10) years on a single coin battery. And like prior generations of Z-Wave, the Z-Wave LR devices will be backwards compatible with older controllers and hubs.

Executive director of the Z-Wave Alliance Mitchell Klein said of Z-Wave LR, "The Z-Wave LR specification is the first of many technical developments to come from within the new Alliance standards development organizational structure... As smart home networks continue to grow, mature, and add more complex devices, there is a need for more robust technology to support them. With Z-Wave LR, we are building upon Z-Wave’s legacy of strong networks by supporting more devices in a home or building with increased node counts and greater range. It’s more important than ever that IoT devices live on strong, reliable networks, and we’re excited to support this with the latest Z-Wave specification.”

We have heard talk of a Z-Wave 700-Series for quite some time, and it looks like it is now coming to fruition. Of course, we shouldn't expect to see Z-Wave LR technology popping up overnight, but it does appear that it is coming sooner rather than later. It will be interesting to see which security systems are the first to take advantage of this exciting new technology.

If you have any questions about Z-Wave, or if you are interested in monitoring service that includes home automation functionality, 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!

Kentucky will soon become home to the latest Alarm Grid office, as we have been diligently assembling a team of expert alarm technicians in the area. Our new hires need a place to work, and a new satellite office will soon be on the way. This is a big step in enhancing our support team.

Alarm Grid certainly tackled the pandemic without missing a beat. It seems that with more downtime, many people finally got around to setting up their own security systems. And with the growing demand and increased business, we had to make some new hires.Since our latest team members are all located in the state of Kentucky, we decided it was time to open an office there. We are thrilled to say that our new satellite office is set to open in October.

Our team has been working with an outstanding group of dedicated and experienced alarm technicians in Kentucky over the past couple of months. We have been developing and molding their skill sets to fit the needs of our growing company. Our new team members have really hit the ground running, as they have already begun to assist us in our regular support duties. We are ecstatic to have these new hires as members of the Alarm Grid team.

Right now, our new Kentucky hires are working in a temporary office, as they are learning everything they need to know to take on a full range of support duties. The permanent office is scheduled to open in October, and we are sure our new team members will be thrilled to finally get comfortable and situated. This has been a huge undertaking for us, and we're very pleased to finally have some results to show from all our hard work.

Not much is changing with the Alarm Grid South Florida Headquarters. Our Florida offices will continue to remain as the home for our Sales/Planner Team, our Content Team, and our Executive Team. Support and Activations will be split between Florida and Kentucky. If you haven't called-in to Alarm Grid support recently, you may notice some friendly new voices on the line. Whether you get a technician in Florida or Kentucky, you can rest assured that you will be receiving the very best customer support and service every step of the way.

Alarm Grid sends a special thank you to our new hires for working hard to get up to speed. We also thank our existing staff for their great job in training the new team members. And most of all, we thank our monitored customers for their continued support. We are proud to have all our monitored customers as members of the Alarm Grid family. If you are interested in Alarm Grid monitoring, please email us at support@alarmgrid.com. Our business hours for responding to emails are 9am to 8pm ET M-F. Also check out this guide to learn more about the monitoring plans we offer. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Labor Day is Monday (Alarm Grid will be closed), and for many, Labor Day Weekend starts today! We know that many people will be traveling to visit their family and friends. We figured now was a good time to post some tips you can follow to ensure your home stays safe while you're away.

Arm Your System

This is a no-brainer, but please remember to Arm Away before you leave for the weekend. We feel silly stating the obvious, but we do occasionally hear about people who forget to Arm, and they pay the consequences. Remember that if you're monitored and have access to Total Connect 2.0 or Alarm.com, you can check on your phone to see if your security system is armed, even while you're traveling.

Leave Some Lights On

By leaving some lights on, you can make it appear that you are home, even if you're really on vacation. An intruder will think twice about trying anything if they see that lights are left on inside the home. You might even consider getting smart lights and setting an automation schedule so that they turn on and off at different times. Alarm Grid has a great selection of smart lights for you to consider.

Don't Brag On Social Media

We understand that you're very excited about your weekend travels, and you want to tell everyone about your plans. But hold your horses before you go letting the world know that your house will be vacant all weekend. A savvy intruder might check your social media page and use the information to their advantage. Instead, try letting close friends and family know discreetly via a phone call, text message, or private message on social media.

Check Your Sensors

It's a good idea to perform a routine system test before departing for a weekend getaway. This can be especially important for life-safety sensors like smoke detectors and CO sensors. Sure, you can still get an RF supervision loss notification via TC2 or ADC, but you're probably not going to be constantly staring at your phone during your vacation. Check your system beforehand so that you can focus on enjoying yourself. And remember to put your system on test mode before testing!

Don't Forget About Your Stove

Fire-safety is always important, and many people accidentally leave their stoves and grills on before leaving for the weekend. Take your time and make sure these appliances are off before you head out. And if you're hosting others, remember to turn off your stove or grill before you go and socialize. If you're concerned, then consider getting a 2GIG STVGRL1-345, which works well with the Lyric, the 345 MHz IQ2+, and all the 2GIG Alarm Panels.

Have a Fun Labor Day Weekend!

No matter how you enjoy your Labor Day Weekend, we hope that you have a fun and safe time with those who matter most to you. Remember that we will be away until Tuesday, so if you need to reach us, then email support@alarmgrid.com. Also keep in mind that if you need to put your Alarm Grid monitored system on test mode, you can do so at anytime by calling (888) 818-7728 and choosing option number (9). Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

Our friends at Alarm.com have a big reason to celebrate and party, as the virtual basketball team they sponsor has won the 2020 NBA 2K League Championship. Alarm Grid congratulates Alarm.com and Wizards District Gaming for their tremendous success on the virtual basketball court.

Wizards District Gaming, which is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment and serves the affiliate of the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA), has won the 2020 NBA 2K League Championship series over Warriors Gaming Squad. The Wizards won Game 4 in a best of 5 series to take home the title. The score of the final game was 70-55 in favor of Wizards District Gaming. By winning the championship, Wizards District Gaming has pocketed $420,000 in prize money. We're sure they will use these funds to fuel future gaming success.

Alarm.com has served as the primary sponsor of Wizards District Gaming throughout the 2020 NBA 2K League Season. The Alarm.com logo was proudly featured on the uniforms for the in-game ballers, as well as the real-life gamers controlling them. Those watching the matches would also notice the Alarm.com emblem decorating the virtual arena. Wizards District Gaming even used the Alarm.com Smart Home in Northern Virginia as their "War Room" for making draft pick selections earlier this year in February.

Director of eSports for Monumental Sports & Entertainment Andrew McNeill said of the victory, "Bringing the trophy back for the fans who have shown us such loyalty and support is so rewarding... We owe such a debt to them, so many of whom have been with us since the beginning, as well as those who contributed to the explosive growth in viewership that we saw this season. With our tremendous partners in streaming and linear broadcasts, we were able to reach audiences in unprecedented ways this year."

Our own team at Alarm Grid offers congratulations to Wizards District Gaming and Alarm.com for their championship. You can also become a member of the Alarm Grid team by signing up for monitoring! We offer a variety of monitoring plans that include access to Alarm.com. Check out our monitoring page for more details. And if you're interested, send an email to support@alarmgrid.com to get started. We check email from 9am to 8pm ET M-F. The Alarm Grid team looks forward to hearing from you soon!

The Security Industry Association (SIA) has named twelve (12) women as recipients for the first ever SIA Women in Security Forum Scholarship. Each recipient will receive $6,650 from the SIA to continue their education and/or pursue career goals. Alarm Grid congratulates the recipients!

The SIA Women in Security Forum Scholarship is open to SIA Members and SIA Student Members. This is the first year that SIA has offered the scholarship, which is specifically designed to benefit women in achieving their education and career goals. Recipients were selected by a committee comprised of volunteers from the SIA Women in Security Forum and the Human Resources Committee of the SIA.

As an organization, the SIA contributes greatly to the development and improvement of the security industry. They are particularly known for their work in setting various security standards, including those related to false alarm prevention. The SIA Women in Security Forum in particular works to improve diversity in the alarm industry by promoting, recruiting, and cultivating the leadership of women. They offer programs, professional opportunities, and networking events to help achieve this goal. The group is open to all women and men of SIA member companies.

SIA CEO Don Erickson said of the SIA Women in Security Forum Scholarship, "The SIA Women in Security Forum continues to break new ground, inspire me and many others and provide unique opportunities for the widest spectrum of people possible to thrive in this field through initiatives like this new scholarship offering... We congratulate this talented and historic first class of SIA Women in Security Forum Scholarship winners and look forward to celebrating their many accomplishments to come.”

The winners of the 2020 SIA Women in Security Forum Scholarship include:

• Ryane Burke - Partner Marketing and Events Manager for Identiv
• Margurie Evans - SIA Student Member; Event Security Lead for Phoenix Suns
• Antoinette King - Key Account Manager - End User for Axis Communications
• Kavya Madhusudhan - Senior Project Engineer for Allegion
• Erin Mann - Customer Experience and Strategy Marketing Manager for Allegion Canada
• Daphne Navarro - SIA Student Member
• Sheethal Rao - Mechanical Engineer for Allegion
• Jenna Rolfe - SIA Student Member; Junior Readiness and Security Policy Officer for Global Affairs Canada
• Joneka Russell - Security Officer for Allied Universal
• Holly Sanson - Marketing Manager for ADT Commercial
• Kerri Sutherland - Human Resources Business Partner for Axis Communications
• Rachel Wyatt-Swanson - Director of Business Development for Cherokee Nation Security & Defense

Alarm Grid congratulates these bright and dedicated women, and we wish them the best of luck in pursuing their future goals. It's great to see some good news come out of the alarm industry, and we're happy to share it. We also applaud the SIA for their work in improving diversity in the industry, and we're hopeful that it encourages more women to get involved with alarm systems. Stay tuned to the Alarm Grid blog for more industry news!

We have learned that Alarm.com is planning to release new updates for their Android and iOS mobile apps. The new updates will make it easier to access your Alarm.com Video Doorbell Camera from your phone. General stability fixes and improvements will also be included in the updates.

The new Alarm.com Mobile App versions are Android Version 4.14.2 and iOS Version 4.15. These new versions include doorbell camera support to the Home Screen Quick Actions Option. This option is configurable through the App Settings Menu. When properly configured, you will be able to access the live feed for your video doorbell with a single, long press of the Alarm.com App icon.

As we have learned from prior experiences, Alarm.com usually has a bit of a delay between announcing their new app updates and them actually being available in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. Don't fret if you don't see them right away. In fact, we don't expect them to appear until the start of September at the earliest. Our best estimate is that they will be made available in the first or second week of September, but it really depends on how quickly Alarm.com gets the bell rolling.

All Alarm.com users are encouraged to download the latest versions when available, as they should also include general stability fixes and improvements to provide a better user experience overall. Keep an eye out for them in the next couple of weeks. If you have any questions about the Alarm.com Mobile App, or if you are interested in starting monitoring service for access to Alarm.com, reach out to us by emailing support@alarmgrid.com. We check our email from 9am to 8pm ET M-F. We look forward to hearing from you!

We have some good news from the folks planning ISC West 2020, as it appears they are right on-track for the all-virtual event scheduled for October 5th through 7th. Alarm Grid is eagerly awaiting the virtual event to get the latest happenings in the always exciting security industry.

According to ISC West organizers, the all-virtual event will include keynote speakers, education from SIA experts (Security Industry Association), vendor product training sessions and demonstrations, exhibitor tech center offerings, networking events for socialization, and more. It appears that the ISC West organizers are planning to do everything within their power to make this year's event memorable and worthwhile.

While we are disappointed that the in-person event in Las Vegas, NV ultimately had to be cancelled due to ongoing pandemic concerns, we understand that the health and safety of organizers, vendors, and attendees comes first. The Alarm Grid team will be embracing the all-virtual event, and we hope to get as much out of it as possible. This isn't just for us as security professionals. We also plan to keep security enthusiasts and DIYers informed about ongoing happenings in this constantly changing industry.

Mark the dates of Monday October 5th through Wednesday October 7th for virtual ISC West 2020 coverage! We are sure to have some exciting news to share. If you have any questions about ISC West 2020, or if you are interested in learning more about Alarm Grid monitoring service, send an email to our team at support@alarmgrid.com. We're here to check your incoming emails from 9am to 8pm ET M-F. We look forward to hearing from you!