Marketing Posts

Hi DIYers! Today, we're taking a look at the Qolsys IQ Hardwire 16-S. This is a wired to wireless converter that communicates at the 319.5 MHz frequency. At this frequency, the IQ Hardwire 16-S is compatible with the Qolsys IQ Panel 2, the original Qolsys IQ Panel and Interlogix Systems.

The main reason to use the Qolsys IQ Hardwire 16-S is to use hardwired security sensors with the Qolsys IQ Panel 2 System. This works by connecting any hardwired sensors directly to the Qolsys IQ Hardwire 16-S. The converter will then send a 319.5 MHz signal to the IQ Panel 2 System on the behalf of the hardwired sensors. By doing this, each hardwired sensor will be able to use its own wireless zone on the system. As the name implies to 16 wired sensors can be connected with the IQ Hardwire 16-S. If a user doesn't need this many terminals, the IQ Hardwire 8-S provides identical function.

Another benefit of the Qolsys IQ Hardwire 16-S is that it utilizes 128-bit AES encryption to prevent the module from being taken over by hackers and potential intruders. Any time that the Hardwire 16-S sends a command to the IQ Panel 2, the system will need to send an appropriate response in order for the command to go through. This advanced level of protection is great for keeping the security setup secure at all times.

The Qolsys IQ Hardwire 16-S can also be used with other panels that communicate at the 319.5 MHz frequency. However, the encryption feature will only be active when the device is used with the IQ Panel 2. With other systems, the device will still work, but it will operate as an unencrypted 319.5 MHz sensor. Qolsys also offers a similar device that doesn't utilize encryption, the IQ Hardwire 8. However, this module only supports eight hardwired sensors.

The IQ Hardwire 8-S is perfect for users who want to upgrade to a brand-new IQ Panel 2 System while still keeping their older hardwired sensors. You can purchase one today on our website.

Qolsys recently informed us that they plan to release the new PowerG and legacy daughtercards for the IQ Panel 2 in the coming weeks. New IQ Panel 2 Systems will be available with different combinations of these cards so that users can choose the proper type for their existing sensors.

Each daughtercard will function as a wireless receiver for the system. The types of daughtercard that are used will determine which types of wireless security sensors can be used with the system. There will be four main daughtercards available for the system. These include three legacy daughtercards (319.5 MHz, 345 MHz and 433 MHz) and a PowerG daughtercard (915 MHz).

We are particularly excited about the PowerG Sensors. These sensors boast an incredible range of up to 2,000 feet away in open air when used with the IQ Panel 2 Plus. They also offer 128-bit AES encryption to remain protected against hacking attempts. Overall, these are some of the most powerful and advanced security sensors we have ever seen, and we are sure that users will be extremely satisfied with their performance.

On the IQ Panel 2 board, there are four daughtercard ports. One port should be used with either a PowerG daughtercard or an image sensor module, while the other port should be used with one of the legacy daughtercards. The PowerG and Alarm.com Image Sensor modules operate on similar 900MHz frequencies. That means you will have to choose one or the other. Likewise, a user should not use more than one legacy daughtercard with the system at any given time, as two legacy daughtercards may cause interference with each other in the 300-400 MHz range.

When deciding which daughtercard is needed, users should verify the type of any existing wireless equipment and consider future expansion. The wireless frequency and sensor matrix is as follows:

• 319.5 MHz: Legacy Interlogix/GE and all Qolsys Sensors (319 and S-Line!)
• 345 MHz: Legacy Honeywell (5800 series) and 2GIG Sensors
• 433 MHz: Legacy DSC Sensors
• 915 MHz: PowerG Sensors

Since only one legacy daughtercard can be used, it will not be possible to use multiple types of legacy sensors with the system (except for Honeywell and 2GIG since they operate on the same 345MHz frequency and use the same daughtercard). For example, a user would not be able to simultaneously use older Honeywell 5800 Series Sensors and Interlogix Sensors at the same time. However, a wireless converter will likely be able to overcome this issue.

Qolsys has informed us that the daughtercards will not be available for individual purchase. Instead, they can be obtained by purchasing a new IQ Panel 2 System. According to Qolsys, the following versions of the system will be available:

• IQ Panel 2 with PowerG and Legacy 319.5
• IQ Panel 2 with PowerG and Legacy 345
• IQ Panel 2 with PowerG and Legacy 433

Additionally, each of these options will be split into two further options for AT&T and Verizon LTE cellular communicators. These will both operate with Alarm.com and open up a world of possibilities with the dexterity of the Alarm.com ecosystem. According to Qolsys, these systems will be available in September 2018. We'll make sure to keep you updated with any further news on these exciting new products!

Reliability is the single most important factor for a smoke detector. It is critical that these devices quickly and accurately respond whenever there is a fire in the building. One of the best ways to ensure this reliability is with a smoke detector that utilizes photoelectric technology.

Photoelectric smoke detectors are some of the most popular life-safety devices available today. The defining feature of a photoelectric sensor is its internal light source and sensing chamber. By default, light will never fall on the internal photo sensor. The presence of smoke or other airborne particles will cause the light to refract, which will have it strike the sensor and produce an alarm. This means that the device will not activate suddenly, as long as the sensing chamber stays clear.

But when smoke enters the sensing chamber, the light inside the sensor will be refracted. This will cause the internal light to strike the photoelectric sensor. When this happens, the smoke detector will send an alert to the system to let it know that there is smoke (and therefore a fire) in the building. The alarm system will then perform the programmed response by alerting others to the fire.

Overall, this method is very effective for detecting fires. But with this process, there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure that a smoke works properly. It is possible that other airborne materials besides smoke can also enter the inside of the smoke detector, adjust the light source and cause an alarm. Airborne particles can also potentially prevent the detector from allowing smoke to refract the internal light onto the sensor. If this happens the smoke detector will not function as it should.

To prevent this from happening, users should make sure to place their photoelectric smoke detectors in appropriate areas. They should not be facing any vents or air ducts. Photoelectric smoke detectors should also not be placed in garages, bathrooms, kitchens or laundry rooms. This is because these rooms feature large amounts of humidity and dust that may prevent the sensor from detecting smoke.

Instead, we recommend placing photoelectric smoke detectors in large open areas where their function will not become disrupted. Some ideal locations include large central living rooms, near staircases, in hallways and outside of sleeping areas. Since smoke rises, all photoelectric smoke detectors should be installed high up on the wall or on the ceiling. By following these guidelines, a photoelectric smoke detector is more likely to work properly. For more information on the proper placement of smoke detectors, please review this helpful guide. Users should also make sure to test their photoelectric smoke detector on a regular basis and to replace the batteries when low.

Some of the most popular photoelectric smoke detectors we offer include the Honeywell 5808W3, the Honeywell SiXSMOKE and the 2GIG SMKT3-345. These are all extremely versatile smokes that also double as heat detectors. Of course, users must make sure that they smoke they choose is compatible with their alarm system. Assuming that it is a wireless smoke, it must communicate at a frequency that is accepted by their system. We hope that you will check out our selection of photoelectric smoke detectors so that you can protect your home or business.

Today is the final day of our super low Qolsys pricing. We want to get the Qolsys panel into the hands of as many of our new customers as we can. For that reason, we have lowered the price of the panels as low as we possibly can. Today is the last day. Tomorrow, Qolsys panels are going to go to their normal price.

If you're looking to get a great, cellular panel, with some amazing Z-Wave features, this is the panel for you. The Qolsys IQ Panel 2 is the latest in security technology. The big screen looks great on the walls, and the profile of the panel is thinner than any on the market. The sensors are encrypted like they are on the Lyric, and the panel has an easy-to-use Android interface. We LOVE this panel!

If you need an extra keypad, make sure to get the IQ Remote. This keypad will blow your mind. It looks great, it has a thin profile, and it does pretty much everything the bigger, main panel can do. It will be a welcome edition to anyone's home.

Adding peripherals is easy too. Need more door and window sensors than the number that are included int eh IQ Kit 2 Classic? Add some more door/window s-line sensors. These encrypted sensors will protect your system from being spoofed by clever thieves and their thin profile means that they will protect you discretely.

Unlike the other kits, the Qolsys doesn't come with a key fob. If you love the key fob, you can easily add one. Consider that with this system, you will be able to arm and disarm from your phone. Key fobs aren't absolutely necessary. But if you love it we have it.

No system is complete without a motion sensor. These encrypted motions will make give your home a redundant layer of protection. You can't go wrong with motions. And the encrypted motion by Qolsys will round out your security system for incredible peace of mind.

Finally, to complete your system, consider a glass break detector. Like the motion, this adds a redundant layer of protection in homes. If an intruder breaks glass to get in, they will be stopped short as your system blares and warns them that the police are on their way.

If you know anything about Alarm Grid, you know that every time you call in, our team will pick up the phone and pick up wherever it was that you last left off. We do our best to make sure that you get both your problems solved, but more than that, that we become intimately involved with your troubleshooting needs and the obscurities that come from your particular system setup. We're a DIY company, and we believe very strongly in the possibilities that come about by knowing the people we are supporting.

We actually get a lot of comments on our method. And while we've been as transparent as we can be regarding everything from divulging the name of our central station partner to listing all the SAAS utilities we use, we thought it was a good time to teach you all how we can all be so familiar with your particular accounts (even if you called a year ago, and are asking for help today.

Alarm Grid is built on an open source shopping cart solution called Solidus (formerly Spree). Spree was built using Ruby on Rails. Ruby on Rails was developed many years ago by a programmer named David Heinemeier Hansson who started a company called 37signals in the course of creating their now well-used project management software Basecamp.

Whew!

Why does it matter? Well, in addition to creating Basecamp and the soft spot we have all developed for Ruby on Rails, 37signals also created a wonderful customer relationship manager (CRM) called Highrise. Highrise is a super simple CRM that competes with bigger, more complex platforms. We have been Highrise users since the day we opened our doors, and all of you have been the recipients of the wonderful support that can be largely attributed to how we use Highrise.

We highly recommend the application, and would urge any of you out there with small businesses to use the tool. That said, 37Signals, which has subsequently changed their name to Basecamp, announced a few months back that they were going to sell or spinoff Highrise. And after months and months of waiting on baited breath to find out exactly what was going to happen to our beloved CRM, we have just been given word that Basecamp has decided to spin it off instead of selling it.

So while it's a little unusual, we are all breathing such a sigh of relief we wanted to just write a little post to Highrise, its new CEO - Nathan Kontny, and the rest of the Basecamp team. Thank you for all you've done, and here's to many more years of making customers very very happy!

Hi DIYers, today we're going to tell you about who just got their 1,000th subscriber. We did!

As many of you know, YouTube is one of the most common ways that you have all learned about Alarm Grid. We have put hours and hours into producing wonderful, (boring but...) informative videos all about how to install a security system, program sensors, and even the occasional full panel swap-out.

Our very own Sterling Donnelly has become a little bit of a celebrity around these parts we're proud to say. Every day new users call in, in disbelief that he still answers the phones. It's no wonder considering that just under 300,000 people over the course of the last two years have seen him do all sorts of security system-based things (think of one person you know whose been seen so many times). In a few months, we'll have passed more than 1 million minutes watched on the Alarm Grid YouTube channel - believe it or not. That's 694 days worth of watching which, incidentally, is more days than Sterling has been married.

We can't believe we've hit 1,000 subscribers, and we're baffled by the amount of time that is spent on the channel. So keep on watching, and we'll keep on making the videos. We're diligently working on a studio to make them even better. Once the Alarm Grid lab is complete, you can expect more videos on the regular. So if you haven't subscribed already, head on over to the Alarm Grid YouTube channel and hit do it now!

10 years ago Yelp was founded. One of the earliest players on the Web 2.0 scene, Yelp was a bit of a revolutionary concept. Users would get online and tell other users what they thought of a company. Ten years later, the idea doesn't sound very absurd - it's just sort of something that happens everyday.

Why mention it in a post about Alarm Grid's birthday?

Well, 10 years after Yelp's launch, I think it's hard to disconnect Alarm Grid's business model from the incredible online revolution that Yelp began. Yelp is not our favorite review site. They make it hard for our users to write reviews that show up. If you see our Yelp page, you'll notice that 33 users have had reviews filtered. We have two reviews that have stuck. Not to mention Yelp is regularly criticized for their practice of what appears to be a pay-to-play model. They regularly call businesses asking them to advertise on the site, promising that the advertising will lead to more reviews (which are going to be filtered). The practice has led to lawsuits that Yelp basically always wins. After all, filtering your reviews, then calling you to tell you that paying them money to get more reviews is a good way to get reviews to stick sounds an awful lot like infamous mafia extortion attempts, "I'd hate to see your store burn to the ground. The evidence is on their side.

As the marketer on Alarm Grid's team, I can say with quite a bit of confidence, that while Yelp's reviews are filtered, and Yelp's pitch for advertisers to get on-board sounds extortion-y, their reviews are generally pretty trustworthy. And despite appearances, the accusations about their pay-to-play model are pretty unfounded. I've worked with companies that bought ads and companies that didn't. In both cases, reviews are hard to get to stick.

Yelp's review filter is a mean and ruthless God, albeit a fair one.

But that's not really why I'm writing this. Yelp's business model is their business. The reason I wanted to write about Yelp has more to do with the philosophy of Alarm Grid, and why we owe a lot of who we are these days to what Yelp did 10 years ago. The reason Yelp makes it hard for reviews to be included on pages is because the recognized how important those reviews were as a signal. For years, businesses were putting up fake reviews - a problem that persists to this day for almost every review site. While lots of businesses do their best to cheat the system. We are proud to say that we are able to trace back every single review we have been given to one or another customer of Alarm Grid's. Some of them were people who we helped set up a system, and others were random people who needed help with their system because their current company refused to do it, and who left us a review because they were so blown away with our service and attitude (and even a little impressed with the humble knowledge exhibited by the Alarm Grid staff).

Yelp started long before there were really any credible review sites online. I suppose you had Zagat back in the day. But they were independent. The idea that we could trust people to leave honest feedback, and more than that, that companies could trust in the intellect of their shoppers to sift through both lies and truth and make good purchasing decisions was novel. Nowadays, we take it for granted. A lot of companies still don't quite get it. Just last week the New York Post wrote an article about a New York hotel that charges their wedding guests $500 if someone in their party leaves a bad review. When the internet got wind of the practice, they stormed the bastille and left hundreds and hundreds of 1-star reviews on their Yelp page. It's not entirely fair. Many of these reviewers have never stayed at the hotel or experienced the service, but it speaks to the how sacred the right to review freely is taken by what we might go so far as to call the Yelp generation.

This is something we recognized at Alarm Grid early on. We believe very strongly in allowing the free voice of those whom have experienced our service to be heard loud and clear. Why? Because the entire goal of Alarm Grid was to be helpful and courteous and to help you do what you need to do to get your security system up and running. It's a model that can only exist in a world full of reviewers. First and foremost, we do our best to be and pass on competence. Occasionally, (as I'm sure some of you know) we make a mistake. When we do, we do our best to rectify the mistake and move past it. If you look at our reviews, I think you'll see that they reflect our service-centric corporate attitude. We believe that most of the people who come into contact with us will be so blown away with the level of service they receive, that over the long-term, it will be very difficult to find many people with a bad thing to say about us. We don't promise it won't ever happen - you can't please everybody - but we do try our darndest.

There are a lot of amazing milestones we've reached in the last two years. For one, we have built one of the fastest growing, most watched security system channels on YouTube. While the cynical may look at Justin Bieber's more than 2 million subscribers and laugh at our piddly numbers, we will proudly stand by our 1,000 subscribers. The channel itself has amassed more than 200,000 views since it's inception. More than 12,000 hours of footage have been watched by all of you during that time - that's more than 500 full days worth of time have been spent watching Alarm Grid. What does that mean? If you divide that into 8 hour workdays, more than 1500 days of work have been spent watching Alarm Grid's youtube videos. We count that as a huge success. Those views represent hundreds and thousands of people whose lives we have made better since we started this company. I can't even tell you how amazing that feels for us as a team.

Earlier this year, our Facebook page crossed the 2,000 likes threshold. Again, those aren't Justin Bieber numbers, but that's pretty incredible for something as boring as a security company. We're small, and our users are passionate, and we believe that our user base is the key to our success. As long as all of you are satisfied, we can continue to bring in new customers. More customers means we can grow our staff, more staff here means very simply, you get better service.

We have gone from being completely obscure to one of the most exciting brands in the DIY security industry. We are mentioned all over forums, blogs, and the occasional, surprising internet crevice. Every day, we as a team marvel in awe at this business that you have helped us build. Alarm Grid has become much bigger than any of us that work here, and any of you whom we monitor. In a lot of ways, other home security companies have followed suit - copying us move for move. We have been trendsetters, and we hope that all of you that took the risky plunge by allowing a security company that had been opened for less than 2 years understand how important you are to us.

We're really really proud to be celebrating our second year. Yelp has been building their company for 10 years, we have been building ours for 2. We're incredibly honored by the amazing customers that have given us the chance to serve them. And we're happy to say that we're ready to take on even more in the coming year. So tell your families and friends. Get them on board, let them know who we are. Don't keep us a secret. We believe that being treated well by your alarm company is a human right as important as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And besides, we want to make sure we make it through our terrible twos and right into our third anniversary.

Alarm Grid is committed to giving our customers the best experience anywhere on the web. That means, we want you to love coming to our site, but we also want to make sure that you love your experience off of our site as well. We are doing everything we can on-site (perhaps you've noticed the beautiful new product pictures we've been displaying, such as the beautiful L7000, shown below)

So for the artists among you, we have launched a contest to design our Facebook page! Jump in, participate! We will be selecting a winner within the week, and will likely have a revamped Facebook page soon thereafter.

From time to time, we like to express our gratitude to all of our customers and would-be customers for the incredible amount of support they have given us. So, we're excited today to say thank you to everyone for watching the Alarm Grid YouTube channel. Since we started it way back in September of last year, our videos have been seen more than 50,000 times and well over 100,000 minutes (more than 70 full days) have been spent watching Sterling do installs or teaching you to program an L5100 panel.

We're going to add more videos as we go, and the channel will really become the focal point of our company's customer-centric strategy, so stay tuned. But in the meantime, we just wanted to say thanks for watching the videos. We're glad that they have helped so many people, and we are excited to continue making helpful content that will make your do-it-yourself installation go smoother than you could have ever imagined.

Below are the Top 10 most viewed videos of July (from most viewed to least viewed):

We are told an awful lot that we show up everywhere in the search results. It's no accident. We've built a comprehensive site that will do just that, ranking for everything from products to questions about each and every product. We do our darndest to cater to DIY alarm enthusiasts, which means that we are working with a crowd of people who love to research. That said, I assume you've probably run into our security FAQs once or twice in the course of looking for information about your dream home security question.

Ever wondered what percentage of people who come to our site with a question actually find the answer they were looking for?

I've put together a fun little chart that takes a look at Alarm Grid's FAQ traffic since our launch last year on May 15(ish).

As you can see, nearly 9% of our traffic comes from people looking for answers to questions. The orange line shows anyone who came to the site looking for an answer and finding it. The blue line shows the number of people coming to the site looking for an answer and not finding what they were looking for. And the green line is every person who came to the site looking for an answer to a question regardless of whether the question was answered or not.

So if you look at our progress, when we started writing the FAQs to now, things have really changed. Since we're pretty much coming up on our 1 year anniversary, I thought I might break up the year into quarters to show the progress.

From May-July, we had answered only 27.4% of all questions asked by visitors.

From Aug-Oct we had answered 54.8% of all questions asked by visitors.

From Nov-Jan we had answered 55.8% of all questions asked by visitors.

And from Feb-present, we have answered nearly 58% of all questions asked by visitors.

Our goal is to get to about 80%. But as you can see by the data, the more questions we answer, the more difficult it gets to increase the ratio of answered questions to unanswered questions.

Some more data-fun. We can actually drill down on products and see what percentage of questions are answered for each specific product.

For the last 3 months, 53% of all L5100 questions are answered, 79% of all VISTA 20P questions have been answered, but only 21% of VISTA 21iP questions have been answered. So, as you can see, there is a lot of work to be done.

Anyhow, if you're part of the now-42% whose questions haven't yet been answered in the FAQ, please feel free to leave your question here or on any of the FAQs themselves, we'll do our best to write up a good, comprehensive response.