Product Announcements Posts

While we wait for Honeywell to release their exciting security system, the Lyric, 2GIG has finally released their anticipated panel, and Alarm Grid is the first DIY outfit to make it available!

If you are one of the many people who have been awaiting the arrival of the much anticipated GC3, then this is an exciting day for you. The GC3 is 2GIG's much needed update to the Go!Control 2, which has been the workhorse of the brand since 2010. In 2011, the panel was unexpectedly awarded "Security Product of the Year" at the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), as well as the "2011 Best Wireless Security Panel" award, and "2011 Best in Show" at Electronic Security Expo (ESX). The all-in-one panel was revolutionary, and the ability to use Alarm.com as the interactive backbone of the 2GIG line changed the way that the security industry does business.

Now, with Honeywell's LYNX line and the coming Lyric, the Go!Control is a still excellent panel in a sea of many panels that have caught up and, in many cases, surpassed its many features, which in 2011 had never really been seen before. The GC3 is a sleek, new panel that is pulling 2GIG back into the much deserved limelight.

The 7-inch, extremely responsive capacitive color touchscreen is a nice touch, as is the information packed display. Featuring excellent Z-Wave controls, much like its predecessor and competing Honeywell panels, the GC3 makes it clear that it is a security system first, but under the surface, it is a deceivingly capable device that allows users the ability to control their Z-wave home automation capable devices as well as the ability to receive updates to its firmware. This modern security system can and will keep up with the times - whatever they may bring.

While you can purchase a standalone panel, we have also made the GC3PK kit available that includes 3 DW10 door and window sensors, a KEY2-345 key fob, and a single PIR1-345 motion sensor, as well as the GC3 system itself. All you will need to add to that kit is a radio that best suits your needs. At the moment, 2GIG has released radios that work with Verizon and AT&T, or, if you're in Canada, Rogers. These simple radios snap into the side of the GC3, making installation incredibly simple and almost exactly as easy as the process of installing a radio in Honeywell's Lyric controller. In all, it seems, 2GIG has made huge improvements over its older systems, as well as making a number of incredible improvements that will make having this security system a delight.

Honeywell's flagship L5200 panel has been discontinued. Since June of 2014, the L5200 has been the lesser, more affordable counterpart to the L7000. At Alarm Grid, the L5200 has been our best selling panel, and we are sad to see it go. Though it is being replaced by a panel that is nearly identical.

When released, Honeywell said that the L5200 would be the last panel they ever released with a POTs connection, although its replacement appears to have included the connection. The main difference between the L5200 and the new L5210, as you can see in the image below, is the smaller screen and the shape/type of the buttons. Honeywell has developed the L5210 to look more like its large-screen counterpart, the L7000. The panel is a sleek looking product, and while the smaller screen may make the unit a bit less attractive than the L5200, it's worth noting that the price of the new panels is between 5 and 10% cheaper.

As of today, Alarm Grid is discontinuing the sale of the l5200 and selling only the L7000 and L5210s. We have also switched out the old L5200 kits, and are now selling the L5210 in kits that are the same as the L5200 kits (Our most popular L5210 kits are the L5210PK-WIFI, L5210PK10-WIFI, and the L5210PK10-WIFI-3G).

For those who have the old, L5200 model, worry not. The systems are effectively the same and all the products that work on the L5200 work on the L5210 and vice versa. If you need help with your L5200 or L5210 system, need communicators, or just have general use questions, please let us know or email us at support@alarmgrid.com.

Honeywell's Lyric thermostat is one of the real gems of their smart thermostat collection. While released about a year ago as a precursor to the coming Lyric security system, the familiar circular design is evocative of Google's Nest thermostat which has been out for some time now and changed the way that we think of smart thermostats. For about a century, Honeywell has been the leader in thermostat technology, and has decided to take that experience into the proverbial boxing ring where they will be taking on Nest.

Introducing features like like Geofencing make the Lyric smart thermostat a cut above the rest, as it allows users to get the most out of their technology by leveraging the now-ubiquitous smart phone. While traditional smart thermostats often "learn" the habits of their users, Honeywell has taken it to a degree of simplicity that makes the Lyric a much more practical device.

It's integration with HomeKit will make the thermostat even more powerful. According to NextWeb, HomeKit compatibility will allow users to "set scenes designed to automate functions," as well as integrate with other HomeKit compatible devices. Simply, as HomeKit becomes better used, Lyric's 2nd generation thermostat becomes a more powerful and interesting thermostat. Honeywell has indicated to us at Alarm Grid, that the Lyric will be made compatible with Total Connect as well, which will mean, very soon that the security system will have a much more powerful WIFI integration with the most advanced thermostat that Honeywell has ever released.

If you are interested in getting email alerts when the Lyric Security System has been released, sign up below!

The L7000 kit is the winner of ESX's "Best in Show" in 2014, is being reduced in price. The most popular security system we have sold to date, the L7000 is head and shoulders above the rest. It's large screen supports up to 4 cameras, all the security functions of its high quality predecessors, and a number of robust Z-Wave home automation cameras to boot.

The standalone L7000 unit is now priced $102 cheaper than it was for a 36% reduction in price, while most of the kits are now between 4 and 7% cheaper. In all the savings are pretty excellent, and we're proud to be able to bring them to you. Below is the price chart showing our old price, and our new prices.

For those trying to decide whether to go with an L7000 or an L5200, we have a simple little chart detailing the differences between the two panels. While the L5200 is going to be about $50 cheaper than the L7000, these new prices are bringing it in line with the less powerful unit which might be a great reason to get the L7000 instead of the L5200 even if you don't need all the incredible features of the L7000 immediately or ever. The big screen might be enough to entice you.

The lyric, which will be released sometime during this quarter (we're told) will be our premier, more expensive security system (for updates, you can sign up for our mailing list). So this price reduction should allow users who maybe don't want to pay as much for a

Alarm Grid is getting ready to embark on the Lyric Security System beta test with Honeywell. Perhaps the most user friendly, advanced security system ever to be released, the Lyric line of products are unlike anything we've ever seen before. It's the first (as far as we know) consumer system that features encrypted communication between the sensors and the hub, and it might be the best looking security system we've ever seen with Apple-esque menus, and an intuitive interface that will make any DIY security lover gush.

Sterling has been testing the system at the Alarm Grid lab, and has taken a few preliminary photos to show off each of the different pieces. Over the next few days, we will be giving anyone that reads our blog a little introduction to each of the new system's pieces. We have opened them up, and are going to discuss the amazing new features that this system will bring to the DIY market. If you are interested in getting updates on the Lyric security system, fill your email in below.

If you are interested in getting email alerts when the Lyric Security System has been released, sign up below!

Are you ready? Because... we're really excited.

Honeywell told us when they released the most recent overhaul of the Total Connect 2.0 platform that they were going to move to a more active production schedule. And it seems they are finally moving in that direction, which is excellent. releases are still less often than we would like, but once a month is better than once every year or two.

The current versions for Android and iPhone are 3.1.6 and 3.1.5 respectively. In this release, Honeywell is touting the following features:

1. Arm or disarm your security system
2. Turn lights off or on
3. Adjust thermostat temperature
4. Unlock or lock doors
5. View live video and recorded clips from your Honeywell Total Connect cameras
6. Wi-Fi signal strength indicators for Honeywell Total Connect cameras
7. Create and control automated scenes for convenience and energy savings
8. Create users and manage their security system user codes
9. Language support for: Latin American Spanish, French Canadian, Brazilian Portuguese
10. Receive email and text alerts about selected events in your home or business, such as extreme temperature changes, motion detected in restricted areas, movement of valuable items, and more.

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.

The l5210 security system looks a lot like a shrunken down Honeywell L7000, but it has the stripped down features of the L5200. In an effort to consolidate the look of the LYNX Touch units, Honeywell is downsizing the screen to 4-1/3 inches on the new unit, making it compatible with the new low-light AlarmNet camera, and making it compatible with the soon to be announced IPCAM-PT2, which will be the new generation of Alarmnet's pan tilt camera. We're told that it also supports the ZXT 120 IR Thermostat.

Honeywell is calling the L5210, an enhanced version of the L5200. But what it's addition features will be we are not sure of yet. That said, considering the award winning features of the 5200, we are excited to see what is delivered. As to whether Honeywell will continue production of the larger screened L5200, we are also not sure yet.

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.