Service Announcements Posts

Alarm.com is back again for the holiday season, as users will once again be able to have Santa appear in screenshots for their Alarm.com Security Cameras. This feature is great for sharing with young family members, as well as for as anyone who loves Christmas and wants to get in the spirit.

The "Santa Security" feature is available on both the Alarm.com website and mobile app. If you are using, the Alarm.com Mobile App, then you may want to verify that you are using a high enough version. For iOS users, Version 4.17 or higher is needed. Android users need at least Version 4.15.1. Remember you can download the app for free from either the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. And of course, you will need a monitoring plan that includes access to Alarm.com for video surveillance, such as an Alarm Grid Platinum Plan.

To get started, just open the Alarm.com website or mobile app, and then enter the Cameras Menu. Select the video feed for one of your compatible cameras, and then click on the icon of Santa. You can select from a few different Santa images to insert into your camera's screenshot. The Santa image you select can be positioned wherever you like, and you can also resize the Santa image to better fit the setting. Then all you have to do is download the altered picture and share it with your friends and family to show them that Santa visited!

Of course, this isn't capturing the real Santa on your Alarm.com Security Cameras. Santa is much too fast for that, so it won't work if you try to get video of the real Kris Kringle himself. But this is certainly a nice alternative. The feature will be available from December 7th through December 31st. That should give you plenty of time to produce a Santa image to show your kids, loved ones, and anyone else who loves Christmas. No special sign-up is required. All you need is a compatible Alarm.com Camera and a video monitoring plan.

If you have any questions about the Santa Security feature for Alarm.com, then please reach out to us be emailing support@alarmgrid.com. Our team is happy to answer any questions you might have about the Santa feature, or about Alarm.com service in general. This email is also good to use if you want to start new monitoring service. It's not too late to set up an Alarm.com Security System with a camera so that you can enjoy the Santa Security feature this year. As always, we look forward to hearing from you. Happy holidays 2020!

Alarm Grid has been hearing reports from 2GIG GC3 and 2GIG GC3e users with trouble conditions that they cannot clear. According to reports, these unclearable errors only occur on these systems when Smart Area Partitioning is enabled. While inconvenient, they shouldn't cause much issue.

When a "trouble" condition appears on a 2GIG GC3 or 2GIG GC3e with partitions enabled, the "Smart Areas" menu button on the panel will appear yellow. Normally, you fix the trouble condition itself first. Then, you acknowledge the trouble by clicking on Smart Areas, entering your Master Code, and clicking the "speech bubble" next to the partition associated with the trouble. Then the trouble should clear, and the Smart Areas button should return to its usual blue state, indicating that everything is normal. More information on the trouble-clearing process can be found in this FAQ.

In the case of our customers who have reported this issue, they received a valid trouble condition of "Console Broadband Network Failure" or "Cellphone Communication Failure" appearing on various Smart Areas of their GC3 and GC3e systems. Because this was a system trouble, it showed up on multiple partitions. The trouble condition was then resolved successfully, as evidenced by the ability to send successful test signals via all communication paths to Alarm.com. However, the trouble message became stuck in multiple partitions and could not be cleared by any means.

Alarm Grid was able to replicate a similar issue through a relatively unique method. We found that if you enrolled a sensor with a GC3 or GC3e, put the sensor into a trouble condition (e.g. loss of RF supervision, cover tamper, etc.), and then deleted that sensor from the system without ever correcting and clearing the trouble condition, then the same situation would occur. Whichever partition the sensor was assigned to would be stuck with a permanent trouble condition that could never be cleared, regardless of which troubleshooting method was attempted. Of course, this would rarely happen in practice, as a responsible user would fix a trouble condition before intentionally deleting a sensor. But nevertheless, we were able to replicate a similar problem in practice.

Various methods have been attempted to fix this issue, but nothing has worked at removing these seemingly unclearable troubles. Some of the methods attempted have included disabling and then reenabling partitions, powering down the panel for a hard reboot, performing a reboot through System Manager, upgrading the firmware version, and factory defaulting the system. Users have reported that once they acknowledge the error that the panel stops making any audible sounds associated with the trouble condition, but still, the Smart Areas button remains a disturbing yellow color.

Not every GC3 and GC3e with partitions enabled appears to be affected. From what we can tell, only a small number of these systems are displaying such an error. Either that, or most users have chosen simply to ignore the issue, and not report it to us. Most of our monitored customers with a GC3 or GC3e have not reported this issue. But the ones who have reported the issue have left us at a loss for a solution. We apologize to these users, as we know how frustrating this can be. We don't often encounter issues we can't solve with a little bit of thinking, but this is one of those rare cases where we are just as confused as you are.

While this issue is annoying and bothersome, it doesn't appear to have any major impact on the performance of the system. The GC3 or GC3e System will still report to Alarm.com as intended, and it can still be relied upon for security and life-safety purposes. The one pressing factor though is that this issue can make it difficult for a user to determine when in fact there is a legitimate trouble condition on their system. Most GC3 and GC3e users who use partitions rely on the Smart Areas button to tell them if something is wrong. If it's blue, then everything is okay. But if it's yellow, then something needs their attention. This is a pretty simple check, and when it's not functioning properly, it's understandably frustrating.

Unfortunately, we do not have a solid fix for this problem at the current time. But luckily, if a new trouble condition occurs, the system will provide a trouble beep locally. It will continue to beep until a user acknowledges the new trouble condition. In addition, if you have trouble notifications enabled through Alarm.com, then you will also receive a new trouble notification via text, email, and/or push notification should any new issues arise. Nortek and 2GIG have been apprised of this error, and advise they are working on a fix.

Our reports indicate that this issue is still present in both the latest GC3 Firmware and the latest GC3e Firmware. The highest firmware currently available for these panels is Version 3.2.5, and even systems on this latest firmware have been shown to be affected. We are hopeful that 2GIG and Nortek will release a fix for these unclearable trouble conditions in Firmware Version 3.2.6. But unfortunately, we have not yet received any indication that such a fix will be implemented. We also have no release date for Version 3.2.6 at this time. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience.

If you are affected by a trouble condition that you cannot clear, make sure to try the conventional methods of clearing it first. Correct the cause of the trouble, and then acknowledge the trouble by following the the steps in the FAQ linked earlier in this post. If you still can't clear the trouble, then please, report it to our support team by emailing support@alarmgrid.com. Your data is valuable to us in reporting the problem to 2GIG and Nortek so that a fix can be implemented. Our support team is available to check and respond to emails from 9am to 8pm ET M-F. As always we look forward to hearing from you!

Alarm Grid will be closed Thursday, November 26, 2020, for the Thanksgiving holiday. During this time, we will not be answering phones, responding to emails, or shipping orders. We will reopen for business as usual tomorrow, Friday, November 27, 2020. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Additionally, we are also sad to announce our Florida headquarters will be resuming quarantine due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in the state. Starting on Friday, our Florida employees will begin working from home as we did earlier this year. This should not affect your experience as an Alarm Grid customer, but please keep this in mind if you contact us for support or other inquiries. Our Florida headquarters is expected to remain in quarantine until at least the end of the 2020 year.

We understand that this has been a challenging year for many people out there. The ongoing pandemic may put a damper on many holiday gatherings, get-togethers, and annual traditions. But there is still plenty to be thankful for, and we should use this holiday to remember that. Our team will be enjoying a much-needed day of rest today, and we will be ready for business tomorrow.

Remember that you can still reach our central station partner Criticom Monitoring Services (CMS) while we are closed if you need to put your system on test mode. You can do so by calling our phone number, (888)-818-7728, and choosing option number [9]. Alarm Grid customers in Canada who receive central station service through Rapid Response can contact them at (800)-932-3822 to put their systems on test mode.

If you need to reach us while our offices are closed, please email support@alarmgrid.com, and we will do our best to reply as quickly as possible when we reopen on Friday. Keep in mind that our usual business hours are 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!

We have learned that Alarm.com now allows users to receive two-factor authentication (2FA) links via email when logging into the Alarm.com website. This is in addition to the two-factor authentication via text message when accessing the Alarm.com platform. You can set up the feature in ADC.

When two-factor authentication is enabled for your Alarm.com account, your login process will have an added layer of security. Upon logging into your Alarm.com account via the website or mobile app on a device that you haven't saved, you will need to verify yourself by providing a secret access code. You will get this code via text message or email, depending upon how you have set up the 2FA feature. In other words, accessing your Alarm.com account on a new device will require your username, password, and access to either your phone or email. This is great for keeping your Alarm.com account as secure as possible.

Remember, 2FA will only be required when you access Alarm.com from a new device. For example, if you frequently access Alarm.com using the same web browser on your computer, and you tell Alarm.com that the device can be safely trusted, then you will only need to perform 2FA the first time you login, as well as anytime you login after clearing your cookies. Some users are hesitant to enable 2FA, because they don't want to have to go through the inconvenience of entering a secret code every time. Fortunately, that isn't a concern, as Alarm.com can remember your usual devices and skip the process for these trusted devices. You can also tell Alarm.com to trust your phone so that you will only need to perform 2FA if you get a new phone or if you are using a different mobile device than usual to access your account. Whenever you access Alarm.com through a new device, after completing the 2FA process, Alarm.com will ask you if you want to save that device so that you do not have to complete 2FA every time. This protects your account, while still maximizing convenience.

If you want to enable two-factor authentication for your Alarm.com account, start by logging into the Alarm.com website. Choose Settings on the left-hand side of the screen, then choose Login Information, and then Two-Factor Authentication. Then set up the feature through email address or text message by following the on-screen prompts. If you have questions, email us at support@alarmgrid.com. This email is also great if you are interested in starting new monitoring service for access to Alarm.com. 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!

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!

Alarm Grid is excited to announce that we are making several new features available for monitored customers with access to Alarm.com for central station service. These include an In-App Panic, Alarm Cancel/Verify buttons, Subscriber ON/OFF Testing, and Zone Syncing with the central station.

The new features will be available to any Alarm Grid monitored customer with central station service whose monitoring plan includes access to the Alarm.com platform. In order to use most of these features, you will need to download the Alarm.com Mobile App, which is available for free from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. This app is great for operating your Alarm.com Security System from virtually anywhere.

By making these features available, we are hoping to improve accessibility and make it easier to control your system and communicate with the central station using the Alarm.com Mobile App. These features will be complementary as part of your Alarm Grid monitoring plan, and they will not result in any changes to your current monthly bill. Our team plans to automatically enable the features for all of Alarm.com customers with central station service.

We have been working very closely with our central station partner Criticom Monitoring Services (CMS) in recent weeks to get the features ready for our customers. As always, CMS has been excellent to work with, and we are confident that we will be able to make a seamless transition for the rollout. We expect to have the features implemented and ready for use sometime during the first week of October.

Let's now take a look at the new Alarm.com features and how you can use them to get the very most out of your security system.

In-App Panic Function

The Alarm.com In-App Panic Function will allow you to send a distress signal to the central station in the event of an emergency. By opening up the Alarm.com Mobile App, you will be able to trigger a Panic and let the central station know that you need help right away. The type of Panic(s) functions that are available will depend on the alarm panel you are using. These can include Audible Police, Silent Police, Fire, and Auxiliary Panics.

When using this feature, Panic Functions are classified as either Silent or Audible. This is based on the panel you are using. An Audible Panic will also be sent to the alarm panel so that a warning message can be displayed on the screen and any programmed sounders and sirens can be activated. Conversely, Silent Panic will result in no message being displayed on the panel, and the system will not produce any sounds.

The table below shows the different types of Panic functions and whether they are Silent or Audible for various Alarm.com Systems. Note how some panels will support both Silent and Audible options for a Police Panic. You will be able to choose the type of Panic to trigger within the Alarm.com App. Remember that Panic availability is determined by the panel you are using and is independent of panel programming. Alarm.com Panels without any true Panic button capabilities will only have a Silent Police Panic available.

To use an Alarm.com In-App Panic, open the Alarm.com App, and expand the Panic option found within the Security System card. This option will have orange text and an exclamation mark (!) inside of a triangle icon. You can then press and hold the desired Panic function button for three (3) full seconds to trigger the Panic. Once triggered, you will have a three (3) second countdown during which you can cancel the Panic signal. After this time has elapsed, the notification will be sent to the central station right away so that help can arrive as soon as possible. Keep in mind that help will be sent to the location of the security system when the In-App Panic function is used.

Cancel & Verify Alarm Buttons

The Alarm.com Cancel Alarm and Verify Alarm buttons are designed to promote a more streamlined process when communicating with the central station during an alarm event. Not only can the Cancel/Verify feature help ensure a quicker response during an emergency, it can also help prevent false alarms and unnecessary dispatch in situations where no help is needed. The feature is optional, and a central station operator will still respond to an alarm normally if no input is made. But it can be very helpful when used properly.

In order for the buttons to be appear, two (2) conditions must be met. The first condition is that a programmed zone on the system has indicated an alarm condition. The second condition is that Alarm.com has received the alarm signal from the panel. Once both events have occurred, the green Cancel Alarm and the red Verify Alarm buttons will both appear at the top of the Alarm.com Mobile App. The buttons will only appear if the user is logged into an Alarm.com profile with Master-Level authority. You will know to check the app because of the text, email, and/or push notification you received about the alarm, based on your notification settings.

You have two (2) minutes to activate either the Cancel Alarm or Verify Alarm function after the buttons have appeared. The two minute timer comes from an estimate of how long it normally takes a central station operator to receive an incoming alarm, process it, and request emergency dispatch to the location. Remember that this is only an estimate. In some cases, a fast-acting central station operator might be able to perform pre-dispatch phone calls and request help before this time period has expired.

Activating the Cancel Alarm or Verify Alarm function is very simple. Just press and hold the corresponding button for thee (3) full seconds. The green Cancel Alarm button is on the left, and it informs the central station that the alarm occurred by accident and to not send any help. The red Verify Alarm button is on the right, and it tells that central station that the alarm is legitimate and to request dispatch immediately. Make sure you are very careful when using this feature to avoid making the wrong input.

Keep in mind that the central station and/or the local authorities might still call you to check in, even after receiving a Cancel or Verify message. The feature is simply used to quickly and efficiently transmit a signal to the central station to let the operator know what action they should take. It is also important to note that if multiple users from different logins try to make a selection, then only the first selection to go through successfully will be seen. Any other user who attempts to make a selection will get a message stating that another Master user has already responded.

Note: Alarm Grid's Central Station Partner Criticom Monitoring Services (CMS) will not process Alarm.com In-App Cancel Commands for Fire and Medical Alarms. CMS will follow the usual operating procedure for the account, even if an In-App Cancel Command is sent for a Fire or Medical Alarm Event.

Subscriber ON/OFF Test

The Subscriber ON/OFF Test feature allows a user to conveniently place their system on Test Mode with the central station through the Alarm.com Mobile App. When the system is in Test Mode, a central station operator will know to not request emergency dispatch to the location in the event of any incoming alarms. By using the Subscriber ON/OFF Test feature, your system will be placed on Test Mode for a set duration of time (1, 2, 4, or 8 Hours). Once you are finished, you can manually end the test or just wait for the timer to expire.

This false alarm prevention method serves as an alternative to calling the central station directly or using the MyAlarms.com feature to put your system on Test Mode. It is very important to always put your system on Test Mode prior to performing any action that may trigger any signal on your system that may normally result in an emergency dispatch . This includes testing any life-safety sensor, such as a smoke detector or carbon monoxide sensor, or testing the panic function on a key fob.

When you activate Test Mode using the Alarm.com App, a signal will be logged to the central station that will inform operators that the system is on Test. If an alarm occurs on your system, then an operator will still see the alarm. But they will also see the notification stating that your system is in Test Mode, and they will know not to contact you or request dispatch. Once the time period you have specified expires, or the mode is exited manually, then the Test Mode notification will disappear, and the central station operators will know to respond to any incoming system alarms in the usual manner.

In order to access this feature, open the Alarm.com Mobile App, and login to your account. Click the Menu Icon (three horizontal bars), and then select Monitoring Settings. Choose the option System Test Mode. You will be able to choose a Test Mode duration of 1, 2, 4, or 8 Hours. Your selection will be indicated with a checkmark. You can then press the blue Start Test Mode button to begin. A grey Stop Test Mode button will then appear if you want to exit Test Mode before the duration expires.

Zone Sync Function

Okay, this last feature is more for us than it is for you. But we still wanted to let you know about the Zone Sync function, as it changes the way that we will set up your Alarm.com Security System with the central monitoring station. Basically, it allows the Alarm.com servers to handle the process of transferring the zone description and other information from the security system to the central station during account creation and/or whenever the system's zones are updated. This information includes zone numbers and names that you have provided for zones on your Alarm.com account.

Traditionally, the process of transferring information from a security system to the Alarm.com servers had to be completed manually by a monitoring company. And really, that is still the case. The only difference now is that we can have Alarm.com automatically update the central station with the zones and their respective names, rather than having to type or write them out ourselves. An end user is still encouraged to contact us whenever they update any of the zones on their system so that a Zone Sync can be performed and we can be sure the new or edited zones get the proper dispatch instructions. We advise using the email mentioned at the end of this post for this purpose.

Get Started With Alarm.com

As we mentioned earlier, we plan to enable these features for all our Alarm.com customers with central station service sometime during the first week of October. These features will be enabled automatically, and no action is needed on your part if you are monitored with Alarm Grid for access to Alarm.com. You do have the option to opt out of any of these features if you want, but there is very little reason to do so. Remember, these new features are all complementary, and they will not increase your existing monthly bill.

If you are not yet monitored, and you are looking to start service with Alarm.com, then we are happy to help you get started. Your new service will include access to these new features. Any new customer wanting to start service, as well as any existing customer wanting to opt out of one or more of these features, should email us at support@alarmgrid.com. We will check your email during our regular business hours of 9am to 8pm ET M-F and reply back as soon as we can. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you use Alarm.com!

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!

Alarm Grid is closed today, Monday September 7th in observance of Labor Day. During this time, we will not be answering phones, and we will not be checking any emails. Please keep that in mind when contacting us for support or assistance. Our team will resume their usual duties on Tuesday.

If you need to contact us during this time, please email us at support@alarmgrid.com, and we will do our best to provide a response on Tuesday. If you need to put your system on test mode, then please call us at (888) 818-7728 and choose option [9], or use the convenient MyAlarms.com feature. We hope you have a fun and safe Labor Day, and we look forward to hearing from you on Tuesday.