Site Announcements Posts

The holidays are now here, and we would like to wish each and every one of you a Happy Holiday season. This is truly one of the best times of the year, and we hope that everyone is in good company and enjoying themselves. Remember to make the most of this great season!

As our team is celebrating the holidays, our office will be closed all day Tuesday December 24th and Wednesday December 25th. During this time, we will not be answering phone calls or checking support emails. Also, there will be no new blog tomorrow, Wednesday December 25th. Our headquarters will resume normal operations Thursday December 26th.

We would also like to give advance notice of our New Year's hours. Our headquarters will be closing early at 6pm ET on Tuesday December 31st in observance of New Year's Eve. Our headquarters will be closed all day Wednesday January 1st in observance of New Year's Day.

If you need to reach us during any of these closures, please email support@alarmgrid.com, and we will respond as soon as we can once we return. Until then, please stay safe, and remember to arm your system if you go out. Have a Happy Holidays, and we'll be back on Thursday!

Alarm Grid would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! We hope that you spend the holiday in a happy environment with loved ones. Make sure to stay safe if you plan to travel. Remember to arm your security system, lock your doors, and have your security yard sign nice and visible!

Of course, our team gets to celebrate the holiday too! That is why the Alarm Grid Headquarters will be closed Thursday November 28th, 2019. We will not be answering phones, processing orders, or checking emails during this time. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Our technicians and shipping team will be back to work tomorrow, Friday November 29th, 2019. You can reach out to us then if you need anything. However, our content department (including myself) decided to take tomorrow off. With that in mind, don't expect a new blog post until next Monday December 2nd, 2019. We know, it's very difficult to go without an Alarm Grid blog post for the day. We're sorry!

To make up for it, please check out this Thanksgiving video, from us to you:

If you need to reach Alarm Grid for any reason while we're away on holiday, please send an email to support@alarmgrid.com. We will do our very best to reply to your email as soon as possible on Friday once we return. And make sure to check this page on Monday for our next post!

Again, have a Happy Thanksgiving, enjoy the comfort of your family and friends, and we'll be back soon!

Hi DIYers! We have some important information that is applicable for anyone with central station monitoring service from Alarm Grid. Our alarm monitoring partner, Criticom Monitoring Services (CMS), has announced some important changes regarding their text and email notifications.

Starting December 1st, 2019, all text message notifications and automated notifications from Criticom will come from the short code 60281. We recommend marking this number with your phone service provider so that it is not blocked as part of anti-spam measures. Additionally, all automated email notifications from Criticom will come from noreply@myalarms.com. You should mark this email so that any incoming messages do not end up in your spam folder.

Additionally, CMS has alerted us that blocked calls to customers have been reported. This is due to anti-spam measures put into place by phone companies. As an Alarm Grid customer, it is crucial that you are able to receive incoming phones calls from CMS at all times. Failure to answer these calls may result in unnecessary emergency dispatch. We have actually discussed this subject at length before in a previous blog post.

We recommend saving ALL contact numbers for CMS in your contacts list. It is also recommended that you contact your phone carrier directly and ask them to allow incoming calls from these numbers. We also understand that some customers may have downloaded third party apps that will detect and block incoming toll-free and/or believed "spam" numbers. If you have one of these apps, you should delete it, or adjust its settings so that CMS phone numbers are not blocked.

As a reference, the five (5) phone numbers listed below are associated with Criticom Monitoring Services, and they should not be blocked or ignored under any circumstance:

• Longwood, FL: (800) 432-1429
• Manasquan, NJ: (800) 631-2299
• Cypress, CA: (714) 373-7000; (800) 468-4640; (800) 482-9800

Keep in mind that you may not always receive incoming phone calls from the same CMS phone number. In the event that one monitoring center is temporarily taken offline for any reason, any incoming alarms will be automatically re-routed to a different monitoring center. This redundancy helps ensure that customers always get the help they need when alarm events occur. For that reason, make sure to save all five (5) of the CMS phone numbers listed above.

You may also want to sign-up for text notifications from CMS. Text messages sent from CMS are sent from the CMS secure short code that should not be blocked under any circumstance. Remember, this short code will be 60281 starting December 1st, 2019. This number should be saved as a contact in your phone so that you can quickly recognize any incoming message as being associated with your security system and/or monitoring service.

If you want to learn more about our monitoring plans that include central station service, we recommend checking out our alarm monitoring page. If you have any questions, you should email us at support@alarmgrid.com. Remember that our team responds to emails during our regular support hours of 9am to 8pm ET M-F. We look forward to hearing from you and answering any questions you have about monitoring service.

Last night, July 24th, 2019, Alarm.com was experiencing server issues. You may have noticed problems with signaling and with your interactive account. We would like to let all of our Alarm.com customers know that these issues have been resolved. The service should now be working properly.

All Alarm.com users should now find that they can successfully access the platform and that their systems can report to Alarm.com without issue. We apologize for any inconvenience that these problems with Alarm.com may have caused for you last night. But we are now happy to report that these issues should now be resolved

If you are an Alarm Grid customer and you are still experiencing any issues with your Alarm.com, we urge you to email us at support@alarmgrid.com immediately. We will check your email at our earliest convenience and work to get your service working as soon as possible. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced last night, and remember that our team is here to help.

Hi DIYers! This weekend is very special for Alarm Grid. Saturday, July 20th, 2019 is our 7th anniversary! Our entire team is super excited, and we hope that you are too. We wouldn't have been able to achieve this success without the support of our monitored customers. Thank you so much!

To celebrate, most of our staff will be going on a "team-building exercise" the afternoon of Friday, July 19th. This "team-building exercise" is going to start at 3:30pm EST. We will still maintain all normal operations until our regularly scheduled closing time of 8pm EST that night. But please understand that we will have a lighter staff than usual. We appreciate your understanding.

Don't worry, our "team-building exercise" is strictly for training purposes. We certainly aren't doing anything fun like going to a super cool video game lounge with an open bar so that we can all hang out and play arcade games. What do you take us for? This is strictly business ;)

Thanks again to all the customers who have supported Alarm Grid throughout the years. We are truly grateful for your continued patronage. If you have any questions, you can always email us at support@alarmgrid.com. We will check your email at our earliest convenience and respond back as soon as we can. Thanks again, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Hi DIYers! We know that we haven't done a video recap lately. Our video department has been on a well-deserved break, as the team has been focusing on other priorities. Well the same team will be back at work this week to make new videos. Expect new videos from Jarrett, Jorge and Joe soon!

Remember, the best way to find out about new videos as soon as possible is to subscribe to our YouTube channel. We upload new videos almost every day, and we would love your support on YouTube. You can also expect a regular video recap by checking this blog. We usually like to post video recaps on Mondays, but it can vary based on recent activity.

Our video team looks forward to getting back to work and making some great new videos to help you learn how to get the most our of your security system. We apologize that we haven't been putting out new videos in recent weeks, but we will have some new ones very soon. We hope that you are looking forward to some helpful new videos just as much as we are, and we are eager to show you what our team can do.

Hi DIYers! We have a quick tip today to help you save time. If you ever email us to make changes to your central station document, then you will need to provide your false alarm passcode or the last four (4) digits of your credit card on file. This is necessary for verifying your identity.

This information is applicable for any Alarm Grid customer with monitoring service that includes central station service from Criticom Monitoring Services (CMS). Any customer with central station service will have a document on file with Alarm Grid that includes important instructions and information. For example, this document will include the phone numbers to call during an alarm, the order that these numbers should be called, your false alarm passcode and more.

The easiest way to make simple changes to your CMS document is to email us at support@alarmgrid.com with the changes. For example, you might want to add a new phone number to your account. Or maybe you want to have the central station call your spouse before they call your neighbor. Perhaps you want to change your false alarm passcode to something you can more easily remember. Emailing support@alarmgrid.com in these situations is a great way to get the change made as quickly as possible.

However, it isn't enough to just send us an email from your email address you have on file. We need verification to prove that it's you. At Alarm Grid, we take protecting your account information very seriously. If we get an email telling us to make changes to your account, we want to be certain it's you. For all we know, someone may have hacked your email and is trying to gain unlawful access to your account. That is why we strongly encourage all customers to keep their email passwords safe and protected.

Now you may be wondering, how can we prove that you are really who you say you are when you send us an email. The easiest way is to include your false alarm passcode or the last four (4) digits of the credit card that you have on file with Alarm Grid. This is classified information that only you and people you absolutely trust should know. On that note, we must also remind customers to never share this secure information with anyone who should not have access to their accounts. This is important.

Just to be clear, your false alarm passcode is not the same as your verbal duress code. Your false alarm passcode is what you say if the central station calls you and wants to know that everything is okay. The dispatcher will ask you for your secret false alarm passcode so that they know it's you on the line and not an intruder who made an unlawful entry.

Your verbal duress code is something completely different. This is also a secret code that you say to a central station dispatcher, but this code is used in an emergency hostage situation. As soon as the dispatcher hears this code, they will hang up and immediately call the police. This code is useful if an intruder is holding you hostage and you want to request emergency dispatch without actually calling for help.

Always make sure that you know the difference between your false alarm passcode and your verbal duress code. Never mix them up, as doing so can certainly lead to a false alarm. Remember, you can always contact us or CMS to change your false alarm passcode or your duress code. Our team is happy to help you with these issues whenever needed.

Keep this tip in mind the next time you email us to make account changes. Remember to include the last four (4) digits of your credit card or your false alarm passcode so that we can verify your identity and quickly make the changes. We look forward to hearing from you!

Hi DIYers! If you have an Alarm.com 3G Cellular Communicator, the time to activate it is NOW. This is your very last chance. If you do not get your Alarm.com 3G Communicator activated by the end of Friday, June 28th, you will be unable to do so. The deadline to activate is almost here.

The actual cutoff date for Alarm.com 3G activations is Sunday, June 30th. However, Alarm Grid does not perform activations on the weekends. If you want to activate your Alarm.com 3G Communicator for use with Alarm Grid monitoring services, you must do so by the end of this Friday. Our team will get your communicator up and running for alarm monitoring service so that you can use Alarm.com.

By activating an Alarm.com Cellular Communicator and signing up for cellular alarm monitoring service, you can start using your system with the Alarm.com platform. Alarm.com allows you to arm and disarm your system, check current system status, control Z-Wave smart home devices, view the live feed for Alarm.com IP Cameras, and more. You can access this great service using the convenient Alarm.com Mobile App on your Android or iOS device.

An activated 3G communicator will provide consistent and reliable monitoring service until the 3G networks are shut down. AT&T is planning to shutdown their 3G network in February 2022, and Verizon is expected to shutdown their 3G CDMA network around this time as well. Remember, if you deactivate a 3G communicator after the cutoff date for any reason, you will not be able to reactivate it. Trying to reactivate a communicator is considered the same as an initial activation.

If you miss the deadline for activating an Alarm.com 3G Communicator, you will still be able to activate an LTE communicator for use with Alarm.com. Cellular service providers have stated that they plan to keep their LTE networks activated well into the very distant future. Getting an LTE communicator is the best way to provide long-term monitoring service for your panel.

At this point, a 3G communicator is only a temporary solution. Additionally, an LTE communicator will provide faster connection speeds than a 3G communicator. The difference isn't huge for monitoring itself, but LTE can make a big difference when it comes to home automation. Anyone looking to keep their system running for many years to come should make the jump to LTE as soon as possible.

If you need to activate an Alarm.com 3G Communicator, please reach out to us immediately. You may email us at support@alarmgrid.com, or call us at (888) 818-7728. Remember our office hours are 9am to 8pm EST M-F. We look forward to hearing from you.

Alarm Grid will be closed Monday May 27, 2019 in observation of Memorial Day. We will not be answering our phones or responding to any emails during this time. Our entire office will resume normal operations Tuesday May 28, 2019. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause.

If you need to reach us during this time, you should email support@alarmgrid.com. We will check your email on Tuesday and respond as quickly as possible. You may also reach us at (888) 818-7728 during our normal business hours of 9am to 8pm EST.

Alarm Grid would like to pay special respect to those who have made immense sacrifices in defending and protecting our country. We thank everyone who has worked hard to keep us safe. No matter how you spend this Memorial Day, we hope that you stay safe and enjoy the company of some good family and friends. Our team looks forward to returning to work tomorrow.

As may know, Alarm Grid started charging sales tax in most states earlier this year. If you have been approved for tax exempt status, then you must send us a copy of your tax exempt certificate to avoid being charged sales tax. You must also send an updated copy before your status expires.

Our sales tax policy varies between different states. For some states, Alarm Grid charges sales tax for both website purchases and monthly monitoring service. For other states, Alarm Grid only charges sales tax for website purchases. And there are some states where Alarm Grid does not charge any sales tax at all. The best way to determine the policy in your state is to check this helpful post. Please note that Alarm Grid does not charge sales tax for international orders.

Any customer who has qualified for tax exempt status should send us a copy of their tax exempt certificate before placing an order or starting monitoring service. We will charge sales tax for any customer who fails to do this. Your tax exempt status certificate provides us with proof that you have qualified for tax exempt status. We will retain this information and make sure not to apply sales tax on future orders, as long as your tax exempt status is still valid.

Additionally, customers receiving tax exemptions should make sure to send us updated copies of their certificates as soon as possible. We strongly recommend sending a new copy before the old one expires. This is very important for customers who have monitoring service with Alarm Grid. Failure to provide us with an updated copy before your old one expires may result in you being charged sales tax.

The best way to send us to send us a copy of your tax exempt certificate is to scan the certificate and email it to support@alarmgrid.com. We will make sure to reply as soon as possible. You may also contact us at that same email address if you have any questions or concerns about our tax exemption policy. We look forward to hearing from you.