Total Connect 2.0 Posts

Hi DIYers! One of the best services we offer is video surveillance. This feature lets the user view the live feed for compatible security cameras that are installed throughout the property. Video surveillance truly represents an outstanding addition to nearly any alarm monitoring setup.

With our video cameras, you can get a live look at your property from anywhere at any time. All you have to do is pull up Alarm.com or Total Connect 2.0 on your smartphone, login to your account, and navigate to the video section to view the camera feed. This is super convenient for checking to make sure that everything is alright inside your home or business when you receive an unexpected notification. Both Alarm.com Security Cameras and Honeywell Total Connect 2.0 Security Cameras are available.

One of the most important factors for us when providing you with video surveillance services is making sure that only you can view your security cameras. The video cameras we support are encrypted, and they only communicate across protected servers. There is no way for anyone other than the customer and those who are granted special permission to view the camera. This includes both the live video feed and any still images that are produced.

Many of our customers will be happy to know that there is no way for Alarm Grid technicians, employees or management to view your cameras. Both Alarm.com and Total Connect 2.0 maintain these conditions for the privacy of their users, and we would not have it any other way. If we ever need to access your account, we will only be able to load a "read-only" version, and any video device on your account will not be accessible. An example from Alarm.com can be seen in the picture below:

There may occasionally be situations where we need to access the customer's devices and settings for troubleshooting purposes. Even then, we still need the customer's permission to access this information. We can do this by requesting access, which the customer would then have to approve via email. If we obtain access in this manner, then it would still only be temporary for a set amount of minutes. After that, the customer would have to approve of us accessing their video devices.

Both Alarm.com and AlarmNet operate extremely secure severs, and their cameras utilize encrypted communication signals. Outsiders will have no way of accessing the video, and the user can have proper peace of mind in knowing that their privacy is always maintained. Alarm Grid takes the privacy of its customers very seriously, and we choose to work with Alarm.com and AlarmNet because of the high protection standards they maintain. We work very hard to ensure the security of all our customers whenever they receive video surveillance services from us.

In order to receive video surveillance, you must sign-up for one of our Platinum Level Monitoring Plans. These plans include all of the same great features of our lower level monitoring plans, along with support for video recording devices. However, there is an exception for the SkyBell DoorBell Cameras. These devices can be used with any existing monitoring plan, without having to upgrade to Platinum. The SkyBell Cameras provide an easy and efficient way to monitor the home's entryway and quickly see who is at the door.

If you have any questions about how we protect the privacy of our customers, or if you would like to learn more about our monitoring services, please reach out to us. You may email us any time at support@alarmgrid.com, or you may call us at (888) 818-7728 from 9am to 8pm EST M-F. We look forward to working with you!

Hi DIYers! Last week we reviewed the new features that were added to Total Connect 2.0 in the past year. But now the new year is quickly approaching! We have learned from Honeywell that there are some great new features coming to the Total Connect 2.0 service in 2019. Here's a sneak peak!

Privacy Upon Disarm for Total Connect HD Cameras

With this feature, users can set up their cameras so that they automatically go into privacy mode when the system is disarmed. This can be useful, as the camera will stop capturing and saving video clips when the user is less likely to need them. However, the user will still be able to view the live feed for the camera through TC2. One benefit to doing this, in addition to the privacy provided, is that the user will not have to sort through as many video notifications. Once the user arms their system, the camera will exit privacy mode and capture clips like normal if it is activated.

Siri Shortcuts - Security and Scene Control

Earlier in 2018, Siri Shortcuts became available for Alarm.com. Now it appears this same great feature will soon be made available for Total Connect 2.0. Users will be able to perform security functions and operate various smart home automation scenes using voice commands that are sent through Siri on an iOS device. This is fantastic news for Apple users who want a quick and convenient method for controlling their Honeywell Alarm System, as well as any programmed smart home devices. We don't know much about the feature yet, but it's fair to assume that each command will need to be set up individually with its own trigger phrase. As long as your Z-Wave device is set up with a Total Connect 2.0 scene, you can program it to activate with a convenient voice command!

We're sure that Honeywell will surprise us with many more new features in the coming months. This is just the tip of the iceberg. But it's plenty of reason to get excited about 2019. We hope that you're looking forward to it just as much as we are. Stay tuned to Alarm Grid for all the latest security and home automation news!

Hi DIYers! Today, we're taking a look back at what Honeywell and Total Connect 2.0 accomplished throughout 2018. Obviously, there's the big story of the Resideo spin-off. While this is certainly very exciting news, we'd like to focus more on what new features were added to TC2 this year.

Without further ado, here are some of the most exciting new features released for TC2 in 2018:

Support for Honeywell Home Smart Thermostats - Being able to control Honeywell Home Thermostats like the Lyric Round was a huge addition to TC2. This helped to further cement TC2 as the one-stop hub for all things smart home automation. Honeywell also released one of the premier Z-Wave thermostats this year, the Honeywell T6 Z-Wave

Support for HD Security Cameras - Honeywell added support for its HD security cameras to be controlled from Total Connect 2.0 this year. These cameras, which were previously referred to as the the "Lyric HD Cameras", include the Honeywell IPCAM-WIC1, the Honeywell IPCAM-WIC2 and the Honeywell IPCAM-OC1.

Amazon Alexa Support - The announcement of the TC2 Alexa Skill was huge. Now Honeywell users could control their security system through Alexa voice commands! Later on, the skill was updated to include scene control as well! Perhaps next Honeywell will allow users to control individual Z-Wave devices?

VISTA Partition Support - The ability to control individual partitions on a Honeywell VISTA System was a much-anticipated feature. Honeywell delivered in making it finally possible for homes and businesses to arm or disarm specific systems directly from a TC2 account. Using a Honeywell VISTA has never been easier!

Chamberlain and LiftMaster MyQ Garage Door Support - End users certainly appreciated the ability to finally control their state-of-the-art garage doors directly from their TC2 accounts. This feature has proven to be a huge success for Alarm Grid customers with a Silver Plan or higher.

Multi-Language Support - Total Connect 2.0 opened its doors to a greater number of users by offering support for several new languages. Some of the new languages that became supported included French, Spanish and Portuguese.

Refresh Status Button - This was a great move by Honeywell, as it allowed end users to troubleshoot many of their own issues. With the press of a button, a user can send a refresh signal to the TC2 account to clear various messages that may be stuck in the TC2 display. DIYers rejoice!

Bulk User Addition Support - Honeywell made it possible to sync users in multiple locations and to add multiple users at once with update 2.5.2. Setting up TC2 for multiple locations became more straightforward than ever!

We have certainly had a lot of great news to discuss with Honeywell and TC2 this past year! Now we look forward to 2019 to see what the company brings. Please join Alarm Grid for this exciting ride as the security industry continues to grow and evolve!

Hi DIYers! As you may have heard, smart home automation scene control was recently made available for the Total Connect 2.0 Alexa Skill. We thought this would be the perfect time to show Honeywell System users how they can get started with the Total Connect 2.0 Skill for Amazon Alexa.

Before we begin, let's go over everything that is required. You will need a Honeywell Security System with active monitoring service. If your panel isn't monitored, check out our monitoring page to learn more about our alarm monitoring plans. The monitoring plan you choose must include access to the Total Connect 2.0 service. Your alarm monitoring company should give you the resources needed for you to create a Total Connect 2.0 account. This account is what will link your Honeywell System with your Amazon Alexa Device.

Your Honeywell Panel must have an active internet or cellular connection in order to communicate with the Honeywell AlarmNet360 Servers and Total Connect 2.0. You must also have an Amazon Alexa Device, and you must download the Amazon Alexa App on a compatible Android or iOS Device. If you do not have the Amazon Alexa App, you can download it for free from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. The app can be identified by its light blue background with a white circle in the middle.

Before starting, make sure your Alexa Device is linked with your Android or iOS Device. This will require linking your Amazon account. Please see the manual for your Amazon Alexa Device for more information about the pairing process.

Start by opening up the Alexa App on your Android or iOS Device. Navigate to the Skills & Games Menu, which is found in the main toolbar. Search for the "Total Connect 2.0 Skill". Then click the "Enable Button".

Alternatively, you can enable the TC2 Amazon Alexa Skill from the Total Connect 2.0 Mobile App on an Android or iOS Device. Simply open up the app, and login to your Total Connect 2.0 account. Then navigate to the "Settings" menu, and choose the "Alexa" option. The Settings Menu in the Android App can be found by pressing the menu bar in the top left (three horizontal lines), and choosing "Settings". On iOS, press "More" on the bottom toolbar, and choose "Settings". After choosing "Alexa", you will then be taken to a page where you can login to your Amazon account and enable the Total Connect 2.0 Skill.

After taking the first step to enable the skill, provide your login information for your Total Connect 2.0 account.

Press "Allow" to continue.

Choose all the devices you wish to connect, and press the blue "Connect" button.

The pairing process will complete!

You will now be able to perform the following voice commands through Alexa:

• “Alexa, ask Total Connect, What is the status of my security system?”
• “Alexa, ask Total Connect, Is my security system armed?”
• “Alexa, tell Total Connect to Arm.”
• “Alexa, tell Total Connect to Arm Away.”
• “Alexa, tell Total Connect to Arm Stay.”
• "Alexa, tell Total Connect to run (scene name)."

Please note that you cannot ask Alexa to disarm the system, as that would present a security risk. The ability to control individual Z-Wave smart home devices is also not available at this time. Instead, any Z-Wave operation must be done through scenes. Any automation scene that is set up with your TC2 account can be performed through a spoken Alexa voice command.

To test scene control for spoken commands, we created a nifty Total Connect 2.0 Smart Scene called "Example". This scene will lock a Z-Wave door lock and set our Honeywell Lyric Security System to Arm Away. We simply say to our Alexa Device "Alexa, tell Total Connect to run Example". And just like that, our Z-Wave lock will activate, and our Lyric Alarm Panel will Arm Way!

If you have any questions about linking your Total Connect 2.0 account with your Alexa Device, or if you need help using Alexa voice commands, do not hesitate to reach out to us! You may email us at support@alarmgrid.com, or you can call us at (888) 818-7728 during normal business hours, which are 9am to 8pm EST M-F. We look forward to hearing from you!

We are happy to announce that the TC2 Alexa Skill can now be used for smart home scene control. Previously, the feature only allowed users to arm or disarm their systems and check their current arming status. This feature will make things much easier for Alexa users with Total Connect 2.0.

Any voice commands for your system that are made through Alexa will be forwarded to the Honeywell AlarmNet Servers and Total Connect 2.0. From there, the command will be sent to the panel so that the action can be performed. This will obviously require that the user has an active Total Connect 2.0 account and that their panel is synced with their account. Check out our monitoring page for more information on how you can get started with the Total Connect 2.0 service.

At this time, users can only use spoken Alexa voice commands to run specific scenes. This is done with the spoken command, "Alexa, tell Total Connect to run (scene name)." The ability to control specific Z-Wave smart home devices is expected to be made available at a later date. To use this feature, you must enable the TC2 Skill in the Alexa App. More information is available in this FAQ, which while written for the Lyric specifically, could apply to virtually any Honeywell System that is set up with Total Connect 2.0.

If you have more questions about the Alexa Skill for TC2, please email us at support@alarmgrid.com, or call us at (888) 818-7728 during normal business hours, which are 9am to 8pm EST M-F.

Alarm Grid would like to remind its customers that the sunset of Total Connect 1.0 is quickly falling upon us. The service is set to be terminated by January 2020. By then, all users must upgrade to the Total Connect 2.0 service. Almost all Total Connect users have already made the upgrade.

Total Connect 1.0 was introduced as a way for users of Honeywell Alarm Panels to operate their systems remotely. The service was relatively limited in what it could offer. It was later replaced with the Total Connect 2.0 service that is still very widely used today. The TC2 service is much more reliable and offers vastly superior functionality when compared with the original TC1 platform. As of late November 2018, nearly all TC1 users have upgraded to TC2. But there are still a very small number of users running TC1. You can recognize that you have TC2 by the mobile app icon, which features the white letters "tc" with a red background. The icon is shown above.

If you are still running TC1, you must upgrade to TC2 by January 2020. If you don't, you will lose remote functionality for your system. By upgrading to TC2, you will ensure that your remote system services will work well into the very distant future. You will also gain several different features that are only compatible with TC2. Some of these features include:

• Access to TC2 App and Website
• Support for Amazon Alexa
• Support for MyQ Garage Doors
• Support for SkyBell Video Doorbells
• Support for August Smart Locks
• Support with Total Connect Comfort Thermostats
• Control up to Eight Partitions (if supported by system)
• Push Notifications
• Video Alerts
• Smart Scenes
• Support for Honeywell HD Cameras
• iOS Face ID Recognition
• Android Voice Recognition
• Support with Apple Watch
• Multi-Language Options
• 100+ Locations per Account

Most users who are still running Total Connect 1.0 are doing so because they have an alarm panel or a system communicator that works with TC1, but not TC2. For these users, some type of upgrade is necessary for gaining access to Total Connect 2.0. This could include replacing the communicator or replacing the panel entirely. Any Alarm Grid customer can contact us to receive assistance on the easiest way to upgrade their system. These customers should email us at support@alarmgrid.com, or call us at (888) 818-7728 during normal business hours, which are 9am to 8pm EST M-F to receive further assistance. Our team will work with them to ensure that they obtain the proper equipment to get started with Total Connect 2.0.

Remember, you must upgrade to TC2 by January 2020. This is just slightly more than a year away. Make the upgrade to TC2 now so that you do not lose remote services for your Honeywell Panel!

If you have been following the functionality problems between SkyBell and Total Connect 2.0, we now have an update. Honeywell (now Resideo) has stated they have fixed the issues on their end. SkyBell Smart Doorbells will now work with Total Connect 2.0 without issue. No action is needed.

All connected SkyBell devices will now successfully send any newly saved recordings to an associated Total Connect 2.0 account. Users will not need to take any action on their end to see proper functionality. All saved recordings can be viewed from the TC2 website or the mobile app.

If you are still experiencing any problems, please contact us for further assistance. You may email us at support@alarmgrid.com. You may also call us (888) 818-7728 during normal business hours, which are 9am to 8pm EST M-F. Please note that we will be closed tomorrow, Thursday November 22nd, for the Thanksgiving holiday.

We have received news from Honeywell that there is a temporary problem with SkyBell Cameras being used with Total Connect 2.0. At this time, users cannot view saved SkyBell recordings through Total Connect 2.0. However, a user can still view the live feed for their SkyBell Camera.

Honeywell doesn't have an ETA on a fix at this time, but they are working on a resolution. Please note that users can still view saved recordings through the SkyBell App. We recommend using that app if you need to view any saved recordings during this time. Alarm Grid will let you know when we receive word from Honeywell that the problem has been fixed. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Hi DIYers! We have exciting news today, as Honeywell has completed the spin-off of its security divisions into a brand-new company, Resideo. Although Resideo has a license agreement to use the Honeywell Home brandname for the next 40 years, we expect the name to soon transition to Resideo.

As for customers, we do not expect any major changes. Anyone who logs into Total Connect 2.0 will need to accept a new End User License Agreement (EULA). It is fairly standard, and it includes basically everything a user would expect to agree to when using a service like TC2. If you do not accept the agreement, then you will be unable to use the TC2 service. However, please feel free to read through the EULA when you have an opportunity. From what we can tell, it is no different from the EULA that customers agreed to when using TC2 from Honeywell.

As for now, all of the Honeywell equipment will retain its current name. But this could change in the coming months. Honeywell actually went through a similar situation back in 2000 when it purchased Pittway and its subsidiary of Ademco. Shortly after this, all of the Ademco equipment was rebranded as Honeywell. This included the Ademco VISTA Series, which became the Honeywell VISTA Series that is still being sold today. So it's very possible that the Honeywell Panels and Honeywell Sensors could soon be sold under the Resideo banner. We expect more information to be made available in the near future.

If you have any questions about this spin-off, please send us an email at support@alarmgrid.com. You may also call us at 888-818-7728 during normal business hours, which are from 9am to 8pm EST M-F.

We have received news that Honeywell's AlarmNet servers are temporarily down. During the outage, Total Connect 2.0 will be down. The outage is also causing some alarm signals to not reach the central station. We apologize for any issues or inconveniences that this may cause for users.

This is unprecedented in our history as an alarm company. We have never seen a partner fail to send signals through to a central station. We're relying on Honeywell to fix the servers quickly to make sure that your family is protected. At the moment, this error is affecting anyone who uses Honeywell's services (which is any company that monitors Honeywell equipment). We will be updating you about the situation as we hear more from the service provider.

We expect service to return shortly. Alarm Grid will update when more info is available.

UPDATE: AS OF 1PM EST, IT APPEARS THAT ALARMNET360 IS UP, ALONG WITH THE TC2 WEBSITE. WE HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED OFFICIAL WORD FROM HONEYWELL THAT SERVICES HAVE BEEN RESTORED.

UPDATE: AT 10:30PM EST, YESTERDAY, WE RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING EMAIL FROM HONEYWELL INDICATING THE ISSUES SHOULD BE RESOLVED:

"At 11:42 am Eastern time today, the AlarmNet network experienced a disruption of services that impacted the operations of AlarmNet, AlarmNet 360 & Total Connect services. During this period, all transmitted signals were queued (not lost) and began to be transmitted as the services were restored. This may have caused a spike in AlarmNet signals during the recovery period. In addition, during this period, AlarmNet 360 was not available and consumers were unable to use their Total Connect apps for remote services.

We have been monitoring the services since the recovery began at 12:42 and are comfortable that AlarmNet, AlarmNet 360 and Total Connect are fully operational.

AlarmNet signaling services, AlarmNet 360 and Total Connect are the foundation of our security solutions and we will continue to strive for 100% reliability. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you and your customers."