Total Connect 2.0 Posts

Honeywell has recently announced a change in the way that their Total Connect 2.0 video surveillance feature will work and the change will be implemented on or about April 19th (next Wednesday).

Currently, if you have Honeywell AlarmNet IPCAMs, you have the ability to view them remotely and have them record 10-second video clips based on a change in pixelation if you have the right Total Connect 2.0 service plan. We offer the TC2 video features without a contract required through our Self Platinum and Platinum plans at https://www.alarmgrid.com/monitoring and we even have a standalone TC2 video plan available at https://www.alarmgrid.com/video-monitoring for those that don't have a security system but want the TC2 video services.

Using a mobile device running the Total Connect 2.0 app, you can log-in and view up to 6 IPCAMs per TC2 location from wherever you are as long as the cameras are powered on and connected properly to the internet and you can watch any recorded videos.

Using the totalconnect2.com website, you can use the Video module to view the cameras remotely and you can also set up more advanced settings such as 10-second video clip recordings and alerts when video clips are captured. These clips are customized by the user and you can use the wrench icon on each camera to set up the areas of detection for each field of view and the sensitivity selections for how much movement is needed to trigger a clip. You can also setup schedules to determine when you want the cameras to record clips and when you only want live viewing capability with no recording happening.

Once you have the camera recording settings configured properly so that the cameras are recording clips of movement that you feel is important while ignoring other movements that aren't important, a new video clip will be stored to your TC2 account and will be available as a event in the Events & Notifications module. Currently, each TC2 location allows storage of up to 500MB of clips and auto-deletes the oldest available clip once the limit is reached. You do also currently have the option to "lock" certain clips that you don't want to be auto-deleted.

Here's where things change (on or about) April 19th, 2017...

While only Honeywell/AlarmNet IPCAMs currently work with Total Connect 2.0, Honeywell is (with great anticipation!) working on a new line of next generation cameras that will integrate with Total Connect 2.0 (we will have more details on the cameras at a later date) and they should be available sometime towards the end of this year.

New Seven Day Storage for Recorded Clips

In anticipation of the next generation cameras, Honeywell is transitioning all existing Total Connect 2.0 video accounts to a new 7 day plan where clips will only be available through the TC2 website/app for 7 days. The 500MB storage will go away and any clip that is older than seven days will be automatically deleted. Once the change is implemented, any currently recorded clip will be set to expire seven days later with the oldest clips being deleted first.

Regular non-TC2 video events will continue to be stored for 90 days,which is how the service works now, and first-in, first-out logic is employed when deleting the older clips.

No More Locking of TC2 Events

In addition to the changes to the video storage feature, Honeywell is removing the ability to "lock" a TC2 event (all events inclsuding security and video) so that you won't be able to save any event beyond the normal expiration (90 days for security and 7 days for video once the change is implemented).

The existing lock feature that allows you to permanently store a TC2 event/video clip:

They are providing a year grace period so that any currently locked events will stay locked up until April 15th, 2018 when all locked events will be deleted. We encourage all Total Connect 2.0 users to start saving all locked video clips outside of TC2 if you want them to still be available after April 15th of next year.

Also, we encourage all TC2 video users to start setting up email alerts with video clip attachments through their TC2 account so that each recorded clip can be saved/archived through email so that the clips are available beyond the new seven day limit.

While we are excited about the new cameras that are coming and the upgrades to Total Connect 2.0 and the video service, some of these changes may have an adverse affect if you don't update your account now to adjust for these changes. As always, let us know if you have any questions by emailing support@alarmgrid.com or calling M-F 9-9 EST.

4/19/17 - Updated: Honeywell has now scheduled the change to the video storage feature for sometime in May and the removal of the lock feature on the TC2 events is now scheduled for the week of the 24th.

One of the most common questions asked by our customers is: Can I use my Honeywell WIFI thermostat with Total Connect? For years, this question required a complicated response that ultimately resulted in the answer, "No, they do not work with Total Connect 2.0." Well, Honeywell has responded to this customer feedback by integrating WIFI thermostat control with Total Connect 2.0! Before getting into the nitty, gritty details of how this integration works, let's take a step back and review the Total Connect Comfort and Total Connect 2.0 apps. For obvious reasons, these two apps are commonly confused with one another.

Total Connect Comfort is a free app which allows users to control and view status of their HVAC system. This app requires a compatible Honeywell thermostat that communicates using WIFI or Honeywell's RedLink technology. The WIFI thermostats simply to connect to the wireless internet in your home or business and connect to the TC Comfort app. RedLink is a proprietary technology that allows HVAC components to speak to each other wirelessly. Air handlers can wirelessly control boiler and condensing units without any wiring! RedLink thermostats require a RedLink Internet Gateway (RIG). Instead of communicating directly to the WIFI router, the thermostat wirelessly pairs to the RIG. After the RIG is connected to your router with an ethernet patch cable the RedLink thermostat will also be available for interactive control via TC Comfort.

Total Connect 2.0 is technically a free app in the app store but it requires a paid subscription with a Honeywell AlarmNet dealer. This app is designed to control and trigger customizable text and email alerts with a compatible Honeywell security system. The Honeywell system will need a compatible AlarmNet internet and/or cellular communicator in order to work with TC 2.0. This app also supports remote automation control in the form of Z-Wave technology. Essentially, a customer will add a compatible Z-Wave controller to their Honeywell alarm panel and be able to control and configure alerts for Z-Wave lights, locks, thermostats, etc.

Up until late April 2016, the only way to control a thermostat through TC 2.0 was to purchase and install a compatible Z-Wave thermostat. The issue here was that some TC 2.0 customers already had TC Comfort and wanted to keep their thermostats. Other customers required HVAC technologies such as "Dual Fuel" or remote thermistors and humidistats that cannot be found in Z-Wave thermostats. Unfortunately, the Z-Wave thermostat landscape is not very diverse and the technology built into these devices are not very advanced. Also, depending on your alarm system Z-Wave controllers can be expensive. Anyways, the WIFI and RedLink tstats offer a much wider range of features. For all these reasons we are extremely excited that TC 2.0 now supports TC Comfort (TCC) thermostats!

Currently this can only be accomplished through the iOS app on your mobile apple device (i.e. iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) running iOS 7.0 or higher. The last app update on April 27, 2016 (Version 3.10.5) added the ability to add TCC thermostats through the automation section on the app. Keep in mind that you will need to be enrolled in Total Connect 2.0 service and have "remote automation" services enabled. Some dealers may charge extra for this service but it will give you the ability to integrate Z-Wave devices and just recently the TCC thermostats and August locks.

Assuming you have already setup remote automation services with your alarm company now you can integrate your TCC devices with TC 2.0. After you click into the "Automation" tab on the app, press the icon on the top right (3 horizontal bars). Then press "Add/Remove TCC Thermostat." Now you can enter your login credentials (email and password) for your TCC app. After you login, you should be able to control TCC thermostat from the TC 2.0 app. This is a brand new integration so the details around setting up scenes, rules and scheduling are still being fleshed out. The good news is that Honeywell acted on customer feedback and now you can control even more devices in your home right from TC 2.0!

Total Connect 2.0 can be offered standalone for self monitoring customers or bundled together with central station monitoring for those interested in getting phone calls and dispatching the local authorities when needed.

**Please Note**

Your Honeywell VISTA system must have a Z-Wave module installed for you to use Total Connect 2.0 Automation features. On an all-in-one LYNX Touch or Lyric wireless system, TC2 automation can be added to any TC2 account. However, if you have a traditional VISTA security system, you will need to have a Tuxedo Touch WIFI touchscreen keypad or VAM module connected to your system to take advantage of the TC2 automation features. The Tuxedo and VAM are physical Z-Wave controllers for upgrading VISTA systems to home automation features. Even if the TC2 automation you are doing doesn't require a local z-wave controller (like integrating in the Honeywell WIFI Total Connect Comfort or Redlink Thermostats or integrating in WIFI August locks for instance), the automation TC2 feature can't be enabled without a Tux or VAM MAC/CRC combination being added to the TC2 account. While these cloud based TC2 integrations are a nice way to integrate various home automation into on application, you don't need to upgrade your VISTA panel with a Tux or WIFI if you don't plan to ever do any physical Z-Wave devices as you can always continue to control your TCC/Redlink thermostats and August locks through the existing separate apps that are offered for those devices now.

For those of you not familiar with Total Connect 2.0, it is an application in the form of an app on a smartphone or tablet and web version on your personal computer. The service is hosted by Alarmnet which is Honeywell's communications division. Alarmnet prides itself on offering a secure (encrypted), simple way for end users to connect to their alarm systems remotely and receive text and/or email alerts for just about anything that occurs on the system. 

Total Connect has seen several upgrades this year including a new SMS gateway for more reliable text alerts from the largest cellular providers: AT&T, Spring, T-Mobile and Verizon. The newest upgrades have come in the form a complete aesthetic overhaul and several updated features including auto-syncing for the LYNX Touch L5100, L5200 and L7000! This means that any newly added zones will be automatically pushed to Total Connect after you exit programming on the panel. There is also a new wizard for creating "smart scenes" for remote automation. If you are an existing Total Connect user you will need to update the app on your smartphone and tablet in order to experience the new features. The web version on your computer has already been updated and will not require any changes on your computer. 

The most popular feature upgrade is the smart scene automation wizard. The wizard is designed to be more user friendly and walk you through the steps creating a scene for any enrolled Z-Wave devices. This feature requires that you have a Z-Wave controller and are enrolled in the remote automation service. Tap the + icon on the top right of the Automation module on Total Connect. First, name your scene. Then select command(s) for any Z-Wave device(s) you would like to be involved in the scene. The wizard will offer three trigger types: scheduling, rule, and manual execution. If you click "On a recurring schedule" you will be given the option to set a schedule to execute the scene. "Based on another device" is known as a rule. A rule allows you to trigger a scene based on a security system action (i.e. arm, disarm or alarm) or a security sensor fault (i.e. motion detector tripping or door/window opening). The last selection (when you tap it) is designed for manually triggering a scene from the Total Connect app. 

After you update the app on your mobile devices you may notice that the new version supports "Touch ID." For example, the iPhone 5S and 6 models support "Touch ID" which is way to log into apps using your fingerprint. You will need to first enroll your fingerprint by going into Settings > Touch ID & Passcode. Here you can scan in your fingertip(s). After you update and launch the new app, you will need to login with your username and password for the first time. When doing so, be sure to enable the "Remember Me" toggle button before logging in. Then you can log out. Going forward, you will be prompted with a pop message with the following when you launch the app: 

Simply press your finger that you already scanned in on the home button. This will launch you directly into the app! 

All in all, we are seeing that Alarmnet is continuing to develop the Total Connect 2.0 platform as they promised. We will continue to see updates that will make the application easier to use with more features that make controlling your alarm system remotely easier than ever. We will be sure to keep you posted as more features develop! 

AlarmNet has given its Total Connect 2.0 app a much needed update. While the iPhone and Android apps remain largely untouched, the new enhancements give access to the robust functionality of the Total Connect website to both iPad and iPad mini device users. The experience is now more uniformed across the platforms, giving iPad users the ability to do many of the things they were never able to do from the old app: configure the system, make adjustments to Honeywell's cameras, create custom scenes, setupz-wave device behaviors and more.

In addition to these improvements in functionality, Honeywell has given all the apps, including Total Connect for the iPhone, some cosmetic upgrades as well. This enhanced user experience allows the app to take advantage of the phone's landscape rotation capabilities, and Total Connect cameras will be given signal strength indicators so that you can understand the fidelity of their connection to the modem - information that is critical for anyone who wants to make sure that their security system is performing optimally.

The update hasn't been released in iTunes quite yet, but will be getting released within the next few days. If you are one of Alarm Grid's many Total Connect users, be sure to download the app so that you can take advantage of all of its new features.

For those of you who are not using Total Connect, but are wondering what it's all about and whether it's right for you, feel free to use our demo account. The interactive services that Total Connect make available, will allow an user to receive text and email alerts, as well as take control of the security system as a whole. Any of Alarm Grid's monitoring packages that include "interactive services," come with Total Connect.