What Are The Differences Between Total Connect and Alarm.com?

Alarm.com and Total Connect are both interactive platforms for use with alarm systems. Total Connect is Honeywell's own service, and it only works with Honeywell Systems. Alarm.com has slightly more features, and it is compatible with many brands. But ADC requires cellular communication.

Below are some of the main differences between TC 2.0 and ADC:

Honeywell vs. Alarm.com: Total Connect 2.0 operates using Honeywell’s AlarmNet360 platform. The Alarm.com platform was created by the company Alarm.com. The major difference between Honeywell and Alarm.com is that Honeywell creates hardware to work with its software and services. In most cases, Total Connect 2.0 will only run on a compatible Honeywell Panel. However, with the addition of the LTEM-PA and LTEM-PV, some older DSC and Interlogix panels can now use Total Connect 2.0.

However, Alarm.com focuses on supporting multiple manufacturers with their service. Alarm.com supports panels made by 2GIG, DSC, Interlogix, and Qolsys. The Alarm.com platform has the same user interface for all of these companies. Users can even link locations with systems installed by different manufacturers on Alarm.com. Total Connect 2.0 can also link accounts, but only if they are all monitored by the same alarm dealer.

Company Size: Honeywell is considerably larger and more established than Alarm.com. Honeywell has been in the alarm industry for many years. Their hardware is of high quality, and it is used in countless residential and commercial locations. Alarm.com is a much newer company. Alarm.com does manufacture alarm equipment, but they are more focused on supporting many different alarm systems with their platform. The company doesn't necessarily have the credentials or the years of experience that Honeywell has. But ADC is a strong company, and they are growing each year.

An advantage to Alarm.com’s more compact size is how quickly they can push software updates, release interoperability for new devices, and respond to consumer requests. Honeywell usually releases their software updates much more slowly than Alarm.com, and they are much slower in their development cycles.

Communication Path: Honeywell’s services are fully supported by multiple communication paths. On Honeywell Systems that support it, the remote services can run on Ethernet, WIFI and/or Cellular. On the other hand, Alarm.com requires cellular communication with an Alarm.com cellular communicator to function. At this time, Alarm.com doesn’t support IP communication (Ethernet and WIFI) unless a cellular module is also installed. This means that Alarm.com service can be more expensive than Total Connect 2.0, and the monitoring plan options available are limited.

Third Party Support: Alarm.com is significantly superior in terms of third-party support. As stated earlier, until recently Honeywell’s remote services only worked with Honeywell Panels. Total Connect 2.0 does now offer some third-party support for older DSC and Interlogix panels. Alarm.com offers third-party support for alarm panels across multiple companies. Alarm.com continuously adds new systems and manufacturers to be compatible with their services. Both Alarm.com and Total Connect 2,0 allow a system to integrate with many other devices, though Alarm.com's list of integrations is much larger than that of TC2. Amazon Alexa can interface with both ADC and Total Connect 2.0 to bring voice control to the respective system for certain actions. Google Home is also compatible with both platforms. LiftMaster and MyQ garage doors are also compatible with both platforms. One advantage Honeywell has is the ability of the Lyric Controller and the PROA7* and PROA7PLUS to be used with Apple HomeKit.

*Requires the addition of a PROWIFI or PROWIFIZW

Video: Total Connect 2.0 is used with Total Connect Cameras. These are proprietary IP cameras manufactured by Honeywell. No other cameras can be used with Total Connect 2.0. A user will need a Total Connect 2.0 account with the video feature enabled to remotely view and interact with their Total Connect Cameras. Newer HD Total Connect Cameras can have their footage stored for 30 days on Honeywell's cloud service. However, older TC cameras can only have their footage stored for 7 days. Total Connect cameras can only initiate recording clips when they are triggered. Newer HD cameras can record based on motion and/or sound, while the older cameras can only record based on motion. These clips are saved to the cloud server, and they can be downloaded via Total Connect 2.0. There is no option for 24-hour continuous recording with Total Connect 2.0.

Alarm.com has a similar service in which proprietary Alarm.com cameras can only be used with the platform. But, the service and options available from Alarm.com are much more robust than those from Total Connect. The cameras can have motion events saved to Alarm.com’s cloud service. Alarm.com also offers a 24-hour recording option using one of their proprietary CSVR devices. A CSVR is a network video recorder that allows a user to save the recording for their ADC cameras on a local hard drive. The CSVR and its saved recordings can all be accessed via Alarm.com. Any of the saved clips and recordings can be downloaded.

Automation: Total Connect 2.0 allows a user to remotely access and interact with the Z-Wave devices connected to their system. With Total Connect 2.0, a user can individually activate Z-Wave devices or program them into Smart Scenes. By using Smart Scenes, the Z-wave devices can be programmed to activate based on either triggered events, or at a scheduled time. Total Connect 2.0 also has some third-party integrations with such vendors as August (locks), Genie (garage doors), Overhead Door (garage doors), Chamberlain (garage doors), and Carrier (thermostats).

On the Alarm.com platform, users can access the Z-Wave devices on their system with the ADC Customer App or Website. Just like Total Connect 2.0, devices can be programmed into Scenes to run based on certain events. Each device can also be activated individually. Since Alarm.com supports multiple brands of alarm panels, there is a much wider array of support for Z-Wave devices. Any Z-Wave device that works with an ADC-compatible panel can be used with the service. In addition, Alarm.com has a wider range of third-party integrations with Sonos (music), Rainbird (irrigation), Ecobee (thermostat), Trane (thermostat), Sensibo (thermostat), and more are being added all the time.