Can I Program My Alarm Using Just Alarm.com?

No, you cannot program your alarm using just Alarm.com. Most panel programming is done on-site through the system itself. This is the only way to enroll new sensors and make basic adjustments to the system settings. Alarm.com is mostly for interacting with an already-programmed panel.

When programming a security panel, the majority of the work will need to be done using the actual system, not an interactive service like Alarm.com. The Alarm.com user platform will not allow you to program new sensors, and you will not be able to configure the basic settings for the system. The only settings that can be adjusted through Alarm.com involve the notifications and alerts that you will receive from Alarm.com itself. One notable exception is that you can use Alarm.com to manage user codes for the panel.

Although panel programming cannot be done through Alarm.com, the service is excellent for interacting with a system that has already been set up and programmed. The platform will allow you to check the current status of any sensor that has been set up with the system, making sure that no faults have occurred. However, you will not be able to change the settings or configurations for these sensors in any way. Also if a fault occurs on a zone for your system, you will not be able to clear it from Alarm.com. That being said, you can use Alarm.com to bypass these faults and prevent any emergency dispatch from being sent out.

Even though you cannot use Alarm.com for programming, you can still use Alarm.com with your system in some great ways. Once your panel has been fully set up and programmed, Alarm.com makes for an excellent access point for arming and disarming your system. You will also be able to use the service for controlling any Z-Wave devices that have been programmed. However, the most comforting feature is knowing that Alarm.com will send you important alerts and notifications whenever an event occurs on your system. This means that you will be notified whenever your system is disarmed or when a zone on the system has been faulted. If something out of the ordinary shows up, you can contact emergency personnel for quick dispatch.

Please note that while an end user cannot program their panel using Alarm.com, their alarm monitoring company can. To do this, the monitoring company will need to know the serial number for any sensor that is going to be used. This is needed for enrolling the sensors with the security system. The company can also change various settings and configurations for an Alarm.com panel from their end.