Can I Use an iGSMV4G Communicator Without Cellular GSM?

The Honeywell iGSMV4G dual path communicator most commonly uses the internet (via a hard wired Ethernet connection) as its primary communication path and the AT&T cellular (2G, 3G, and 4G) network as its secondary path. Until the 2.12.1 firmware revision release, you could NOT use this unit without activating the included SIM card and enabling the cellular communication path. That means any revision before 2.12.1 you have to pay for cellular communications with your monitoring provider, even if you prefer an IP only setup. Before the release of 2.12.1, the only way to avoid cellular costs and setup IP only monitoring was installing the Honeywell 7847i. Any iGSMV4G purchased from Alarm Grid will be this revision or higher.

Now that the iGSMV4G has selectable (IP only, Cellular only, and dual path) communications it is the best option for flexibility and up front cost. By choosing the iGSMV4G over the GSMV4G (cellular only) or 7847i (IP only), you will never be limited by your hardware. This way you can start with internet only and upgrade to dual path monitoring if your network is not working reliably enough. Otherwise, you would have to swap in an entirely new communicator module which incurs time for the install and money for the new unit.

The most popular configuration of the iGSMV4G uses the internet as the primary path, and the cellular as a backup path. As the AlarmNet dealer has to pay AlarmNet for the use of the cellular SIM card inside of the iGSMV4G, you will end up paying a premium to have dual path monitoring. If you wanted to use an AlarmNet device that only uses the internet, and avoid paying more for cellular monitoring, you can inform the technician to configure the iGSMV4G (Rev. 2.12.1+) as IP only. Otherwise you will have to use the 7847i internet module instead. The 7847i is an internet only module.

Another option you can consider, if you haven't already purchased an alarm system, is to use the VISTA-21iP alarm control panel. The VISTA-21iP has a built in internet communicator but it also has an available snap-on cellular module - the VISTA-GSM4G. As the cellular backup path is an actual physical unit that can be installed (or removed) you would have the flexibility to choose IP only monitoring or dual path monitoring. With the VISTA-GSM4G installed, you would have to pay for the cellular charges to your AlarmNet dealer, but you would also have the option to remove it and only pay for the less expensive internet monitoring.

Do you have an iGSMV4G and you want to use the cellular communicator without the internet? Check out our FAQ: Can I Use an iGSMV4G Communicator Without Internet?