Do Fortrezz Products Work w/ Honeywell Security Systems?

Yes, Fortrezz products work with Honeywell Security Systems. However, only certain types of devices can be used. The types of Fortrezz devices that can be used with a Honeywell System include Z-Wave sirens, water valves, and relay modules. Your Honeywell Panel will need to support Z-Wave.

Fortrezz manufactures a variety of different Z-Wave devices. Many of these Z-Wave devices can be used with Honeywell Security Systems that support Z-Wave. Whether or not a particular Fortrezz device will work with a Honeywell Panel usually depends on what type of Z-Wave device it is. There are certain types of Z-Wave devices that are not meant for use with Honeywell Systems.

As a general rule, Honeywell Systems support Z-Wave devices for home automation, but not for security, life-safety, or environmental monitoring. For those functions, it is usually much better to just get conventional alarm system sensors. Also, you can only use Fortrezz Z-Wave Devices with a Honeywell System if your panel supports Z-Wave. Some Honeywell Panels like the Lyric Controller come with built-in Z-Wave right out of the box. But others like the LYNX Touch Panels and the VISTA Systems require you to add Z-Wave.

Fortrezz Z-Wave Sirens will generally work with Honeywell Systems if you need to add an external sounder for intrusion and life-safety alarms. Just be aware that some Honeywell Systems may see the siren as a Z-Wave light switch. If that is the case, you may need to set up special rules and scenes so that the system knows to activate the siren during alarm events and to stop the siren when an alarm is cleared. On the other hand, Z-Wave valves can generally be used with Honeywell Systems without any special configuration.

One very popular Fortrezz device for Honeywell Systems is the Fortrezz MIMOlite Z-Wave Relay Module*. This device allows you to use a conventional hardwired electrical device as a smart Z-Wave device. This works by diverting power to the electrical device when the MIMOlite is triggered. It is commonly used with hardwired sirens, irrigation systems, and lights. If you want to learn more about using the Mimolite with the Lyric to set up a hardwired siren, please check out this FAQ.

However, you cannot use Fortrezz Z-Wave Flood Sensors with a Honeywell System. A Honeywell Panel will only support flood sensors that operate through a conventional frequency for security systems. For Honeywell Systems, this is often 345 MHz. You cannot use Z-Wave environmental, security or life-safety sensors with a Honeywell Panel. Remember, Honeywell Systems only use Z-Wave for home automation. This includes devices like lights, door locks, and thermostats.

*The FortrezZ MIMOlite has been discontinued. We're currently searching for a suitable replacement. We've had some success with the ZooZ Zen16 Relay, though it offers some functionality that is not accessible on our panels.