How Do I Clear a Reporter Failure Condition From a Honeywell Lyric Controller?

You can clear a Reporter Failure condition from a Honeywell Lyric Controller by establishing a functional communication path for the system and then arming and disarming to clear the trouble. The condition should not show up again, as long as the system is communicating successfully.

A Reporter Failure trouble appears when the Lyric System is unable to send a report to AlarmNet through the enabled communication path within the time period set for the Old Alarm Time setting. Once the system has gone into Reporter Failure, the panel will beep every minute, and "Reporter Failure" will be displayed. This will occur regardless of the system's current arming state. You can press any key to silence the beeping. The issue can be fully cleared by first establishing a proper communication path, and then arming and disarming after the panel has communicated successfully. Keep in mind that the issue will come back whenever the Lyric fails to receive an acknowledgement of a report to AlarmNet. To fix the problem permanently, you must establish a functional communication path for the system. The message "E354 Fail to Communicate" in the system's Event Log also indicates that the system experienced a Reporter Failure.

If you see that your Lyric System experienced a Reporter Failure, then it means that the system was unsuccessful in communicating with AlarmNet. This is a serious concern, as the system needs to communicate with AlarmNet in order for any system activity to be forwarded to a central station. You also need the system to communicate with AlarmNet to receive any text and/or email alerts from Total Connect 2.0. In other words, a Reporter Failure trouble essentially means that your monitoring service is not working properly due to a communication problem affecting your system. That makes your home or business vulnerable.

When a Reporter Failure condition occurs, you should start by considering how your system communicates with AlarmNet360. If your system is IP only, then it is important to understand that an extended internet outage may cause a Reporter Failure condition. Internet outages are fairly common. Even if you have very reliable internet, it's possible that outages may still occur. We strongly recommend that users without reliable internet use cellular communication with the Lyric System. Cellular communication is much more reliable, and you are much less likely to experience an extended outage if your system is receiving adequate cellular signal strength. In order to use cellular communication with the Lyric System, you will need to add a cellular communicator. The best option is either the Honeywell LYRICLTE-A (AT&T LTE) or the Honeywell LYRICLTE-V (Verizon LTE). You should choose whichever network is more reliable in your area, regardless of which carrier you use for a mobile phone. You will also need to get an alarm monitoring plan that includes cellular service. Alarm Grid customers can choose any Gold or Platinum Level monitoring plan (self or full).

If you have cellular communication set up with your system and you notice a Reporter Failure condition, then you should check to see if there were any service outages in your area. Although it is very rare, there is the possibility that a cellular tower close to you was damaged, and it was preventing your system's cellular module from communicating properly. Another concern is that your system may not be receiving adequate cellular signal strength. This is something that should be checked by your alarm monitoring company. Many users in rural areas are located too far away from cellular towers to receive adequate signal strength with base equipment alone. You may need to add a cellular amplifier or a cellular antenna to boost the cellular signal for your system. We recommend contacting your alarm monitoring company to explore your options. Alarm Grid customers may contact us at support@alarmgrid.com.

Remember that the Lyric System will attempt to send out signals across whichever communication path(s) are enabled. If you have both WIFI and cellular enabled, then the Lyric System will use WIFI as its primary path, and it will only use its cellular backup if the internet is down. This is important for ensuring that the system can always communicate reliably with AlarmNet360. In order to set the communication path for a Lyric System, choose Security > Tools > enter Installer Code (default is 4112) > Program > Communicator > toggle the Communication Path setting in the upper-left. You can choose WIFI, Cellular, WIFI & Cellular, or None. Remember, if you choose a communication path that is not properly set up, then your system will likely experience a Reporter Failure condition. Make sure to save your selection by clicking Save in the bottom-right corner after making your selection.

Also keep in mind that the Lyric System will only display a Reporter Failure condition if it is unable to communicate with AlarmNet after the time period set for the Old Alarm Time setting. This setting is also found within the Communicator section of Programming. However, you will find that this section cannot be edited. In this case, you would need to ask your alarm monitoring company to change the setting for you. Extending the Old Alarm Time setting may be useful if you are using IP only, and you don't necessarily want the system to show a Reporter Failure condition just because the internet was out for a brief period of time. Keep in mind that when the system needs to send a report to AlarmNet, it will continue to retry that report until it can send it across a functional communication path that is enabled. For example, if the Lyric is set for IP only, and the internet goes out for 5 minutes, then the system will keep attempting to send any reports that need to be sent out and send them once the internet is working. The system will only show the Reporter Failure condition if it ends up failing to send these reports for a period longer than what is set for Old Alarm Time. Ten (10) minutes is the lowest available "Old Alarm Time" setting, 24 Hours is the longest.

If you need to clear a Reporter Failure trouble condition from a Lyric Alarm System, complete the following steps:

1. Ensure reliable communication. In order to make sure that your system does not display a Reporter Failure condition in the future, you need to set a reliable communication path. If you are using IP-only, then consider adding cellular as a backup communication path. If your system is already using cellular communication, then check to see if there was a service outage in your area. Also have your monitoring company check to see if your system is receiving adequate cellular signals. If it isn't, consider adding a cellular amplifier or a cellular antenna. Remember to set the proper Communication Path, as described earlier in this FAQ. You might also have your monitoring company extend the Old Alarm Time period so that your system has more time to attempt to communicate. Continue to the next step once you have a reliable communication path set up for the system.

2. Arm and disarm. From the main screen of the Lyric System, choose Security. Then choose Arm Away or Arm Stay. Enter a valid code to arm the system. Then press Disarm during the Exit Delay Countdown. Enter that same code to disarm. The system should disarm. If the system is communicating successfully, the Reporter Failure condition should clear.

3. Confirm error clear. Make sure that the Reporter Failure condition cleared from the system. If it hasn't then your system is still not communicating with AlarmNet successfully. Return to Step 1, and make sure your system is properly configured to communicate properly.