How Do I Reset the Master Code On a 2GIG Edge Security System?

You can reset the Master Code on a 2GIG Edge Security System by either manually changing the code back to its default of 1111, or by performing a Factory Default of the Users Setting, which will reset both the Master Code and Installer Code and also delete any added panel user codes.

The Master Code for a security system should always be changed from the default. Leaving the Master Code at its default setting is a major security risk. If you have a security system and its Master Code is still at the default setting, then the system is not secure. Anyone with minimal knowledge about the alarm panel will know to try the default code when breaking in and attempting to disarm the panel.

When you have a possible Master Code using digits from 0000 to 9999, that gives ten thousand (10,000) possible codes. While it's true that anyone could sit there and try each and every code until they get in, the odds of someone accomplishing that task within an Entry Delay Period, assuming the code is truly randomized, are remarkably low. In terms of security system theory, a randomized and secret Master Code doesn't make a security system impossible to disarm. But it makes it extremely unlikely for an intruder to break into the system in a short amount of time.

The idea is that you are stalling an intruder so that they won't be able to disarm the system within the short Entry Delay Countdown, thus resulting in an alarm and help being sent as quickly as possible. This is another reason the Entry Delay period should be as short as possible, without causing valid users to set off the alarm in error. An end-user with proper knowledge of a valid code will be able to disarm the system almost immediately, thereby preventing a false alarm. The 2GIG Edge is a very good system that works quite well when it is set up properly. But it requires a seemingly random code that is not going to be guessed. And if you have a 2GIG Edge System with a Master Code set at the default of 1111, then the code is anything but random.

Having said that, there are some rare situations where it is necessary to set the Master Code for a 2GIG Edge back to the default of 1111. Usually, it means that you are giving up or relinquishing the system. Maybe you are moving and leaving the system behind for a new owner to set up. Maybe you are removing the alarm panel from the premises and it is going to a new location, with a new owner/user. If that applies to you, then setting the Master Code back to its default is a common courtesy. The new owner will then be able to use the default code to change the Master Code to their own secret code so that they can make the system secure. But it's important to understand that while the alarm system is in a state with the default Master Code (1111 for the 2GIG Edge), the security system is not really secure. This should only be seen as a temporary state, in which the Master Code still needs to be properly set to a randomized, difficult-to-guess code so that the system can be made secure.

If you decide that you need to put the 2GIG Edge into a non-secure state, in which the Master Code is reset to the default of 1111, then you have two (2) options. First, you can manually change the Master Code to 1111. To do this, you will need either the existing Master Code or the Installer Code (default 1561) for the system. If you change the code in this manner, then only the Master Code will change (back to the default of 1111). Nothing else will happen, and no other considerations need to be made. If all you are doing is resetting the Master Code to the default, then this is probably the easiest and most efficient way to complete the task.

But there is another, more involved, option. You can Factory Default the Users Setting, which will reset the Master Code to 1111, reset the Installer Code to 1561, and clear every other added user code from the system. This is a more extreme option, and you cannot "undo" the Factory Default once it has been performed. After a default, all user codes would need to be reconfigured manually. Additionally, you will only be able to perform the user code default if you know the current Installer Code for the system. If you don't know the Installer Code, then you won't be able to get into programming.

It's worth mentioning that while changing the Master Code away from the 1111 default is an absolute must for a secure alarm system, changing the Installer Code away from its default of 1561 isn't necessary. In fact, it's ill-advised. You can have a perfectly secure alarm system with a default Installer Code, and we actually recommend keeping the Installer Code at the default. This is to prevent an end-user from being locked out of programming. Even if you forget or lose the 1561 code, you can always look it up. Most importantly, you cannot disarm the 2GIG Edge System with the Installer Code. Even if a savvy intruder knows the default codes and tries them in a desperate attempt to disarm the system before the Entry Delay Period expires, it won't do them any good. Unless they somehow guess the Master Code (which should be changed away from 1111) or a valid, active user code, they will not be able to disarm the system. If you need to reset the 2GIG Edge Installer Code back to its default of 1561, you can do so by following this FAQ.

The first way to reset the Edge Master Code back to its default of 1111 is to simply change the code in the Users Menu. Doing this will only change the Master Code, and nothing else. Complete the following steps to manually change the 2GIG Edge Master Code to 1111:

1. Access the Users Menu. You must access the Users Menu with Master-level or Installer-level authority. Begin from the main screen of the 2GIG Edge. Click the Settings Icon (the gear) in the bottom-right corner. Then provide either the current Installer Code (default 1561) or the current Master Code (default 1111), or if you have Facial Recognition set up for the Master User, then you can alternatively use the proper "facial biometrics" to gain access, instead of entering one of the aforementioned codes. Once you are in the Settings Menu with Master-level or Installer-level authority, you can click on Users to access the Users Menu.

2. Change the Master Code. Locate the Master User. Note that the name "Master User" is not permanent, and you can technically change that name. The Master User may have a different name if you or another user changed it. Nevertheless, once you find the proper Master User, regardless of their assigned name, click the pencil icon next to their slot. This will take you to the edit screen for the Master User. At this screen, click on the section titled Access Code. The panel will display "Update the User's Access Code", and a keypad will appear for you to enter a code. Since you are changing the code back to the default of 1111, you should enter [1111]. Then press Next in the bottom-right corner. The panel will display the message "Confirm the User's Access Code", and you should again enter [1111]. Then with 1111 entered a second (2nd) time, press the Save button in the bottom-right corner. This will save the Master Code as 1111.

3. Return home. After you have finished setting the Master Code back to 1111, the panel will take you back to the edit screen of the Master User. You can verify that the Code is 1111 by seeing it in the field called Access Code. Press the small picture of the house in the bottom-right corner to return to the home screen.

The other way that you can reset the Master Code for the 2GIG Edge back to 1111 is to perform a Factory Default of the Users Setting. If you do this, the Master Code will revert back to 1111, the Installer Code will revert back to 1561, and any other standard user codes that were added will be erased. This action cannot be undone. You can only do this if you have the existing Installer Code for the system (default 1561). Complete the following steps to perform a Factory Default of the Users Setting:

1. Access Restore Defaults Menu. Begin from the main screen of the 2GIG Edge Alarm System. Press the Settings button (the gear logo) in the lower-right corner. Then provide the current Installer Code for the system (default 1561). Remember that the Installer Code cannot be set up for Facial Recognition. You must have the actual, 4-digit Installer Code to access the Restore Defaults Menu. Once you are in the Installer-level Settings Menu, choose Installer Toolbox. Then select Restore Defaults, you will access the Restore Defaults Menu.

2. Select the Users Option. When you perform the Default, also called the Restore, you must have the Users option enabled, which in this case, means that it is toggled green. You can see an example of this in the above picture. If the Users option isn't toggled green, then you should click on the toggle button to enable it. All of the other options (e.g. Sensors & Zones, Console, Z-Wave, etc.) are optional, and you can restore those other settings to their factory default values simultaneously if you would like. But for the purpose of resetting the Master Code back to 1111, only the Users option must be selected. Continue to the next step once the Users selection is enabled and toggled green.

3. Perform the default. With the Users option enabled, you can perform the Default, also called the Restore. Press the Restore button in the bottom-right corner. The 2GIG Edge will give you one final chance to go back and stop before making the change. Press the red button on the right-hand side to confirm that you want to Restore the Users Settings (and any other selected settings) to factory default. The default will be performed, and there is no turning back from this point forward. Any settings that are returned to their default settings through this process will need to be manually reprogrammed.

4. Return home. With the Default executed, you can return to the home screen. To do this, just repeatedly press the upper-right arrow until you are back at the main menu.