How Do I Troubleshoot a Lyric That is Using Apple HomeKit?

You can troubleshoot a Lyric using Apple HomeKit by ensuring that HomeKit is enabled on the panel, ensuring that your network settings are properly configured, resetting HomeKit on the Lyric, rebooting the Lyric and the HomeKit hub, and deleting and re-adding the panel as an accessory.

Many people choose the Lyric over other security systems for its HomeKit compatibility. Integrating a Lyric System with your HomeKit network will open the door for many possibilities. You can have Lyric system events trigger your HomeKit devices so that they activate automatically. This is often referred to as a HomeKit automation. You can also control your Lyric System remotely using Siri voice commands, provided that you have a proper HomeKit Hub configured (iPad, Apple TV Gen 4 or higher, HomePod).

Complete the following steps to troubleshoot a Lyric System that is using Apple HomeKit:

1. Ensure HomeKit is enabled. Confirm that HomeKit is enabled on the Lyric System by choosing Security > Tools > Master Code (default 1234, but usually changed) > Advanced. You should see the Reset HomeKit option at the bottom left. You don't need to click on it, as the very presence of this button confirms that HomeKit is enabled for the system. If you do not see the Reset HomeKit button within the Advanced Master Tools Menu, then HomeKit is not enabled on the system. Ask your monitoring company to enable the HomeKit feature for the system. Remember, only a monitoring company can enable the feature on the system, so you will need a monitoring plan to start using HomeKit.

2. Check WIFI network. Make sure that your Lyric System and the HomeKit iOS device you are using are connected with the same WIFI network. Keep in mind that the Lyric can only connect with 2.4 GHz WIFI networks. If you have your HomeKit device connected with a 5 GHz WIFI network, then switch it to a 2.4 GHz network that the Lyric System can connect with. Also check and make sure that your dedicated HomeKit Hub is on the same WIFI network. All of the hardware involved should be on the same network.

3. Reboot equipment. The next step in the troubleshooting process is to start rebooting various equipment to see if that fixes the issue. First reboot the IP router or wireless access point connecting the Lyric with the HomeKit network. If multiple wireless access points are being used for the Lyric and the HomeKit Hub, be sure to power cycle each of them. Allow the network equipment to fully boot up once the power cycle is complete. Then try a soft reboot on the Lyric by choosing Security > Tools > Master Code > Advanced > Reboot > Yes. It's also a good idea to reboot the HomeKit Hub at this time. If this doesn't resolve the issue, then try a hard reboot on the Lyric by disconnecting the internal backup battery and unplugging its transformer to power it down. Then, plug first the battery and then the transformer back in to power the system back on. Test HomeKit after each reboot to see if the issue is fixed.

4. Reset Lyric HomeKit. Assuming issues still exist, on your Lyric System, access the Reset HomeKit function. This function is found within the Advanced Master Tools Menu. You can review Step 1 of this FAQ to see how to access this menu. Once you are in the menu, click on the Reset HomeKit button. This will reset HomeKit on the system wiping out any of the prior settings and hopefully fix any issues you were experiencing. Resetting HomeKit on the Lyric panel will require you to re-pair the Lyric with HomeKit, which leads us to step 5.

5. Delete and re-add. Delete the Lyric System as a HomeKit Accessory in the Apple Home App using your iOS device. This is done by tapping and holding the Lyric Accessory in the Home App. If you aren't sure which Accessory is the Lyric, understand that it is usually named LyricAIO. Once a menu appears, choose Settings. Then scroll down to Remove Accessory, and select that option. This will delete the Lyric System from your HomeKit network. Then re-add the system as a HomeKit Accessory. Check to see if that fixes the issue.

6. Contact your monitoring company. The last troubleshooting step is to contact your monitoring company for further assistance. Your monitoring company may try various methods to help you fix the issue. One possible fix is to have your monitoring company disable the HomeKit feature, send the update to the system, re-enable the feature, and then send that update to the system. Your monitoring company may have other methods to try as well. If you are monitored through Alarm Grid, and you are experiencing HomeKit issues, then you can contact us at support@alarmgrid.com. Remember that our support hours run from 9am to 8pm ET M-F.