What Happens to a Qolsys IQ Panel 2 When the Internet Goes Down?

A Qolsys IQ Panel 2 will still remain connected to the network when the internet goes down. When both WIFI and Cellular paths are enabled, the panel sends all signals on both paths. The first signal received is acknowledged and forwarded to central station, the other signal is discarded.

Cellular communication is required for use with the Qolsys IQ Panel 2. This means that users will need to have a cellular monitoring plan with their alarm monitoring company when using the IQ Panel 2. Users can choose between AT&T and Verizon as the provider for their security panel's cellular service. The provider is determined by whichever cellular module came pre-installed into their IQ Panel 2. Both the AT&T and the Verizon versions of the panel are readily available. We recommend selecting whichever provider tends to provide the strongest signal in your area. Both services make use of advanced LTE cellular communication. This type of signal is extremely reliable, meaning that the security panel should always receive a very strong signal.

Almost nothing changes when the Qolsys IQ Panel 2 is using cellular communication instead of WIFI. The security panel will still be able to receive notifications and send signals just as if WIFI were being used. If an alarm occurs when only cellular communication is being used, the user and/or the central monitoring station will still be alerted as normal, depending upon the user's monitoring plan. Additionally, users who have a monitoring plan that includes central station monitoring can still send distress or panic signals out to the central monitoring station when their security panel is using cellular communication only.

Many users find that cellular communication is superior when compared with IP communication. This is due to the fact that cellular towers are almost never down, and they are generally more reliable than WIFI signals. This makes cellular communication an excellent backup for WIFI communication. The WIFI connection is not supervised by the panel, so there is no alert if the WIFI connection goes down. However, you can check availability by looking in Settings.