Honeywell Lyric Gateway

Encrypted Wireless Security System

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The Honeywell Lyric Gateway is the second of the Lyric series alarm systems. The Lyric Controller was released first and is may still be ...
  • Home Assistant
  • Total Connect
  • Z-Wave Plus
  • Z-Wave

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Description

The Honeywell Lyric Gateway is the second of the Lyric series alarm systems. The Lyric Controller was released first and is may still be viewed as the ultimate wireless security system on the market. However there are some clear benefits from both systems. While the Lyric Controller has a 7.0 inch touchscreen display, the Lyric Gateway is more of a hub design with a simple number pad without any display. The minimalist design caters to installations that benefit from the advanced features of the Lyric platform yet do not necessarily require a fancy touchscreen. Lyric panels are the first security systems to offer bi-directional wireless sensors with 128-bit AES encryption. Currently the Honeywell SiX sensors are the only encrypted peripherals. The Gateway still offers backward compatibility to all the Honeywell 5800 series devices and supports up to 64 total RF zones. This makes upgrading from an existing Honeywell wireless system a breeze! Keep your previously installed 5800 devices and add some SiX devices where needed.

The Gateway still uses 2.4GHz WIFI and also has an ethernet port for hardwire ethernet connections. Keep in mind that the Gateway is the only Honeywell wireless system to include the LAN port out of box without any added modules. In fact, the Lyric Controller only has WIFI without any ability to hardwire a LAN connection. Conveniently the gateway shares the same cellular communicators as the controller: Honeywell Lyric-3G (AT&T 3G network) and Lyric-CDMA (Verizon CDMA network). There is a small compartment where the modules slide into the gateway itself. As a Gateway owner you can choose to use IP only, cellular only or dual path with IP as primary and cellular as a secondary comm path. Cellular communications are the most reliable since they do not rely on any local hardware. Internet signaling is faster in most cases which is why a dual path setup is ideal.

The major difference between the Lyric Gateway and any other Honeywell panel is the lack of local end-user programming. The gateway is the first panel that requires proprietary software in the form of an app for programming. In other words, there is no way to locally program this panel without being a certified Honeywell installer. Traditionally, installers would locally program alarm systems through a keypad by using an "installer code" that was kept secret. Over the years there have been technological advances making security systems much more user friendly. This has resulted in a more DIY approach where alarm owners (end users) install and program their own system. This approach is not possible with this panel.

Starting with the LYNX Touch series panels, Honeywell created apps for remote access (Total Connect) and more limited ones for local control of an alarm panel. This required being on the local WIFI network for local apps and paid services for remote apps. The Gateway has a free app (My Home Gateway) designed for local setup but they dropped the installer programming menu. Basically you must enlist a Honeywell dealer to program zones and adjust most of your programming settings. Whereas other systems like the Lyric Controller offer local programming with the use of an installer code. Keep this in mind before purchasing this product. If you plan on enrolling monitoring service your alarm company will be able to remotely program your system.




Brand: Honeywell Resideo

Thanks, Frank. I do have new Chamberlain MyQ garage door openers installed, so if the IQ2 with Alarm.com provides for integrating my garage doors into the security system, that might be of interest to me despite the higher cost.
These are all excellent points. You have certainly done some good research. The Lyric Controller is certainly not an "aging" product. They are on MR4 which is the 4th iteration of firmware and just opened apple homekit integration on this one. If you are going Honeywell this is the best option. The gateway does offer the zwave plus controller but that is about all it does better than the Lyric Controller. We have found that the lack of local programming and automation control from the panel becomes problematic. We are not in beta on V2 Lyric Controller so I do not have an idea when that product will release. If the Z-Wave plus is the biggest concern you will probably want to go with the IQ2. It really comes down to AlarmNet vs Alarm.com. As you mentioned the Honeywell AlarmNet panels support IP only service so if requiring cell service from day 1 is a deal breaker than any Alarm.com panel, IQ2 included, is off the table. If you are open to the idea of cellular service I highly recommend the IQ2. I believe it is the panel of the future. Alarm.com has server level integrations with Liftmaster MyQ, Nest thermostats, Lutron lighting, Amazon Alexa devices just name a few. They are ahead when it comes to the interactive automation platform. With all that said, they are all excellent options and I doubt you would not be fully satisfied with any of these panels. They all offer remote firmware updates (ADC charges a small fee, Anet is free) and support encrypted sensors (SiX and S-Line). Although we have found the lack of local programming on the gateway to be a bit limiting you may not feel that way. If you are going to set everything up and not make many additions it might work well for you. We generally find ourselves with DIYers that prefer to have their own access which I way I tend to steer customers away from the gateway.
I'm torn between the Lyric Controller, Lyric Gateway and Qolsys IQ Panel 2. The Qolsys is nice, but it's quite expensive and, I assume, requires a minimum monthly commitment of $25 for self-monitoring using Alarm.com (versus $10 for the basic Total Connect plan?); I'm also a little concerned about potential security vulnerabilities since it's built upon Android. In addition, it integrates the cellular communicator, which partially justifies the higher price but forces me to make that investment now, whereas both Lyric products would allow me to start with IP and add cellular later if desired for a lower cost of entry. I generally prefer the Lyric Controller to the Gateway, because I like its touchscreen interface and the ability to program it myself; however, it seems to be an aging product that's overdue for an updated v2 release. Is there any news of a Lyric Controller 2 on the way soon? I'm not planning to invest much in home automation just yet, but I like that the Gateway supports Z-Wave Plus for better battery management, longer range and OTA firmware updates. I'm not thrilled with the lack of control over the Gateway, but it may be the best compromise for now if a new Controller isn't near release. How much control of the system would I have as an end-user admin? I know that I wouldn't be able to program or modify most aspects of the security system, but would I at least have full access to control the home automation functions? And, if I purchase the Gateway, am I correct in assuming that you would program it for me at no cost if I subscribe to the basic $10/month IP self monitoring service?
Excellent!
No the Gateway is its own alarm system. You are looking for the LKP500 remote keypad for the Lyric Controller: https://www.alarmgrid.com/products/honeywell-lkp500
Could I use this gateway in parallel with the Honeywell Lyric Security Controller? Basically the Honeywell Lyric Security Controller would be in the living room and the Gateway would be in the Master Bedroom upstairs.
Honeywell doesn't charge for programming to the dealer so it would depend on what your dealer would charge you. We offer no-contract monitoring of Lyric systems online at https://www.alarmgrid.com/monitoring and our tech support and remote programming is free.
When the monitoring company does all the programming on Lyric Controller what is the cost per transaction/action? Thanks.
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