Using the Honeywell Home Tuxedo Without an Alarm Panel

Hi, DIYers. This is Michael from Alarm Grid. And today, I'm going to be answering the question of whether or not you can use the Honeywell Home Tuxedo without an alarm panel. And the answer to that question is, yes, you technically can use the Honeywell Home Tuxedo keypad without an alarm panel. Most users will not do this. They will set it up with a Honeywell Vista panel, because the Tuxedo is primarily used as a touchscreen keypad for a Vista system. You use it to control the Vista system for arming and disarming. If you access Console mode, you can change programming settings. It's a convenient way to control the system. It's more inviting than an alphanumeric keypad or a numeric keypad that has numbers on it, because the Tuxedo has a colorful touch screen display with menu options that are clearly defined, which can be more inviting for users and easier to understand, especially if you're not familiar with using a security system. If you're new to security systems, then a touchscreen keypad is recommended. It's easier to understand. But the Tuxedo is also a Z-Wave Plus controller in its own right. And you can actually set it up, provide power to it, and start enrolling Z-Wave devices with Tuxedo. And then, you can control the Z-Wave devices from the Tuxedo. And you can also create smart scenes on the Tuxedo to have the Z-Wave devices respond automatically, based on a schedule, or with events. Although, since you're not using it with the system, you really wouldn't have many system events to trigger the Z-Wave scenes. But that is an option. You can use it as a standalone Z-Wave Plus controller. But most users wouldn't do this. If you were just looking for a standalone Z-Wave controller, then you would likely get a more traditional Z-Wave controller device, such as a Samsung SmartThings, for instance. You wouldn't necessarily get a Tuxedo, which is primarily designed, like I said, as used for a touchscreen keypad for a Vista system. That's the main reason why someone would get it. So that way, they can control their Vista system and perform various commands. But if you did want to do that, then that is an option. When you do have it set up with a Vista system, you will open up a few possibilities. If the Vista system is monitored, then you can use Z-Wave devices with Total Connect 2.0, which will allow you to control the Z-Wave devices remotely, using an app on your phone or a web browser, which offers great convenience. But to do that, you will need to have it connected with a Vista system. And the Vista system will need to be monitored. And some users might think that, once you add a Tuxedo to a Vista system, that it will provide connectivity with the AlarmNet servers, because the Tuxedo connects to a Wi-Fi network, a local Wi-Fi network. But the Tuxedo only connects with Wi-Fi for relaying Z-Wave commands to Total Connect 2.0. But to get access to Total Connect 2.0, you'll need an AlarmNet communicator, because the Tuxedo doesn't communicate directly with AlarmNet. It's just communicating with Total Connect 2.0 for relaying Z-Wave commands and for receiving firmware updates. So you'll still need to add an AlarmNet communicator to your Honeywell Vista system. There are IP-only communicators, there are cell-only communicators, and there are dual path communicators that use both IP and cellular. So choose which option is right for you. Various options are available. You will need to add one to your Vista system to get it connected with AlarmNet and to get it monitored. And that's necessary for accessing Total Connect 2.0 and controlling program to Z-Wave devices remotely. Once you do that, the Z-Wave devices that you pair with your Tuxedo will get pushed over to Total Connect 2.0 during the Z-Wave device sync, a Z-Wave sync. So that answers the question of whether or not you can use the Tuxedo without an alarm panel. You can, it's just it's uncommon. You would normally get a standalone Z-Wave controller for that purpose, such as Samsung SmartThings. But if you did want to provide power to a Tuxedo and use it as a standalone Z-Wave controller without a Honeywell Vista system, then that is the possibility. So if you found this video helpful, make sure to give it a thumbs up below to like the video. And if you have any questions about the Tuxedo, or about a Honeywell Vista system, or about alarm monitoring, send a email to support@alarmgrid.com. And remember to subscribe to our channel for updates on future videos. We hope you enjoyed the video. Thank you.