Joshua Unseth Posts

Last year, on August 16, 2012, at 10:08 PM, Alarm Grid's first order came through. It was a small order for a bunch of contacts - 5 944T-WH, but it was our very first. Now a year later, we've serviced countless systems, and have enjoyed doing business with all of the many customers who have purchased from Alarm Grid.

Our wonderful customers have given us an incredible amount of praise, and have shown us that there is a great need for the service we're providing. No-contract alarm systems with reliable, affordable monitoring is our bread and butter, and we aren't planning on changing much as we go forward.

The coming year is hopefully going to be as exciting as the one we just completed. We're not exactly sure what it will bring, but we hope to forge new partnerships, add new products, and improve our service by hiring wonderful professionals who are as dedicated to giving you the fast and free service you've become accustomed to.

Thank you so much for making Alarm Grid a success, and we hope to have another wonderful year of working with all of you.

From time to time, we like to express our gratitude to all of our customers and would-be customers for the incredible amount of support they have given us. So, we're excited today to say thank you to everyone for watching the Alarm Grid YouTube channel. Since we started it way back in September of last year, our videos have been seen more than 50,000 times and well over 100,000 minutes (more than 70 full days) have been spent watching Sterling do installs or teaching you to program an L5100 panel.

We're going to add more videos as we go, and the channel will really become the focal point of our company's customer-centric strategy, so stay tuned. But in the meantime, we just wanted to say thanks for watching the videos. We're glad that they have helped so many people, and we are excited to continue making helpful content that will make your do-it-yourself installation go smoother than you could have ever imagined.

Below are the Top 10 most viewed videos of July (from most viewed to least viewed):

We have just launched an incredible system that you probably haven't found yet, but we're excited to tell you about it!

Testimonials!

"The experience that I have had working with Alarm Grid has been absolutely fantastic... the kind of customer service that you can't get anywhere else!"
Tyler C. from Albuquerque, NM

If you're on the fence about whether to sign up with Alarm Grid, check out our new customer testimonials section. Full disclosure, we have given anyone who gave us a testimonial a free month of monitoring. But we're pretty sure that didn't influence their perspective in any way. That said, we're not discriminatory. If you love us as much as they say they do, let us know you want to write a testimonial. We will send you out a list of questions and you can send us back a bunch of answers and a picture of your home. You, too, can get a free month of monitoring if you give us a testimonial.

I know it's a bit off-topic, but there are a lot of ways you can get a free month of monitoring with Alarm Grid: 1) tell a friend, get them to sign up, 2) give us a testimonial, 3) tell another friend. Ok, so there are just two ways to get free months. But I think that's pretty awesome.

Installer Directory!

To date, our focus has been on DIY installers. We love our DIYers, but there are a lot of different people in the world, many who do not have any desire to install their own system. If you fall into that category (which is most people), and you want to buy an alarm system for your home, either check out our brand spankin' new, still very sparse, alarm installer directory, or give us a call and let us know where you would like for us to find an installer. While we will actively be adding installers to our database, we are happy to add them based on need as well. If you're an installer and you want to be included in the directory, call us and let us know. We have some questions, will want some references, and we will happily add you.

These installers don't work for us, they aren't related to us, but they are recommended to us as good, honest people. If your experience is different, please let us know. We are going to depend on user feedback as we grow to maintain the directory.

Places Pages!

We are building monitoring pages for each individual city in the United States on Alarm Grid. We are trying to personalize your experience when you come to the site so that you feel like we are part of your community. After all, you're trusting us to secure your home, the least we could do is learn a few facts about your big or small town. Check out a few of the cities below:

• Alarm Monitoring in Jacksonville
• Alarm Monitoring in Albuquerque
• Alarm Monitoring in Miami
• Alarm Monitoring in Tampa

Happy Birthday America!

Alarm Grid has been in business just over a year now. And we celebrated our own birthday with cake, candles and a lot of high fives. Tomorrow, we're going to be celebrating America's independence day with giant rockets that go boom. We've bought thousands of bottle rockets, and we're going to make our glorious President, Sterling Donnelly, light them all while we watch at a safe distance.

Being as how lighting bottle rockets is a dangerous activity and requires the utmost concentration, we've decided to close our doors tomorrow so that we can ensure Sterling's safety. At this stage, we're just hoping that Sterling gets out of tomorrow with all his fingers (unlike last year).

Anyhow, it's a federal holiday, the post office is closed, and we're pretty sure that you will all be celebrating anyhow. So chances are you won't even notice that Alarm Grid is closed. But we thought we'd at least let you know why we're a bit inaccessible in case you decide to call in.

In the case that you need to reach us, please leave us a message, or email support@alarmgrid.com. We may not be in the office, but our staff will be checking messages and emails throughout the day.

As the date that AT&T has committed to retiring the 2G and 3G communicators inches closer, Honeywell has been working to confirm their commitment to making sure consumers have what they need to keep their security up and running. On the consumer side of things, the iGSMV is one of the final communicators needing to be updated. So finally, with this week's replacement of the iGSMV with its newer part, the iGSMV4G, you can now have a dual path communicator that will help you meet the 2G sunset without a hiccup.

So while the iGSMV is no longer available, we say good riddance. And while it may be improper to speak ill of the dead, we are pretty sure you'll be happier with its replacement the iGSMV4G. You won't even miss the old unit.

So if what you're looking for is reliable, 3G / 4G coverage, then say goodbye to the iGSMV and hello to its replacement, the iGSMV4G!

If you have been lamenting Alarm Grid's indoor security stickers, longing for stickers that will stick to the outside of a building or door, then you will be ecstatic at this new piece of news. Alarm Grid now has outdoor security stickers in stock. They look just like the indoor security stickers, but the sticky side is on the back (like a normal sticker) instead of the front (like a weird sticker).

We have a simple, you might even say minimalist aesthetic, and we are glad we can give you our incredibly good looking security stickers and security yard signs for such a great price. We know that these stickers look really... really good, but we don't want you to get too excited. You don't NEED one for every window. But if you do end up buying too many, give them to your friends. Security stickers and signs are a great first deterrent from burglars, and if you're friend doesn't have a security sticker in their window... what do you think that says about you as their friend? Friends don't let friends go without security stickers on the windows of their home.

Hopefully by now you know that at Alarm Grid, we are alarm system geeks. We are pretty darn knowledgable about the Honeywell line of product in particular, but know quite a bit about other sundry things as well. We believe that serving our customers best involves giving them incredibly detailed information that they are seeking, for free. Likewise, we enjoy working with companies that are geeks in their own right. So we thought it would be a good time to give a little shout-out to the sticker geeks over at Sticker Mule (did you even know there was such a thing?) who made these wonderful stickers. They are weather proof as well as durable, and they look really great, to boot.

Honeywell's L5000 security panel was in its day the most state of the art wireless security system on the market. We have been proud to offer it  along with its various parts throughout its life cycle, and are glad to be putting it to rest. The L5000 was an incredible piece of equipment, allowing users some of the simplest programming options available, and Honeywell's now-familiar and simple to use "Advanced User Interface" (AUI). This was one of the company's first touch-screen panels, and its legacy is seen in the modern design of Honeywell's current line of consumer AUI panels.

It's close cousin, the LYNX Touch 5100, is everything that it was and more. The L5100 can do home automation with the simple addition of a Z-WAVE module, which is something the L5000 was never capable of. This huge improvement makes the L5100 a wonderfully versatile panel that makes your security system more powerful than a security system has ever been. So while we thank the L5000 for paving the way to the newest line of Honeywell consumer-facing security products, we understand Honeywell's decision to retire the much-loved panel.

In the meantime, feel free to pay your respects to the wonderful work of the L5000, but know that the old panel is moving on to greener pastures.

One of the problems with installing a system that has been designed to be put in by a professional is that sometimes, the company assumes you have certain tools that you probably don't have lying around. The L5100, our most popular wireless security system, for example comes with a 300-04705 transformer, but it doesn't come with any of the necessary wiring.

We do everything we can to explain in detail what's in each box we send, but sometimes, there is a little bit that gets lost in translation. So if you're getting ready to install a Honeywell L5100, we just wanted to make sure that you remembered to get the on thing that will save you from having to make a trip to a hardware store. The LT-Cable will make your installation a breeze, and you won't regret getting it.

In our installation video of the L5100, you can see just how much easier the LT Cable makes installation:

If you are just beginning the process of looking for an alarm system, answer these really simple questions, and you'll be well on your way to finding what works for you.

1) Do you want a wired or wireless alarm system?

We highly recommend going wireless. Our two biggest selling wireless systems are the L5100 and the L3000. Both of these systems are great. The only differences between them really, is that the L5100 has a beautiful touchscreen that the L3000 does not and the L5100 can be used as a home automation controller as well as a security system.

On the wired side, our best selling units are the VISTA 21iP and the VISTA 20P. The difference between these two systems is that the 21iP has a built-in IP module, and the 20P requires that you purchase one (the 7847i) separately. After you've done your research, if you are excited about the VISTA panels, but like the benefits that a wireless system can offer you, you can add a 6160RF keypad with integrated wireless receiver to your VISTA panel and turn it into a wireless system.

2) How many doors and windows do you want to protect?

If you need three or more door and window sensors, and you have decided that a wireless system is for you, check out our L5100PK and L3000PK. They are the most cost-efficient way to get the sensors and system you want. If you need additional sensors, you can add more 5816s or 5811s. The 5816s are thick and boxy, the 5811s are thin like a wafer. Both are good, but we a lot of users prefer the look of the 5811s.

If you want wired door and window sensors, we have tons of those. Look through our selection, and pick the ones that you like best. They all work well, and each of them perform a slightly different function.

3) How many motion sensors do you need?

A lot of people do not install motion sensors. They are a good way to add an extra layer of protection, but oftentimes, the door and window sensors are good enough. If you just need one motion sensor, the kits I wrote about earlier are great. If you need more, the kit is still good, but you'll need to grab some more 5800PIR-RES motion detectors individually.

4) What kind of communication do you want your panel to use?

If you add alarm monitoring to your system, when a sensor is tripped, your security panel will send a signal somewhere. Now, if you have Total Connect service, it will go to AlarmNet and send you an email and / or a text. If you are connected to a central station, it will also go there.

How does the signal get from your panel to the central station or AlarmNet?

Good question. The signal can be delivered in three basic ways. First, you can have your system use your land line to report the alarm signals to the central station. All Honeywell systems, wireless and wired, have a built-in phone dialer so nothing additional is needed. That said, no one has a traditional phone line anymore. Also, you can't get Total Connect using a phone line. Therefore, other communication pathways are more popular. If you don't want to use the phone line, the most popular communication pathway is over the internet. While the L5100 can be hooked up through ethernet with the iLP5 module, the more common way to hook up an L5100 to the internet is by using the L5100-WIFI module. The L3000 needs the 7847i-L for internet monitoring and the VISTA panels use the similarly named, but very different 7847i. The L3000 and VISTA panels do not have a WIFI option and require an Ethernet cord to be strung to the router. The final communication pathway is over cell towers. Basically, when you purchase one of Alarm Grid's monitoring plans that include Cellular Communications, you are buying an AT&T cell phone plan for your system. We handle the SIM card activation and billing so you don't have to worry about a separate cell phone bill. Your system will then send out a signal using the wireless GSM network (which is often regarded as the most reliable pathway). The L5100 requires a GSMVLP5-4G to accomplish this, the L3000 needs a GSMVLP4G installed, and the VISTA panels need either the GSMV4G or the GSMX4G (see our FAQ on these communicators if you want to understand the difference between the two), unless it is a VISTA 21iP which requires the VISTA-GSM4G.

It may come as a surprise for anyone who is just starting their search, but those are really the four basic questions you need to ask yourself. Once you have taken inventory of your door and window sensors, motion sensor needs, whether you want your system to be wired or wireless, and what sort of communication pathway you think sounds most attractive give us a call or chat with us. We'd love to help you.

So we spent a few days in the middle of Washington DC at SpreeConf 2013!

Spree is the program that we have built our entire store on, and we got to spend a few days with the incredible development team. During the conference, we gave a little 5 minute presentation discussing how to make your Spree store search friendly. Here's the presentation:

If you're one of the developers who attended the conference, and you find this useful, we'd love a link. Other than that, feel free to embed it or do anything you want.

If you're an alarm monitoring (or alarm product) consumer who found your way to our site, you might have noticed that we show up everywhere in search. We have accomplished this in two ways: 1) We have designed a system that makes sure that you get all the useful information you need in a very simple, quick way whether you search for it on our site or you go to Google/Bing/Yahoo to find your content. 2) We produce as much useful content both on and off-site as we possibly can. If you are a small business owner, the principles in this power point apply to you. So, take what you can from it.