Alarm Accessories Posts

At Alarm Grid, we believe customers should have the freedom to purchase alarm equipment from the source that works best for them. That includes third-party distributors, online marketplaces, and even other end users.

We do not discourage customers from bringing their own equipment. However, it is important to understand that purchasing equipment outside of Alarm Grid can come with certain risks.

One of the most common issues involves used or outdated equipment. While a device may power on and appear functional, it could have hidden problems. Sensors may have reduced battery life, keypads could show excessive wear, and communicators might not perform as expected. In some cases, equipment may be damaged, outdated, or missing critical components.

We have also encountered activation issues with older LTEM-P, LTEM-PX, and IP-COM communicators purchased through third-party sellers. Some older stock did not receive a required critical firmware update and can no longer be serviced. Units with MAC addresses beginning with B82CA0, typically manufactured around 2020 or 2021, and some beginning with 48A2E6, may be affected. Even if these communicators are new in box, they may not be capable of activation.

Another serious concern is account association. Many alarm communicators are registered to an AlarmNet or Alarm.com account. If a used communicator was previously installed and removed during an upgrade, it may automatically attempt to re-register to the original account.

When that happens, the communicator ties back to the previous dealer or seller. If they do not release it, we cannot activate or service the unit. In some cases, the only options are to convince the seller to release the device or purchase a new communicator, which can delay monitoring by days.

Before purchasing from a third party, confirm the seller has a clear return policy. Verify that the communicator firmware is current and that it does not have a B82CA0 or 48A2E6 MAC prefix. Whenever possible, purchase newer equipment from a reputable distributor or retailer.

If you already have a communicator, and you suspect it may be affected by this issue, do not connect it to a wired network before activation. Immediately after powering it up, press and hold the test or registration button for 30 seconds, then release it to default the unit. Completing this step prior to your activation appointment can help prevent registration conflicts.

Ultimately, the simplest way to avoid these issues is to purchase new equipment from a trusted source. When a communicator is purchased through Alarm Grid and found to be defective, we can typically process a replacement in less than 24 hours, helping to minimize downtime.

Alarm Grid is here to support our current and future monitored customers, no matter where you purchase your equipment. We simply want you to begin the process informed and prepared. Our team is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM. If you have questions, reach out to us by email at support@alarmgrid.com or by phone at 888-818-7728. You can also use the live chat feature available on our website at alarmgrid.com.

The Z-Wave Alliance was created in 2005. Put together by a group of home automation product manufacturers, the alliance sought to standardize technology and manufacturing practices to create competitive products but with a certain amount of uniformity. Separate, but relatively equal.

Think of it like a Big Mac. If you buy a Big Mac at a McDonald's Restaurant in Montana, and I buy a Big Mac at a McDonald's Restaurant in Kentucky they will basically be the same. Reliably the same. The people who made my Big Mac and those that made your Big Mac have probably never met, the money paid for these sandwiches went to different places, the price paid may differ, but because a Big Mac follows a standard assembly and preparation if I pull up to a McDonald's anywhere in the USA I can reliably expect that when I order a Big Mac I know what I'm going to get.

In May 2005 Z-Wave (300-Series) was released and soon became widespread. In March 2013, Z-Wave Plus (500-Series) was introduced, offering better range between hops, better power management (which translates to longer battery life), and more memory (which translates into more features like the ability to add S2 128-bit encryption). In April 2019, the Z-Wave Alliance began promoting enhanced certification for Z-Wave Plus V2 with the 700-Series Chipset, offering even greater wireless range, longer battery life, and making S2 128-bit encryption mandatory rather than optional. In 2022, the 800-Series arrived, bringing dramatic improvements to battery life, processing power, and range, along with full support for Z-Wave Long Range (ZWLR) — a new topology that allows devices to communicate directly with a hub over extremely long distances without relying on mesh hops at all.

Every time there is an advance in the technology, equipment with the new version is backward compatible with equipment on the older version, albeit with the older version's feature limitations.

Check out the chart below for a comparison across the four current iterations of Z-Wave Technology. Note that Z-Wave Long Range (ZWLR) is a separate topology supported by 800-Series devices; we'll cover it in more depth in a separate post.

Z-Wave Technology Comparison Chart

I know that Z-Wave is a really cool, easy, and inexpensive way to automate things in a home or business, but I didn't get a sense of just how impressive it is until I was putting together this chart. It's really very cool! There were a few features mentioned in the chart that I wasn't particularly familiar with, so I'm going to define those a little further below:

FLiRS (Beaming wake-up) - This feature has to do with Z-Wave devices that use battery power only, like all door locks, and some thermostats. FLiRS stands for Frequently Listening Receiver Slave (Not Forward Looking Infra-Red, like I thought). Basically, a battery powered Z-Wave device alternates between sleep mode and partially-awake mode. When it is partially-awake it is listening for a beam signal. If a Z-Wave controller (or another Z-Wave device, if the signal has to hop) has network traffic for the battery-powered device, it sends a beam. When the device partially wakes and hears the beam, it wakes immediately and communicates with the device that sent it. If the device partially wakes up and there's no beam signal, then it goes fully back to sleep. This can happen from once per second, to four (4) times per second, depending on how the device was manufactured. If not for FLiRS, Z-Wave door locks would probably not exist due to issues with battery life.

Explorer Frames - Explorer frames have to do with the way information is routed. When a new Z-Wave Plus device is being included to the network, it sends out a whole bunch of explorer frames. When an existing device sees an explorer frame, it resends it with its own Node ID added to the original information. At some point, some of these explorer frames reach the Z-Wave controller. When the controller receives them, it can see exactly which nodes on the network the explorer frames touched. This information is then used to route future traffic for the new device. As network devices are used, this routing information will likely change, but this is a basic explanation of what Explorer Frames do.

Network Wide Inclusion - Network Wide Inclusion (NWI) allows a device to be added to the network even if it's not within range of the Z-Wave controller itself. It makes use of Explorer Frames to do this. Before NWI and Explorer Frames, you often had to include a new device right next to the controller, then carry it to the location where you actually wanted it to be installed, and then cross your fingers and hope that it would work. If it didn't then you likely added another Z-Wave device somewhere between it and the Controller. With NWI, if your network is robust enough, you should not have to do that. It's always a good idea when laying out your network to start with devices closest to the controller, add those to the network, and then work your way out from there. As you can see from the chart above, NWI and Explorer Frames were added in Z-Wave Plus with the 500 Chipset, so any original Z-Wave devices won't support this type of inclusion.

Z-Wave Long Range (ZWLR) - When the original article was written, Z-Wave Long Range was just on the horizon. It has since arrived, and it's a significant departure from the traditional Z-Wave mesh topology. In a standard Z-Wave mesh network, devices pass signals from one to another (hopping) to extend the range of the network. ZWLR, supported exclusively by 800-Series devices, allows a device to communicate directly with the hub over distances up to 1 mile (1.6 km) without any hops at all. This opens the door to use cases outside the home — large properties, outbuildings, gate sensors, and more. ZWLR devices can also coexist on the same network as traditional Z-Wave mesh devices, giving you flexibility in how you build out your system. We'll have a full post dedicated to ZWLR coming soon.

What do you think of the evolution of Z-Wave? Are you ready to buy some devices and start automating? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. We look forward to discussing this and any other security and automation topics you might like to add. Is there something you'd like to see us cover in our blog? If so, let us know in the comments and we'll do our best to bring you the information you're looking for!

Updated: 06/23/26 jr