Service Announcements Posts

A convenient option when using a 3G or CDMA radio on a VISTA panel was the ability to share a single transformer for both devices. This was possible because both units used AC power. The new LTEM-PA and LTEM-PV communicators use a DC transformer, so attempting to share will cause issues.

The Resideo LTEM-PA and LTEM-PV dual-path communicators are a part of the new ProSeries lineup. In addition to these communicators, the Honeywell Home PROA7 and Honeywell Home PROA7PLUS and the Resideo PROA7C and Resideo PROA7PLUSC help to make up the ProSeries. These products may seem to make strange bedfellows, but the modular design shared by the All-in-One (AiO) panels and the stand-alone communicators is no accident. With some modules, such as the LTE communicators being shared between the two product lines. This is one reason why the LTEM-PA and LTEM-PV use DC power, rather than AC.

It's a natural assumption to make, thinking that since the older communicator from a particular manufacturer was an AC step-down transformer, the new communicator would employ a similar design. But in this case, that assumption can get you into a lot of trouble. Attempting to keep the original transformer from the 3G or CDMA communicator in place, and just connecting the LTEM-PA or LTEM-PV in place of the older one, can damage the VISTA panel, the transformer, or both.

The symptoms seen by Resideo Tech Support, when this mistake has been made are as follows:

• The transformer is damaged. Once this occurs, the VISTA panel will show an AC loss condition. Naturally, the next step is to replace the bad transformer with a good one. This can lead to the second symptom that has been seen.
• The VISTA board is damaged. Once the damaged transformer is replaced with a new one, feedback on the panel's power circuit causes one or more of the diodes on the VISTA board (above terminals 1 and 2) to become damaged. This can cause a burning smell and may even cause the panel to catch fire in a worst-case scenario.

In the image below, you can see a damaged diode. This area of the printed circuit board is just above Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 on a VISTA panel.

It is possible for the LTEM-PA or LTEM-PV to receive power from the panel so that only one transformer is required in the setup. However, the power comes from the 12 Volt DC auxiliary power output, not the transformer. You can see how to properly configure that setup in this helpful FAQ.

Alarm Grid announced in December that some Qolsys Panels, namely older IQ 2 and 2 Plus panels with AT&T LTE communicators, require a firmware update before the AT&T 3G Sunset this month. Alarm.com has been pushing those updates, but some panels still need the update, and time is running out.

As noted in December, Alarm.com has been automatically pushing the firmware update to those panels that need it. However, in order to get an update Over-the-Air (OTA) a Qolsys panel MUST have a connection to WIFI. That means if you have an older Qolsys IQ Panel 2 or IQ Panel 2 Plus with an AT&T LTE communicator built in, and your panel doesn't have a connection to WIFI, you may need to get a WIFI connection. At least long enough for the firmware update to come through. If you don't, and if your panel is one of the ones that requires this update, it will stop communicating via AT&T LTE Cellular soon after February 22, 2022.

AT&T doesn't have one big switch that they can turn off and then, "Voila, 3G is no more!" So, just because your system is still able to communicate on February 23, that doesn't necessarily mean that your panel doesn't require the firmware update. In addition, some panels will only need an update to the cellular firmware while other panels will need a panel firmware update first, followed by the cellular update. For this reason, it is best to connect your panel to WIFI and allow the Alarm.com server to connect and determine which updates, if any, need to be applied.

In order to make it as easy as possible to get a panel connected to WIFI, Alarm.com has made it possible to connect the panel to WIFI remotely using the Alarm.com customer app. To use the app to connect the panel to WIFI, follow these steps:

1. Log into the app, completing any 2-factor authentication that may be necessary.
2. Go to the 'Security System' card.
   
   
   
3. Tap the Gear icon in the upper right.
   
   
   
4. Select 'Panel WIFI'.
   
   
5. From this point, there are two options:
   • If the network to be used is already connected to another device on the account, such as a video camera, it will display under a prompt for 'Access Ready Networks'. Since that device already has the network credentials, the panel can use those same credentials to connect to the same network.
   • If the WIFI network is not already connected to another device, then you should see a prompt that says 'Additional networks available to your panel'. Select the network, and then enter the proper password where indicated.
     
     
     
     
6. Once the WIFI network is selected, and the password has been entered, if applicable, press 'Connect'.
   
   
7. If you don't see your network, press 'Rescan' or tap, 'Don't see your network?', then follow the provided steps to add the device to the network manually.

If your panel simply doesn't have an option to connect to traditional WIFI, then you may need to briefly use your cell phone as a wireless hotspot, and contact your alarm dealer to ask them to manually push the update to your panel while you're onsite. Alternatively, you can visit our Qolsys IQ Panel 2 Plus Firmware Update Page and download the update files to an SD Card, then follow the instructions listed on the page for updating via SD Card.

We are in the midst of a strange confluence of events. The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on both manufacturing and supply chains, with both sub-assembly parts and product delivery being affected. Add to that the AT&T 3G/4G GSM sunset and you'll have a good picture of where we are today.

We've known about the AT&T sunset for some time. We've written about it in this blog on numerous occasions. Alarm Grid implemented an email campaign to proactively remind our customers who needed an upgrade not to wait until the last minute. But there will always be people who want to wring every last bit of usefulness out of their current product, before upgrading to a new one. I don't blame them, really. But the strange confluence of events I mentioned earlier may find those folks scrambling to upgrade at the last minute.

Security communicator manufacturers, including Resideo, and Alarm.com are doing everything they can to bridge the gap between supply and demand. They are introducing new product lines, with alternatives to standard LTE such as those that use the LTE Cat-M1 network. Resideo has introduced the LTEM-PA and LTEM-PV and they are beta testing the LTEM-IA for future release. The benefit of these products is that they provide nearly the same experience as the previously released LTE products, but either due to happenstance or good planning, components for these products are readily available, so while other LTE products are on backorder, these units are plentiful.

Alarm.com also has a series of LTE Cat-M1 System Enhancement Modules (SEM), including the Alarm.com ADC-SEM300-VT-AT-M (coming soon) and the ADC-SEM300-VT-VZ-M which is available for purchase now. Both of these SEMs are compatible with the Honeywell VISTA product line (with the exception of the VISTA-128 and VISTA-250 panels). They allow compatible VISTA panels to communicate using Alarm.com, and to work with the Alarm.com remote control features. These are dual-path communicators that also have a Z-Wave plus controller built in. Alarm.com will soon have the ADC-SEM210-PS-AT-M and the ADC-SEM210-PS-VZ-M. These dual-path communicators with Z-Wave Plus controllers will support the older DSC Power Series panels (PC1616, PC1832, PC1864 all version 4.20+).

Perhaps the most intriguing "Bridge the Gap" product available currently is the Resideo Cellbounce. This product has some limitations, it only works with AT&T 3G communicators, it only works in states within the contiguous US (sorry Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico), and it can only be installed with a communicator that is currently still registered and active on the AT&T 3G network. If the communicator is in comm failure, this condition has to be resolved before a Cellbounce can be added. There are some other limitations too, such as it can't support Total Connect 2.0, (CORRECTION: It CAN support TC2 as long as the original AT&T 3G communicator supports it.) But be sure to read the full product description linked above before deciding to purchase.

The Cellbounce is a plug-and-play device. Anyone can install it, so no installer visit is required. It can work with any Honeywell or Resideo AT&T 3G communicator. The Cellbounce is installed within range, which is 25' (7.6m), of an existing, registered AT&T 3G communicator. The Alarm Dealer will need the Serial Number and IMEI Number from the Callbounce unit. These can be found on the box the device comes in.

Important Note: Provisioning must take place on the AlarmNet360 server BEFORE the Cellbounce unit is powered on.

Once the Cellbounce has been provisioned, it should be powered up using an unswitched outlet, not a power strip. From there, the Cellbounce does all the heavy lifting. On one hand, it reaches out and finds an LTE signal, on the other, it reaches out to the existing 3G communicator and locks on to it. Once both of these connections have been made, any time the 3G communicator sends a signal, the Cellbounce captures it and transfers it to the LTE network. AT&T has promised that the Cellbounce units will continue to function until at least Q1 2025. This should give any Cellbounce users plenty of additional time to upgrade. There are a limited number of Cellbounce units available, so if this sounds like an attractive option for you, order yours today. Don't get left behind!

Sunset Graphic courtesy of AlarmNet360:

If you read our blog regularly, you know that certain Qolsys IQ Panel 2 systems that use the AT&T LTE 4G network require an update to the communicator. Without this update, these cellular units will stop communicating after the 3G Sunset. On January 10, these updates will begin automatically.

Qolsys IQ Panel 2 panels that use an AT&T LTE Cellular Communicator will need a firmware update prior to the AT&T 3G sunset, which is scheduled to occur on 02/22/22. Without this update, these panels will lose their connection to the cellular network and could leave the alarm system with no communication path. The update can be performed over WIFI, or by using an SD Card.

For those panels that have a WIFI connection, Alarm.com will begin to automatically push the update on Monday, January 10, 2022. Once these updates begin, they will continue from 8 am - 8 pm seven (7) days per week until all are completed. Some panels will require both a panel firmware update and the cellular communicator update. The Alarm.com server will determine the panels that fall into this category and will perform the updates in the correct order automatically. Once the update has been applied, the panel will reboot as part of the update process. This is normal.

If a WIFI signal is available in the location where the panel is installed, but the panel is not currently connected to it, there are a few different ways to get the panel connected:

1. Locally: The connection can be made at the panel using the touchscreen. Instructions for connecting to WIFI locally can be found here.
2. By the dealer, remotely: Alarm.com dealers, like Alarm Grid, can use the Partner Portal to connect the panel to WIFI. This is found on the Partner Portal website under the Signaling/Broadband Settings.
3. By the end-user, remotely: Starting on 12/13/21, Alarm.com has enabled a tool that allows an end-user to connect the panel to WIFI through the Customer Alarm.com App or Alarm.com Website.

If you would like to go ahead and perform the update on your own, and you need to connect the system to WIFI first, from the customer's Alarm.com app click on Menu > Manage Devices > Select the 3-dots icon next to the panel's name > Select Device Settings > Select Panel WIFI. From there you can either choose an existing camera to copy that device's WIFI settings or select the SSID and complete the authentication process by entering the proper password. Once the connection to WIFI is made, the communication path will be changed from Cell-only to Dual-Path.

Panels that are on version 2.3.0 or lower must be updated to a minimum of 2.3.1 or higher before applying the communicator firmware patch. Panel firmware updates on panels that have a WIFI connection can be performed locally from the panel with a Patch Tag or can be completed remotely by the alarm dealer via Alarm.com's Partner Portal. Once the panel's firmware is on a compatible version (see the link in the paragraph below) the cellular firmware can be installed using the patch tag: ATT3GSunset

For panels that have no WIFI connection available, the Qolsys IQ Panel 2 can be updated locally using a MicroSD Card. The upgrade files, as well as instructions on how to perform the local upgrade, are available on Alarm Grid's Qolsys IQ Panel 2 Plus Firmware Update page. Both the panel firmware files and the ATT3GSunset patch can be downloaded from there.

This issue only affects AT&T LTE Cellular units. Verizon cellular units are in no way affected. This update is required because early Qolsys AT&T units used a provisional VoLTE Firmware Version. This later changed when VoLTE was fully released and because the difference between the two firmware versions didn't affect a panel's ability to send signals via cellular, no action was required at that time. AT&T realized that the upcoming sunset would have a detrimental affect on these early communicators and alerted Qolsys and Alarm.com of the required update.

If you are unsure whether your panel requires the update or not, contact your alarm dealer. They can verify whether or not your panel requires the panel update as well as the cellular update. This version information is only available when checked through the Partner Portal Website, and is not available from the Alarm.com Customer App or Website. You can read the full Qolsys Technical Service Bulletin regarding this upgrade here.

Alarm Grid customers with PROA7/PROA7PLUS panels who use Night Stay Arming may have received notification calls in error when arming their system in this mode. This issue came to light recently, and we have resolved it with the monitoring station, CMS. We apologize for any inconvenience.

The Honeywell Home PROA7, Honeywell Home PROA7PLUS, Resideo PROA7C and Resideo PROA7PLUSC are the newest All-in-One (AiO) panels from what used to be Honeywell and is now Resideo. The difference between the Honeywell Home versions, and the Resideo versions is strictly cosmetic as you can see below, with one panel having Honeywell Home branding and the other having Resideo branding:

When an alarm panel reports a signal to a monitoring station, it does so in a particular format. The most prevalent format used by the PROA7 and PROA7PLUS panels is called Ademco Contact ID. With Ademco being the creator of the format (and the company Honeywell purchased to get into the security system manufacturing business). In a Contact ID Signal the information transmitted follows this format:

Further, monitoring stations have Automation software that receives the above signal and turns it into useful information. The account number is turned into "The Smith Residence at 123 Smith Ln, etc...." An E131 is turned into a Perimeter Burglary Alarm (R131 would be a restore of a previously reported perimeter alarm), Partition is self explanatory, and a Z003 would indicate that this is a perimeter alarm on Zone 003, automation turns this into something like "Living Room Window". If the signal is an arming or disarming event, then instead of a Zone Number, the monitoring station would receive a User Number to indicate who armed or disarmed. For a full list of 3-Digit Contact ID codes, check the Installation Instructions for your alarm panel. All Honeywell, Resideo, and Honeywell Home panels have a list of the Contact ID Codes that can be transmitted by the panel, and what they mean.

The problem occurred because Honeywell Home and Resideo changed the Contact ID code they use when the system is Armed to Night Stay Mode. In the past, panels such as the Lyric and the LynxTouch panels used the Code R441 to indicate any type of Stay Arming, including Night Stay (in arm and disarm signals a Restore is reported when a user Arms, and a new Event is reported when a user Disarms.) On the ProSeries panels, they chose to use R444 to indicate when a user armed in the Night Stay Mode, while reporting an E401 to indicate when the system was disarmed. E401 is a more generic "Disarm by User" signal. This is also unusual, as in the past the panel would have reported an E444 when the system was disarmed from this mode.

Since this is an unusual signal to receive, and the monitoring station didn't have default instructions in their automation system on how to treat it, when it was received they chose to err on the side of caution and called the premises to report it. This is not the normal default protocol for signals regarding arming and disarming. Once we became aware that there was an issue, we investigated with the monitoring station, confirmed the issue, and took steps to be sure these signals would be treated properly in the future. We are doing the same with Rapid Response, the monitoring station for our Canadian customers. Once again, we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and we look forward to serving all our customers, old and new, in 2022!

It's the most wonderful time of the year, and we'd like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Happy, Safe, and Healthy Holiday Season! Regardless of which of several holidays or traditions you observe, we at Alarm Grid hope this season finds you surrounded by loved ones and festivities.

The Alarm Grid team will be celebrating the holidays starting at 6:00 pm on Thursday December 23, 2021. Our offices will close at that time, and will reopen on Monday, December 27, 2021. During the time our office is closed we won't be here to answer support phone calls or emails.

Our central station partners, of course, will be available during this time. All signals sent by your Alarm Grid monitored alarm system will be handled as usual. If you need to contact the central monitoring station, to cancel a false alarm or verify a signal, customers in the US can contact Criticom Monitoring Services (CMS) by dialing (888) 818-7728 and choosing Option [9].

Canadian customers can contact Rapid Response at (800) 932-3822. Remember when you call either monitoring station, you will be asked for your name, address, and your false alarm password or phrase. Providing incorrect information when asked, will result in the dispatch of authorities.

If you have a support question, or need to make adjustments to your account, the monitoring station cannot assist you with that type of request. In that case, send an email to support@alarmgrid.com with details of your request and we will begin to address these support issues as soon as we return to the office on Monday, December 27.

As we prepare to say goodbye to 2021, we want to say thank you to our customers. Thank you for trusting us with your safety and security. It is a privilege that we don't take lightly. Relax, and enjoy this time with your family and friends.

Qolsys IQ Panel 2 equipment that uses an AT&T LTE Cellular Communicator requires a firmware update prior to the AT&T 3G sunset date of 02/22/22. Without this update, these devices will lose their connection to the cellular network. The update can be performed over WIFI, or by using an SD Card

If a WIFI signal is available in the location where the Qolsys IQ Panel 2 is installed, but the panel is not currently connected to it, there are a few different ways to connect:

1. Locally: The connection can be made at the panel using the touchscreen. Instructions for connecting to WIFI locally can be found here.
2. By dealer remotely: Alarm.com dealers, like Alarm Grid, can use the Partner Portal to connect the panel to WIFI. This is found on the Partner Portal website under the Signaling/Broadband Settings.
3. By user remotely: Starting on 12/13/21, Alarm.com is enabling a tool that allows an end-user to connect the panel to WIFI through the Customer Alarm.com App or Alarm.com Website.

In order for the customer to connect their panel to WIFI using the customer app they will click on: Menu > Manage Devices > Select the 3-dots icon next to the panel's name > Select Device Settings > Select Panel WIFI. From there the user can either choose an existing camera to copy that device's WIFI settings, or select the SSID and complete the authentication process. Once the connection to WIFI is made, the communication path will be changed from Cell-only to Dual-Path. This may be useful for panels installed in locations where the building is not always occupied.

Starting on Monday, January 10, 2022 Alarm.com will begin to automatically deploy the firmware update to any WIFI connected panel that has not already received it. The automatic update process will proceed through the queue of needy panels 7 days per week during daytime hours (8am - 8pm panel time). As part of the update, a system reboot will occur.

In some cases, the panel's firmware may require an update before the cellular firmware update can be implemented. Panels that are on version 2.3.0 or lower must update to a minimum of 2.3.1 or higher. Panel firmware updates on panels that have a WIFI connection can also be performed locally from the panel with a Patch Tag, or can be done remotely via Alarm.com's Partner Portal. Once the panel's firmware is on a compatible version (see the link in the paragraph below) the cellular firmware can be installed using the patch tag: ATT3GSunset

For panels that have no WIFI connection available, the Qolsys IQ Panel 2 can be updated locally using a Micro SD Card. The upgrade files, as well as instructions on how to perform the local upgrade are available on Alarm Grid's Qolsys IQ Panel 2 Plus Firmware Update page. Eventually, Qolsys will also make the cellular firmware update patch available for download and install via Micro SD. Once they do, we will also host it on our site. As of 12/10/21, it is not yet available.

This issue only affects AT&T LTE Cellular units. Verizon units are not affected. This issue is occurring because early Qolsys AT&T units used a provisional VoLTE Firmware Version. This later changed when VoLTE was fully released. Since the difference between the provisional firmware and the released version didn't affect a panel's ability to communicate via cellular, no action was required before. If you are unsure whether your panel requires the update or not, contact your alarm dealer. They will be able to verify this information for you, as this information is only available when checked through the Partner Portal Website, and is not available from the Alarm.com Customer App or Website. Read the full Qolsys Technical Service Bulletin here.

Users of the Lyric Alarm System with an LYRICLTE-A AT&T LTE Communicator installed take note. Resideo has identified an issue where, after the AT&T 3G sunset on 02/22/22, any panel not properly updated will lose its connection with the cellular network. This issue does not affect Verizon units.

The firmware version that resolves this issue is 01.09.07772.494, and it is available now on the Resideo AlarmNet360 servers. The issue at play here is that the AT&T cellular communicator currently falls back on the 3G network when it can't connect to LTE. Once an LYRICLTE-A communicator is registered, it looks for both an LTE signal and a 3G one. Without this critical firmware update, these communicators would continue to look for a 3G signal after the 3G sunset. Being unable to find a 3G signal, they will lose connection and go offline.

Users who find themselves in this situation have a few options. If you are a Lyric Alarm System user with the AT&T LTE communicator installed, you can choose to go ahead and manually update your system now. The system needs to be disarmed and have no trouble conditions present in order for the firmware update to go through, so a manual update allows you to choose a time when it is disarmed and ready. It also allows you to confirm that the update was successful after you see your panel reboot.

Since this is a critical update, AlarmNet will begin automatically updating panels that are affected by this issue starting on December 8, 2021. Since a firmware update can only go through when the panel is disarmed with no troubles, any users with a zone trouble, or a low battery message that they have been putting off correcting, should go ahead and take care of the issue. Once all trouble conditions are clear and the system is disarmed, we recommend that you go ahead and manually perform the firmware update. Instructions for updating are linked above.

If your system is automatically updated, it will reboot as part of the update process, so don't be alarmed if you see this happen. Step 3 in the FAQ on updating the panel linked above shows you how to confirm the panel's firmware version. So, if you see your panel reboot you can verify that an update was successfully completed.

Any Lyric Controller with a LYRICLTE-A AT&T LTE Communicator that is being installed on or after 02/22/22 will need to be updated to firmware version 01.09.07772.494 via the built-in WIFI communicator before the LYRICLTE-A will work properly. The firmware update should be completed prior to the installation of the LYRICLTE-A. The LYRICLTE-V Verizon LTE Communicator is not affected by this issue. You can read the full notice from Resideo here.

Local Alarm Mode, also called Demo Mode, is a way for an alarm dealer to demonstrate the full features of the panel without having to register it to an AlarmNet360 account. However, while in this mode, panel communications can't be configured. A panel in this mode can seem to be broken.

Alarm Grid has seen several of the Honeywell Home PROA7, Honeywell Home PROA7PLUS, Resideo PROA7C, and Resideo PROA7PLUSC panels recently that have either arrived with Local Alarm Mode enabled, or have been put into this mode during initial setup. Once Local Alarm Mode has been enabled, it is impossible to configure the panel communication settings until Local Alarm Mode has been toggled off.

Local Alarm Mode is a valuable tool that has been made available to alarm dealers so that they can demo these new panels for a customer in spite of the fact that the panel isn't associated with an account. This was particularly important when the panel was first introduced because there was no local programming. For those early panels, until the ProSeries panel was registered, it couldn't do much unless Local Alarm Mode had been enabled.

This was a great tool at the time for alarm dealers, but for DIY customers, it doesn't offer much in the way of benefits. Now that the panel has local panel programming available, there really is no reason for an Alarm Grid customer to want to use this feature. Whether the panel arrived with this feature enabled, or the feature was enabled during programming, once the customer decides to have the system monitored, whether self monitored, or with central station monitoring, Local Alarm Mode should be disabled.

To check to see if Local Alarm Mode is enabled or disabled, choose the Menu icon (≡) at the bottom center of the Home screen. Select Tools > Installer Code (default is 4112) > Local Alarm Mode. The feature can then be toggled OFF if it is enabled. If it was enabled and you toggle it off, you'll see a confirmation screen, click on the "YES, DISABLE" option.

If you've been using the system with Local Alarm Mode enabled, and you have signed up for alarm monitoring with Alarm Grid, be sure to toggle this feature OFF as soon as possible. Depending on which monitoring plan you sign up for, activation of your account may begin immediately after sign up, and having this feature enabled at that time can cause delays. This is particularly true of the Self-Monitoring options. If you signed up for a central station monitoring plan, just be sure to disable this feature prior to your activation appointment.

From all of us at Alarm Grid, Happy Thanksgiving! We send you good wishes for a healthy and happy day with your friends and family. Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or just Giving Back we hope you stay safe and warm. Be sure to arm your security system, and lock your doors.

We at Alarm Grid understand the importance of spending time with loved ones, so we will be closed on Thanksgiving to give our employees the opportunity to celebrate. Of course, our central monitoring stations will both be available to handle any alarm signals that may be sent by our customer's systems. If you need to contact the monitoring station, to report a false alarm or put your system on test, you can call Criticom Monitoring Services (CMS) at (888) 818-7728 and choose Option [9]. This is the process for customers inside the United States.

If you are a Canadian Alarm Grid customer, then you will contact Rapid Response, our monitoring partner in Canada at (800) 932-3822. Remember, when you call you will be asked for your name and address, and to verify your false alarm password or phrase. Providing the wrong information, or the Duress Password will result in a police dispatch.

If you have a support question, or need to make adjustments to your account, the monitoring station won't be able to assist you with that. In that case, send an email to support@alarmgrid.com with your request and we'll get back with you as soon as possible when we return to the office on Friday, November 25.

As we begin the 2021 holiday season, we give thanks for our health, our employees, but most of all for our wonderful customers. It is truly our pleasure to help you keep your family and your property safe and secure.